title: Transgenic maize plants expressing the Totivirus antifungal protein, KP4, are highly resistant to corn smut.
abstract: The corn smut fungus, Ustilago maydis, is a global pathogen responsible for extensive agricultural losses. Control of corn smut using traditional breeding has met with limited success because natural resistance to U. maydis is organ specific and involves numerous maize genes. Here, we present a transgenic approach by constitutively expressing the Totivirus antifungal protein KP4, in maize. Transgenic maize plants expressed high levels of KP4 with no apparent negative impact on plant development and displayed robust resistance to U. maydis challenges to both the stem and ear tissues in the greenhouse. More broadly, these results demonstrate that a high level of organ independent fungal resistance can be afforded by transgenic expression of this family of antifungal proteins.
authors.affiliation: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Aron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Emir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Islamovic
authors.forename: Jagdeep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Dilip
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D060467:Disease Resistance; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D018525:Germination; D007178:Inbreeding; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D014588:Ustilago / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D014764:Viral Proteins; C086592:Ustilago maydis viral toxin KP4