Development of insect resistant maize plants expressing a chitinase gene from the cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis
Autor: | Shireen K. Assem, Rasha M. Al-Reedy, Mahmoud A. Basry, Doaa K. El-Ghareeb, Anshu Rastogi, Gamal Osman, Hazem M. Kalaji |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2015 |
Předmět: |
Insecta
Blotting Western Genetically modified crops Moths Spodoptera Sesamia cretica Plant disease resistance Zea mays Article Host-Parasite Interactions chemistry.chemical_compound Chitin Botany Animals Peritrophic matrix Pest Control Biological Spodoptera littoralis Disease Resistance Plant Diseases Gossypium Multidisciplinary Genetically modified maize biology Chitinases fungi Reproducibility of Results food and beverages Plants Genetically Modified biology.organism_classification Plant Leaves chemistry Chitinase biology.protein Insect Proteins Erratum |
Zdroj: | Scientific Reports |
Popis: | Due to the importance of chitinolytic enzymes for insect, nematode and fungal growth, they are receiving attention concerning their development as biopesticides or chemical defense proteins in transgenic plants and as microbial biocontrol agents. Targeting chitin associated with the extracellular matrices or cell wall by insect chitinases may be an effective approach for controlling pest insects and pathogenic fungi. The ability of chitinases to attack and digest chitin in the peritrophic matrix or exoskeleton raises the possibility to use them as insect control method. In this study, an insect chitinase cDNA from cotton leaf worm (Spodoptera littoralis) has been synthesized. Transgenic maize plant system was used to improve its tolerance against insects. Insect chitinase transcripts and proteins were expressed in transgenic maize plants. The functional integrity and expression of chitinase in progenies of the transgenic plants were confirmed by insect bioassays. The bioassays using transgenic corn plants against corn borer (Sesamia cretica) revealed that ~50% of the insects reared on transgenic corn plants died, suggesting that transgenic maize plants have enhanced resistance against S. cretica. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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