Concanavalin A inhibits development of tomato moth (Lacanobia oleracea) and peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) when expressed in transgenic potato plants |
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Authors: | Gatehouse Angharad MR Davison Gillian M Stewart Jennifer N Gatehouse Laurence N Kumar Amar Geoghegan Irene E Birch A Nicholas E Gatehouse John A |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK;(2) The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand, Private Bag 11 030, Palmerston North, New Zealand;(3) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK |
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Abstract: | The effects of concanavalin A (ConA), a glucose/mannose-specific lectin from jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis), on insect crop
pests from two different orders, Lepidoptera and Homoptera, were investigated. When fed to larvae of tomato moth (Lacanobia
oleracea) at a range of concentrations (0.02–2.0% of total protein) in artificial diet, ConA decreased survival, with up to
90% mortality observed at the highest dose level, and retarded development, but had only a small effect on larval weight.
When fed to peach-potato aphids (Myzus persicae) at a range of concentrations (1–9μM) in liquid artificial diet, ConA reduced
aphid size by up to 30%, retarded development to maturity, and reduced fecundity (production of offspring) by >35%, but had
little effect on survival. With both insects, there was a poor correlation between lectin dose and the quantitative effect.
Constitutive expression of ConA in transgenic potatoes driven by the CaMV 35S promoter resulted in the protein accumulating
to levels lower than predicted, possibly due to potato not being able to adequately reproduce the post-translational processing
of this lectin which occurs in jackbean. However, the expressed lectin was functionally active as a haemagglutinin. Bioassay
of L. oleracea larvae on ConA-expressing potato plants showed that the lectin retarded larval development, and decreased larval
weights by >45%, but had no significant effect on survival. It also decreased consumption of plant tissue by the larvae. In
agreement with the diet bioassay results, ConA-expressing potatoes decreased the fecundity of M. persicae by up to 45%. ConA
thus has potential as a protective agent against insect pests in transgenic crops.
This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | lectins insect resistance transgenic plants potato (Solanum tuberosum) Lepidoptera Homoptera |
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