An Arabidopsis thaliana ABC transporter that confers kanamycin resistance in transgenic plants does not endow resistance to Escherichia coli.
Concerns have been raised about potential horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance markers (ARMs) from transgenic plants to bacteria of medical and environmental importance. All ARMs used in transgenic plants have been bacterial in origin, but it has been recently shown that an Arabidopsis thaliana ABC transporter, Atwbc19, confers kanamycin resistance when overexpressed in transgenic plants. Atwbc19 was evaluated for its ability to transfer kanamycin resistance to Escherichia coli, a kanamycin-sensitive model bacterium, under simulated HGT, staged by subcloning Atwbc19 under the control of a bacterial promoter, genetically transforming to kanamycin-sensitive bacteria, and assessing if resistance was conferred as compared with bacteria harbouring nptII, the standard kanamycin resistance gene used to produce transgenic plants. NptII provided much greater resistance than Atwbc19 and was significantly different from the no-plasmid control at low concentrations. Atwbc19 was not significantly different from the no-plasmid control at higher concentrations. Even though HGT risks are considered low with nptII, Atwbc19 should have even lower risks, as its encoded protein is possibly mistargeted in bacteria.
Department of Plant Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 252 Ellington Plant Sciences, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-4561, USA.
Kellie
K
Burris
Ayalew
A
Mentewab
Steven
S
Ripp
C Neal
CN
Stewart
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D007612:Kanamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007613:Kanamycin Resistance; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D007612:Kanamycin
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