Bean is an edible grain legume species with the greatest selectivity in terms of ecological conditions. Increasing the yield per unit area depends on identification and breeding of species resistant to different ecological conditions. In this regard, we aimed to evaluate mRNA levels of the PvLEA3 gene and lipid peroxidation levels in 7 different bean varieties subjected to NaCl and PEG stresses. | Turkish Journal of Botany Research Article Turk J Bot (2015) 39: 1014-1020 © TÜBİTAK doi: Screening of PvLEA3 gene mRNA expression levels with qRT-PCR in different bean varieties (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) subjected to salt and drought stress İlker BÜYÜK*, Sümer ARAS Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey Received: Accepted/Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Bean is an edible grain legume species with the greatest selectivity in terms of ecological conditions. Increasing the yield per unit area depends on identification and breeding of species resistant to different ecological conditions. In this regard, we aimed to evaluate mRNA levels of the PvLEA3 gene and lipid peroxidation levels in 7 different bean varieties subjected to NaCl and PEG stresses. Lipid peroxidation analysis (MDA) and qRT-PCR analysis were performed with root and leaf tissues sampled at 3 and 27 h of stress conditions. All results showed that the PvLEA3 gene plays a key role in the defense mechanism against both salt and drought stress. According to the analysis results, Göynük-98 and Yunus-90 varieties were more resistant to stress conditions than the others. Our findings revealed that PvLEA3 gene expression might be used as a marker for early detection of the tolerance capability of bean varieties against salt and drought stress conditions. Key words: Abiotic stress, qRT-PCR, LEA genes, MDA 1. Introduction Legumes (Leguminosae), which have a market value of $40 billion in the world economy and 60 million tons production per year, are the third largest family in the plant kingdom (Gepts et al., 2005; Ashraf et al., 2012). Since the earliest civilizations, legumes have been used for human nutrition and particularly for a source of protein. According to field studies, 22% of vegetable proteins and 7% of carbohydrates needed in human nutrition and 38% of proteins and
