title: Stable integration and expression of a cry1Ia gene conferring resistance to fall armyworm and boll weevil in cotton plants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Boll weevil is a serious pest of cotton crop. Effective control involves applications of chemical insecticides, increasing the cost of production and environmental pollution. The current genetically modified Bt crops have allowed great benefits to farmers but show activity limited to lepidopteran pests. This work reports on procedures adopted for integration and expression of a cry transgene conferring resistance to boll weevil and fall armyworm by using molecular tools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four Brazilian cotton cultivars were microinjected with a minimal linear cassette generating 1248 putative lines. Complete gene integration was found in only one line (T0-34) containing one copy of cry1Ia detected by Southern blot. Protein was expressed in high concentration at 45 days after emergence (dae), decreasing by approximately 50% at 90 dae. Toxicity of the cry protein was demonstrated in feeding bioassays revealing 56.7% mortality to boll weevil fed buds and 88.1% mortality to fall armyworm fed leaves. A binding of cry1Ia antibody was found in the midgut of boll weevils fed on T0-34 buds in an immunodetection assay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The gene introduced into plants confers resistance to boll weevil and fall armyworm. Transmission of the transgene occurred normally to T1 progeny. All plants showed phenotypically normal growth, with fertile flowers and abundant seeds. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carliane Rc
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Embrapa - Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (CENARGEN), SAIN, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Monnerat
authors.affiliation: Embrapa - Cotton (Embrapa Algodão), Centenário, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liziane M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Embrapa - Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (CENARGEN), SAIN, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Érica S
authors.initials: ÉS
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Péricles A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Melo Filho
authors.affiliation: Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Morganna Pn
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Embrapa - Cotton (Embrapa Algodão), Centenário, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roseane C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D003368:Gossypium / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D018411:Spodoptera; D019076:Transgenes; D048889:Weevils
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins
keywords: Anthonomus grandis; Bt-cry gene; Gossypium hirsutum; Resistance; Spodoptera frugiperda; inheritance