Enhanced resistance to the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea conferred by expression of a cecropin A gene in transgenic rice

Cecropins are a family of antimicrobial peptides, which constitute an important key component of the immune response in insects. Here, we demonstrate that transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants expressing the cecropin A gene from the giant silk moth Hyalophora cecropia show enhanced resistance to Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of the rice blast disease. Two plant codon-optimized synthetic cecropin A genes, which were designed either to retain the cecropin A peptide in the endoplasmic reticulum, the ER-CecA gene, or to secrete cecropin A to the extracellular space, the Ap-CecA gene, were prepared. Both cecropin A genes were efficiently expressed in transgenic rice. The inhibitory activity of protein extracts prepared from leaves of cecropin A-expressing plants on the in vitro growth of M. grisea indicated that the cecropin A protein produced by the transgenic rice plants was biologically active. Whereas no effect on plant phenotype was observed in ER-CecA plants, most of the rice lines expressing the Ap-CecA gene were non-fertile. Cecropin A rice plants exhibited resistance to rice blast at various levels. Transgene expression of cecropin A genes was not accompanied by an induction of pathogenesis-related (PR) gene expression supporting that the transgene product itself is directly active against the pathogen. Taken together, the results presented in this study suggest that the cecropin A gene, when designed for retention of cecropin A into the endoplasmic reticulum, could be a useful candidate for protection of rice plants against the rice blast fungus M. grisea.     

Expression of giant silkmoth cecropin B genes in tobacco

Cecropin B is a small antibacterial peptide from the giant silkmothHyalophora cecropia. To reveal the potential of this peptide for engineering bacterial disease resistance into crops, several cecropin B gene constructs were made either for expression in the cytosol or for secretion. All constructs were cloned in a plant expression vector and introduced in tobacco viaAgrobacterium tumefaciens. A cDNA-derived cecropin B gene construct lacking the amino-terminal signal peptide was poorly expressed in transgenic plants at the mRNA level, whereas plants harbouring a full-length cDNA-derived construct containing the insect signal peptide, showed increased cecropin B-mRNA levels. Highest expression was found in plants harbouring a construct with a plant-gene-derived signal peptide. In none of the transgenic plants could the cecropin B peptide be detected. This is most likely caused by breakdown of the peptide by plant endogenous proteases, since a chemically synthesized cecropin B peptide was degraded within seconds in various plant cell extracts. This degradation could be prevented by the addition of specific protease inhibitors and by boiling the extract prior to adding the peptide. In addition, anionic detergents, in contrast to cationic, zwitter-ionic or non-ionic detergents, could prevent this degradation. Nevertheless, transgenic tobacco plants were evaluated for resistance toPseudomonas solanacearum, the causal agent of bacterial wilt of many crops, andP. syringae pv.tabaci, the causal agent of bacterial wildfire, which are highly susceptible to cecropin Bin vitro. No resistance was found. These experiments indicate that introduction and expression of cecropin B genes in tobacco does not result in detectable cecropin B protein levels and resistance to bacterial infections, most likely due to degradation of the protein by endogenous proteases.     

Transgenic elite Indica rice varieties,resistant to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

The agronomically important Indica (group 1) rice varieties IR64, IR72, hybrid restorer line Minghui 63, and BG90-2 were co-transformed by microbombardment of embryogenic suspensions with plasmids that contain the Xa21 gene which confers resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and the hph gene for resistance to hygromycin B. Six of the 55 transgenic R0 plant lines containing the Xa21 gene displayed high levels of resistance to the pathogen, and no partial resistance was observed. The trait was stably inherited in subsequent generations, and transgenic plants are currently in field tests. The ability to transfer agronomically important genes into elite Indica rice varieties demonstrates the applicability of genetic engineering for the agronomic improvement of rice.     

