| Summary: | <i>PpCAD2</i> was originally isolated from the ‘Wangkumbae’ pear (<i>Pyrus pyrifolia</i> Nakai), and it encodes for cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), which is a key enzyme in the lignin biosynthesis pathway. In order to verify the function of <i>PpCAD2</i>, transgenic tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>) ‘Micro-Tom’ plants were generated using over-expression constructs via the agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The results showed that the <i>PpCAD2</i> over-expression transgenic tomato plant had a strong growth vigor. Furthermore, these <i>PpCAD2</i> over-expression transgenic tomato plants contained a higher lignin content and CAD enzymatic activity in the stem, leaf and fruit pericarp tissues, and formed a greater number of vessel elements in the stem and leaf vein, compared to wild type tomato plants. This study clearly indicated that overexpressing <i>PpCAD2</i> increased the lignin deposition of transgenic tomato plants, and thus validated the function of <i>PpCAD2</i> in lignin biosynthesis.
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