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Title: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF TRANSGENIC PEAR PLANTS EXPRESSING FOREIGN GENES UNDER THE CONTROL OF A PHLOEM-SPECIFIC PROMOTER

Author
item SUN, QINGRONG - TAIAN PR CHINA
item WEI, WEI - TAIAN PR CHINA
item Hammond, Rosemarie
item Davis, Robert
item Zhao, Yan

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/2006
Publication Date: 3/30/2006
Citation: Sun, Q., Wei, W., Hammond, R., Davis, R.E., Zhao, Y. 2006. Molecular characterization of transgenic pear plants expressing foreign genes under the control of a phloem-specific promoter. American Phytopathological Society. 96:S111.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pear (Pyrus communis L.) is susceptible to a severe disease caused by a phloem-inhabiting, cell wall-less bacterium known as pear decline phytoplasma. Infection of pear plants by the phytoplasma can result in heavy fruit loss and even plant death. To mitigate the phytoplasmal disease, we intend to develop genetically engineered pear plants that will produce and deliver anti-microbial peptides specifically to sieve elements where phytoplasma cells reside. With our new and improved pear transformation and regeneration protocols, we generated transgenic pear lines that bear a beta-glucuronidase reporter gene (uidA) and a synthetic antimicrobial gene (sap) under the control of the promoter of the Arabidopsis sucrose-H+ symporter gene (AtSUC2). Polymerase chain reaction and DNA gel blot analyses confirmed the integration of the foreign genes into transgenic pear lines. Western blot analyses indicated that the foreign genes were expressed in leaf and root tissues. Histological GUS assays demonstrated that the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene was expressed specifically in phloem tissues of leaves, petioles, and roots of transgenic plants.