水稻白叶枯病广谱抗性基因Xa21导入两用不育系培矮64S

以克隆的Xa21基因为外源基因,成熟胚愈伤组织为转化受体,应用农杆菌介导法对水稻两用型核不育系培矮64S进行转化,获46株转基因植株。PCR和Southern分析结果表明,Xa21已整合到受体基因组。用稻白叶枯病病原菌(Xanthomonasoryzaepv.oryzae)菲律宾小种6号接种鉴定,结果表明大多数转基因植株获得了抗病性。已整合的Xa21基因能够稳定地遗传,在所检测转基因株系的T1代中,Xa21基因显示3:1的分离。     

基因枪转化获得的转基因水稻中外源基因整合与表达规律研究

通过基因枪法将cecropin B和bar基因共转化水稻,获得多个水稻优良品系的转化材料,对转基因的结构和表达的系统分析,发现外源基因的整合模式多种多样,有简单也有复杂,其中插入位点数的变化范围为1－7个,拷贝数的变化范围为1－10个,转基因拷贝数的多少与其表达和沉默不存在必然的联系,相同整合模式的转基因事件中基因的表达存在较大的差异,选择标记基因bar比非选择标记基因cecropin B的表达框的完整性和转录概率要高,但是发现大部分表达框完整的bar基因发生基因沉默,而在终止子发生序列丢失的cecropin B基因的表达则明显提高。     

Enhancement of innate immune system in monocot rice by transferring the dicotyledonous elongation factor Tu receptor EFR

The elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) receptor (EFR) in cruciferous plants specifical y recognizes the N-terminal acetylated elf18 region of bacterial EF-Tu and thereby activates plant immunity. It has been...     

转拟南芥NPR1基因桂99 T3代植株的抗病性及农艺性状表现

以转拟南芥AtNPR1基因的恢复系品种桂99T3代纯合株系为材料,考查其农艺性状及其抗病性,并比较转基因植株与桂99侵染水稻白叶枯病菌后的农艺性状。结果表明:转基因植株表现出对水稻白叶枯病的抗性显著增强77%以上;穗长、剑叶长、有效穗数、一次枝梗数、每穗实粒数、单株产量和谷粒宽等农艺性状与未转基因桂99无显著差别。在受到水稻白叶枯病菌侵染后,转基因植株的一次枝梗数、每穗粒数、每穗实粒数和单株产量等方面均比对照桂99高出13%～78%。说明AtNPR1基因增强了水稻的抗病能力,从而降低了病害引起的产量损失。转基因植株的恢复力不受影响,稻米品质比桂99更加优良。本工作为转基因水稻抗病育种的研究奠定了基础。     

应用B.t.和SBTi基因提高水稻抗虫性的研究

用基因枪法将单个B.t.基因或与SBTi基因一起导入到两个华南地区优良籼稻品种中,获得21个转B.t.单基因的植株系,4个转B.t.和SBTi双基因的植株系。对R1代植株的分子杂交和遗传分析表明,3个转双基因系中多个拷贝的B.t.和SBTi基因均是整合在植株基因组同一染色体上相同或相近位点。Northern blot证明在R2代转基因植株中B.t.基因稳定表达。对稻纵卷叶螟的抗性实验表明,转B.t.单基因或B.t.和SBTi双基因的转基因植株均较原种对照有更强的抗性,而转双基因植株较转单基因植株又有更强的抗性。     

外源基因在一个转基因水稻四倍体变异株系中的遗传行为

在基因枪介导转化的转基因水稻植株中发现1个四倍体变异株系XIP-4N．该变异株系T₀代植株中转基因的整合模式与二倍体转基因株系XIP-2N相同,并且二者来自同一转化体系,推测XIP-4N株系是转化后的水稻愈伤组织在细胞有丝分裂过程中发生染色体加倍产生的．对外源筛选标记基因bar和非筛选基因cecropinB在转基因株系XIP-4N和XIP-2N中的遗传行为进行了比较研究．在二倍体转基因株系XIP-2N中,bar和cecropinB基因的Southern整合模式从T₀到T₂代遗传稳定,单位点整合的bar基因按孟德尔单基因显性方式向后代传递．四倍体转基因株系XIP-4N中外源基因遗传行为复杂,单位点整合的bar基因（Basta抗性）T₁代按15∶1分离,T₂和T₃代中分离行为复杂,而且bar和cecropinB基因的整合模式遗传不稳定．同源四倍体水稻植株减数分裂过程中染色体结构变异、转基因相关位点DNA片段的遗传重组与修饰,以及由此导致配子的育性降低,可能是导致外源基因遗传行为复杂的主要原因．转基因四倍体水稻变异株系XIP-4N携带易于检测的bar基因,为研究同源四倍体水稻的遗传和生殖机理提供了好材料．     

