title: Transgenic tobacco expressing Pinellia ternata agglutinin confers enhanced resistance to aphids.
abstract: Tobacco leaf discs were transformed with a plasmid, pBIPTA, containing the selectable marker neomycin phosphotransferase gene (nptII) and Pinellia ternata agglutinin gene (pta) via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Thirty-two independent transgenic tobacco plants were regenerated. PCR and Southern blot analyses confirmed that the pta gene had integrated into the plant genome and northern blot analysis revealed transgene expression at various levels in transgenic plants. Genetic analysis confirmed Mendelian segregation of the transgene in T1 progeny. Insect bioassays showed that transgenic plants expressing PTA inhibited significantly the growth of peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer). This is the first report that transgenic plants expressing pta confer enhanced resistance to aphids. Our study indicates that the pta gene can be used as a supplement to the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) lectin gene (gna) in the control of aphids, a sap-sucking insect pest causing significant yield losses of crops.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Morgan-Tan International Center for Life Sciences, Fudan-SJTU-Nottingham Plant Biotechnology R&D Center Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Yongzhen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Huaxiong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Bingliang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Xiuyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Weiwen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Xiaofen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kexuan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000373:Agglutinins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000378:metabolism*; D030021:Pinellia / Q000235:genetics*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D010957:Plasmids; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D000373:Agglutinins