Transgenic expression of lactoferrin imparts enhanced resistance to head blight of wheat caused by Fusarium graminearum

BMC Plant Biology

Research Article

Sharmila Mitra¹  Peter Stephen Baenziger¹  Amitava Mitra²  Jigang Han²  Leny C Galvez²  Dilip K Lakshman³ 

[1] Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 68583, Lincoln, NE, USA;Department of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 68583, Lincoln, NE, USA;USDA-ARS, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, 20705, Beltsville, MD, USA;

关键词: Transgenic Line;    Graminearum;    Fusarium Head Blight;    Fusarium Head Blight Resistance;    Transgenic Wheat;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2229-12-33

 received in 2011-08-29, accepted in 2012-03-09,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe development of plant gene transfer systems has allowed for the introgression of alien genes into plant genomes for novel disease control strategies, thus providing a mechanism for broadening the genetic resources available to plant breeders. Using the tools of plant genetic engineering, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial gene was tested for resistance against head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, a devastating disease of wheat (Triticumaestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) that reduces both grain yield and quality.ResultsA construct containing a bovine lactoferrin cDNA was used to transform wheat using an Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer system to express this antimicrobial protein in transgenic wheat. Transformants were analyzed by Northern and Western blots to determine lactoferrin gene expression levels and were inoculated with the head blight disease fungus F. graminearum. Transgenic wheat showed a significant reduction of disease incidence caused by F. graminearum compared to control wheat plants. The level of resistance in the highly susceptible wheat cultivar Bobwhite was significantly higher in transgenic plants compared to control Bobwhite and two untransformed commercial wheat cultivars, susceptible Wheaton and tolerant ND 2710. Quantification of the expressed lactoferrin protein by ELISA in transgenic wheat indicated a positive correlation between the lactoferrin gene expression levels and the levels of disease resistance.ConclusionsIntrogression of the lactoferrin gene into elite commercial wheat, barley and other susceptible cereals may enhance resistance to F. graminearum.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© Han et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.