Insect Resistance of Transformed Tobacco Plants with Gene of the Spider Insecticidal Peptide

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)leaves were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 containing the insecticidal peptide gene. Thirty regenerated kanamycin resistant plants were obtained, among which three showed stronger toxicity to Heliothis armigera by feeding experiments. In comparison with feeding of the control plants, mortality of the insects fed on transgenic plants was significantly higher and the growth of the survived insects was remarkably retarded. Results of PCR Southern blot and Northern blot showed that insecticidal peptide gene has been transferred into the genome of these three plants and expressed efficiently to confer the insect resistance of the transgenic plants.