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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #216930
Title: High-efficiency generation of RNAi mutants of apple by use of multi-vector transformation

Author
item BOREJSZA-WYSOCKA, EWA - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item Norelli, John
item Bassett, Carole
item FARRELL, JR., ROBERT - PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
item Baldo, Angela
item ALDWINCKLE, HERB - CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Plant and Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2007
Publication Date: 1/12/2008
Citation: Borejsza-Wysocka, E., Norelli, J.L., Bassett, C.L., Farrell, Jr., R.E., Baldo, A.M., Aldwinckle, H.S. 2008. High-efficiency generation of RNAi mutants of apple by use of multi-vector transformation. Plant and Animal Genome Conference. p 453.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A high-efficiency transformation and selection system was used to create apple RNAi mutants for determination of function of candidate genes in resistance of apple to Erwinia amylovora (fire blight). The M.26 apple genotype was transformed with a mixture of five RNAi EST-silencing vectors in each transformation experiment to allow selection of multiple types of mutants from a single experiment. Bioinformatics analysis was used to identify ESTs associated with response to E. amylovora. The silencing constructs were transferred to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105pCH32, which was used to transform leaf-slice explants. Regenerants were selected with kanamycin using nptII and then screened by PCR for integration of a silencing construct using universal primers. In most of the lines screened, PCR showed that only single genes had been inserted. Thus far, ESTs from genes in six functional categories: general metabolism (1), photosynthesis (2), nucleic acid metabolism (1), protein metabolism (3), signaling (4), and defense/stress (4) have been subjected to this protocol. The regenerants will be assayed for phenotype of reaction to E. amylovora by inoculation of young plantlets. This project is supported by a National Research Initiative Competitive Grant 2005-35300-15462 from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.