title: Impact of cry1AC-carrying Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis on leaf bacterial community.
abstract: The effects of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) carrying cry1AC derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on leaf bacterial community were examined by analyzing the horizontal transfer of trans-gene fragments from plants to bacteria. The effect of plant pathogenic bacteria on the gene transfer was also examined using Pseudomonas syringae pathovar. maculicola. The frequency of hygromycin-resistant bacteria did not alter in Bt leaves, though slight increase was observed in Pseudomonas-infected Bt leaves with no statistical significance. The analysis of bacterial community profiles using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting indicated that there were slight differences between Bt and control Chinese cabbage, and also that infected tissues were dominated by P. syringae pv. maculicola. However, the cultured bacterial pools were not found to contain any transgene fragments. Thus, no direct evidence of immediate gene transfer from plant to bacteria or acquisition of hygromycin resistance could be observed. Still, long-term monitoring on the possibility of gene transfer is necessary to correctly assess the environmental effects of the Bt crop on bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Tae
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kang Seon
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Moon Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Bum
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D029741:Brassica rapa / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis