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Title: INCREASED RESISTANCE TO ERWINIA AMYLOVORA EXHIBITED BY TRANSFORMED 'ROYAL GALA' APPLE SHOOTS, CONTAINING THE MODIFIED CECROPIN MB39 GENE

Author
item LIU, QINGZHONG - CONTRACT EMPLOYEE
item OWENS, LOWELL - RETIRED
item Salih, Sarbagh
item INGERSOL, JOHN - PREVIOUS POST DOC
item MENG, RENGONG - ARS/HCRL, CORVALLIS, OR
item Hammerschlag, Freddi

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/2000
Publication Date: 7/3/2000
Citation: Liu, Q., Owens, L., Salih, S.S., Ingersol, J., Meng, R., Hammerschlag, F.A. 2000. Increased resistance to erwinia amylovora exhibited by transformed 'royal gala' apple shoots, containing the modified cecropin mb39 gene. Meeting Abstract. Abstract book page 8.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Transgenic Royal Gala' apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) shoots were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer techniques using the plasmid binary vector pGV-osm-AC with a T-DNA encoding a chimeric gene consisting of a secretory sequence from barley a-amylase joined to a modified cecropin MB39 coding sequence, and placed under the control of a wound-inducible promoter osmotin from tobacco. Southern blot analysis confirmed the integration of the cecropin MB39 gene into apple. The transformation efficiency was 1.5 % when internodes from etiolated shoots were used as explants and 2% when leaf explants were used. Both non- and transgenic tetraploid plants were produced by treatment of leaf explants with colchicine at 25 mg/liter and polyploidy was confirmed by flow cytometry. Three of the diploid transformants were significantly more resistant to Erwinia amylovora (causal agent of fire blight) than the non-transformed Royal Gala' control, and in one case, a tetraploid transformant was significantly more resistant than the diploid plant it was derived from. This research demonstrates the potential of introducing the cecropin gene to generate plants with increased levels of disease resistance.