Increased resistance to fungal wilts in transgenic eggplant expressing alfalfa glucanase gene.
The wilt diseases caused by Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum are the major diseases of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). In order to generate transgenic resistance against the wilt diseases, Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer was performed to introduce alfalfa glucanase gene encoding an acidic glucanase into eggplant using neomycin phosphotransferase (npt-II) gene as a plant selection marker. The transgene integration into eggplant genome was confirmed by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot analysis and transgene expression by the glucanase activity and western blot analysis. The selected transgenic lines were challenged with V. dahliae and F. oxysporum under in vitro and in vivo growth conditions, and transgenic lines showed enhanced resistance against the wilt-causing fungi with a delay of 5-7 days in the disease development as compared to wild-type plants.
Department of Genetics, University of Delhi-South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021 India ; School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, India.
Deepali
D
Singh
Labo Ecologie, Systematique et Evolution, Universite de Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Annick
A
Ambroise
Labo Ecologie, Systematique et Evolution, Universite de Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Robert
R
Haicour
Labo Ecologie, Systematique et Evolution, Universite de Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Darasinh
D
Sihachakr
Department of Genetics, University of Delhi-South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021 India.
Manchikatla Venkat
MV
Rajam
Disease resistance; Glucanase; Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins; Plant transformation; Solanum melongena