Enhanced resistance to phytopathogenic bacteria in transgenic tobacco plants with synthetic gene of antimicrobial peptide cecropin P1

Plasmids with a synthetic gene of the mammalian antimicrobial peptide cecropin P1 (cecP1) controlled by the constitutive promoter 35S RNA of cauliflower mosaic virus were constructed. Agrobacterial transformation of tobacco plants was conducted using the obtained recombinant binary vector. The presence of gene cecP1 in the plant genome was confirmed by PCR. The expression of gene cecP1 in transgenic plants was shown by Northern blot analysis. The obtained transgenic plants exhibit enhanced resistance to phytopathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae, P. marginata, and Erwinia carotovora. The ability of transgenic plants to express cecropin P1 was transmitted to the progeny. F1 and F2 plants had the normal phenotype (except for a changed coloration of flowers) and retained the ability to produce normal viable seeds upon self-pollination. Lines of F1 plants with Mendelian segregation of transgenic traits were selected.     

非寄主抗病基因Rxo1介导的水稻对Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzicola的抗病反应

通过表型鉴定、反转录PCR和实时定量PCR方法,利用转基因和非转基因水稻植株,研究由Rxol基因介导的,水稻对细菌性条斑病菌的抗性反应。结果观察到3个涉及过敏性反应的基因由Rxol基因诱导表达,并对其进行了分析。这3个基因参与编码病程相关蛋白,在转基因水稻植株中呈上调表达,表明水杨酸信号转导途径在抗性反应中发挥重要的作用。     

Transgenic citrus expressing synthesized <Emphasis Type="Italic">cecropin</Emphasis> B genes in the phloem exhibits decreased susceptibility to Huanglongbing

Key message

Expression of synthesized cecropin B genes in the citrus phloem, where Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus resides, significantly decreased host susceptibility to Huanglongbing.

Abstract

Huanglongbing (HLB), associated with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus bacteria, is the most destructive disease of citrus worldwide. All of the commercial sweet orange cultivars lack resistance to this disease. The cationic lytic peptide cecropin B, isolated from the Chinese tasar moth (Antheraea pernyi), has been shown to effectively eliminate bacteria. In this study, we demonstrated that transgenic citrus (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) expressing the cecropin B gene specifically in the phloem had a decreased susceptibility to HLB. Three plant codon-optimized synthetic cecropin B genes, which were designed to secrete the cecropin B peptide into three specific sites, the extracellular space, the cytoplasm, and the endoplasmic reticulum, were constructed. Under the control of the selected phloem-specific promoter GRP1.8, these constructs were transferred into the citrus genome. All of the cecropin B genes were efficiently expressed in the phloem of transgenic plants. Over more than a year of evaluation, the transgenic lines exhibited reduced disease severity. Bacterial populations in transgenic lines were significantly lower than in the controls. Two lines, in which bacterial populations were significantly lower than in others, showed no visible symptoms. Thus, we demonstrated the potential application of the phloem-specific expression of an antimicrobial peptide gene to protect citrus plants from HLB.

     

玉米细菌性条斑病非寄主抗性基因Rxo1转化水稻的研究

水稻细菌性条斑病是我国重要的水稻病害之一,但是在水稻种质资源中尚未发现抗细菌性条斑病单个主效基因。利用农杆菌介导的转化系统将从玉米中克隆的细菌性条斑病非寄主抗性基因Rxo1转入我国2个杂交稻恢复系和2个常规水稻品种。转基因植株的PCR和Southern分析结果表明Rxo1基因已整合到受体基因组中,Rxo1基因单拷贝整合的转化体在自交T1代呈现抗感3∶1分离。人工接种实验和病菌的生长曲线表明携带Rxo1的转基因植株对水稻细条病菌可以产生过敏性抗病反应。上述结果为利用非寄主抗性基因防治该病害提供了有用的信息。     

植物抗毒素转化水稻和转基因植株的生物鉴定

用基因枪法转化了水稻（ＯｒｙｚａｓａｔｉｖａＬ．）６个材料的未成熟胚、成熟胚及胚性愈伤组织。质粒ｐＳＳＶｓｔ１和ｐＶＥ５＋是由葡萄中分离出的编码芪类合成酶的植物抗毒素基因与３５Ｓ或它自己的启动子组成。Ｇ４１８（１００～１５０ｍｇ／Ｌ）或潮霉素（５０ｍｇ／Ｌ）筛选后,经ＰＣＲ、Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ或Ｄｏｔｂｌｏｔ分析证明的转基因植株共５４株。对转基因植株及其后代进行了稻瘟病和白叶枯病的抗性鉴定。初步结果表明,芪类合成酶基因可以提高转基因植株及后代的抗性。     

