17 Ki-Won Lee Md. Atikur Rahman Gi Jun Choi Ki-Yong Kim Hee Chung Ji Tae Young Hwang Sang-Hoon Lee Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JAPS 20172017/08/01 27 4 1238-1244 1018-7081 NA <p>Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are key components contribute to cellular homeostasis under stressful conditions. They function as molecular chaperone involved in protein folding, plant development, signal transduction and protecting plants against several stresses. In this study, we developed transgenic alfalfa by&nbsp;<em>Agrobacterium</em>-mediated genetic transformation, and integration and expression of&nbsp;<em>MsHsp23</em>was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern and Northern blot analyses. Transgenic (Tg1, Tg3, Tg4 andTg7) and non-transgenic (NT) alfalfa plants were exposed to heat (42 &deg;C)treatment for 24 h. Compared to NT control plants, Tg plants showed less wiltingthat maintained leaves color compared to NT plants. The expression of&nbsp;<em>MsHsp23</em>gene and the ascorbate peroxidase (APX) levels were higher in&nbsp;<em>MsHsp23</em>alfalfa lines relative to NT plants. The result indicates the chaperone activity of&nbsp;<em>MsHsp23</em>genethat allows for the induction of APX in transgenic alfalfa. We conclude that high level of&nbsp;<em>MsHsp23</em>withAPX activity enhanced tolerance to heat stress in transgenic alfalfa plants.</p> MsHsp23, Transgenic, Alfalfa, Heat stress, Tolerance Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2017-JAPS-157