ena-STUDY-TUGRAZ-20-05-2015-21:24:28:644-46
Transgenic banana plants expressing Xanthomonas wilt resistance genes revealed a stable non-target bacterial colonization structure
Africa is among the continents where the battle over genetically modified crops is currently being played out. The impact of GM in Africa could potentially be very positive. For example, in Uganda, researchers have developed transgenic banana lines resistant to banana Xanthomonas wilt. The transgenic lines expressing hrap and pflp can provide a timely solution to the pandemic. However, the impact of the transgenes expression on non-target microorganisms has not yet been investigated. To study this effect, transgenic and control lines were grown under field conditions and their associated microbiome was investigated by 16S rRNA gene profiling combining amplicon sequencing and molecular fingerprinting. Although results showed statistically significant differences for the composition of rhizosphere and endosphere bacterial communities, we found no differences between transgenic lines and their non-modified predecessors. The overall gammaproteobacterial rhizosphere microbiome was highly dominated by Xanthomonadales, while Pseudomonadales and Enterobacteriales were accumulated in the pseudostem. Shannon indices strongly support the differences between the microhabitats, with much higher diversity in rhizosphere samples. In contrast, the expression of the transgenes did not result in changes in gammaproteobacterial diversity. The insertion of the resistance genes in the banana genome appears to have no negative consequences for non-target rhizobacteria and endophytes.
Africa is among the continents where the battle over genetically modified crops is currently being played out. The impact of GM in Africa could potentially be very positive. For example, in Uganda, researchers have developed transgenic banana lines resistant to banana Xanthomonas wilt. The transgenic lines expressing hrap and pflp can provide a timely solution to the pandemic. However, the impact of the transgenes expression on non-target microorganisms has not yet been investigated. To study this effect, transgenic and control lines were grown under field conditions and their associated microbiome was investigated by 16S rRNA gene profiling combining amplicon sequencing and molecular fingerprinting. Although results showed statistically significant differences for the composition of rhizosphere and endosphere bacterial communities, we found no differences between transgenic lines and their non-modified predecessors. The overall gammaproteobacterial rhizosphere microbiome was highly dominated by Xanthomonadales, while Pseudomonadales and Enterobacteriales were accumulated in the pseudostem. Shannon indices strongly support the differences between the microhabitats, with much higher diversity in rhizosphere samples. In contrast, the expression of the transgenes did not result in changes in gammaproteobacterial diversity. The insertion of the resistance genes in the banana genome appears to have no negative consequences for non-target rhizobacteria and endophytes.