Rice Transformation with a Phytoalexin Gene and Bioassay of the Transgenic Plants

Immature embryos, mature embryos and embryogenie ealli of 6 rice ( Oryza sativa L. ) materials were transformed with particle bombardment. The plasmids pSSVsfl and pVE5 + were used, both containing the phytoalexin gene from grapevine coding for stilbene synthase, but driven by 35S and its own promoter respectively. Through resistance selection for G418 ( 100 to 150 mg/L) or hygromycin (50 mg/L), 54 independent transgenic plants were isolated and further assessed by PCR, Southern blot and Dot blot analyses. The transgenic plants and their progenies were tested for resistance to blast ( Pyricularia oryzae) and bacterial blight of rice ( Xanthomonas oryzae). Preliminary results indicated that the stilbene synthase gene could enhance the resistance of transgenic plants and their progenies to both pathogens.     

籼稻明恢63成熟种子愈伤组织的诱导及转基因水稻的抗性检测

利用不含附加营养成分的2,4-D培养基（2mg/L）诱导明恢63的成熟种子,9天预诱导后获得了大量的愈伤组织。利用基因枪辅助的土壤农杆菌转化法将天花粉蛋白（Trichosanthin, TCS）基因转入籼稻明恢63的愈伤组织,并通过再生（含有3mg/L 6-BA, 0.5mg/L ABA和1mg/L NAA的N6培养基）获得了转基因植物。 Southern blot分析和Western blot检测证明外源基因已经插入到T0代明恢63的基因组中并获得了表达。初步研究结果表明,转基因水稻对稻瘟病菌侵染具有抗性。     

High accumulation of bioactive peptide in transgenic rice seeds by expression of introduced multiple genes

We have developed a simple binary vector construction system for the simultaneous expression of multiple genes in plants. Up to three independent gene cassettes can be easily integrated into one binary vector using the MultiSite Gateway System. Using this system, we produced transgenic rice plants that accumulated high levels of the hypocholesterolaemic peptide lactostatin (IIAEK) in endosperm. Binary vectors were constructed that could accommodate up to three independent modified glutelin gene cassettes encoding multimer lactostatin in the variable regions. Eight construct permutations were used for rice transformation. We measured the accumulation of lactostatin expressed as a glutelin fusion protein in the mature seeds of 105 independent transgenic rice lines. A general correlation was observed between accumulation level and gene number in the vector constructs, indicating that a higher accumulation of lactostatin was obtained from transgenic rice plants containing the maximum number of gene inserts. These results indicate that this strategy is applicable for the selection of transgenic lines containing large amounts of bioactive peptides in rice seeds.     

Transgenic rice plants expressing a Bacillus subtilis protoporphyrinogen oxidase gene are resistant to diphenyl ether herbicide oxyfluorfen

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox), the penultimate step enzyme of the branch point for the biosynthetic pathway of Chl and hemes, is the target site of action of diphenyl ether (DPE) herbicides. However, Bacillus subtilis Protox is known to be resistant to the herbicides. In order to develop the herbicide-resistant plants, the transgenic rice plants were generated via expression of B. subtilis Protox gene under ubiquitin promoter targeted to the cytoplasm or to the plastid using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation. The integration and expression of the transgene were investigated at T0 generation by DNA and RNA blots. Most transgenic rice plants revealed one copy transgene insertion into the rice genome, but some with 3 copies. The expression levels of B. subtilis Protox mRNA appeared to correlate with the copy number. Furthermore, the plastidal transgenic lines exhibited much higher expression of the Protox mRNA than the cytoplasmic transgenic lines. The transgenic plants expressing the B. subtilis Protox gene at T0 generation were found to be resistant to oxyfluorfen when judged by cellular damage with respect to cellular leakage, Chl loss, and lipid peroxidation. The transgenic rice plants targeted to the plastid exhibited higher resistance to the herbicide than the transgenic plants targeted to the cytoplasm. In addition, possible resistance mechanisms in the transgenic plants to DPE herbicides are discussed.