Expression of human protoporphyrinogen oxidase in transgenic rice induces both a photodynamic response and oxyfluorfen resistance

A human protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) coding sequence under the control of a ubiquitin promoter was introduced into rice to determine whether transgenic rice overexpressing the human Protox gene exhibits resistance against a peroxidizing herbicide. The transgenic rice lines (H3, H4, H5, H6, H9, and H10) transcribed the human Protox mRNA, whereas hybridizing RNA band was not detected in wild-type rice, indicating that the human Protox gene had been successfully transmitted into transgenic rice plants. The transgenic lines H9 and H10 showed growth retardation and light-dependent formation of necrotic lesions. Compared with wild-type rice plants, rice with a human Protox gene had increased Protox activity and content of the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX, and reduced chlorophyll. The photosynthetic efficiency in lines H9 and H10, as indicated by F_v/F_m, was not different from that of wild type. The two transgenic lines had decreased levels of antheraxanthin, lutein, and β-carotene and similar levels of neoxanthin and violaxanthin as compared with wild-type plants. The staining activities of catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase were higher in transgenic lines than in wild type. Line H9 germinated in the presence of 20 μM oxyfluorfen, whereas 2 μM oxyfluorfen inhibited the germination of wild-type seeds. Thus, the transgenic rice plants exhibited enhanced resistance to oxyfluorfen.     

A tobacco plastidal transit sequence cannot override the dual targeting capacity of Myxococcus xanthus protoporphyrinogen oxidase in transgenic rice

The effect of a plastidal transit sequence in Myxococcus xanthus protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) on gene targeting ability was investigated by generating transgenic rice that overexpressed M. xanthus Protox with the additional plastidal transit sequence (TTS line). In transgenic lines TTS3 and TTS4, the Protox antibody cross-reacted with the mature M. xanthus Protox protein of 50 kDa. In an in vitro import system using the M. xanthus Protox gene with the plastidal transit sequence, M. xanthus protein was detected in both chloroplasts and mitochondria, confirming that it was targeted into both organelles, as in transgenic rice line, M4, that overexpressed M. xanthus Protox lacking the plastidal transit sequence. A prominent increase in chloroplastic and mitochondrial Protox activity was observed in TTS3 and TTS4 relative to the wild type. However, the increase was lower than that in transgenic line M4. Seeds from all transgenic lines (TTS3, TTS4, and M4) were able to germinate when treated with up to 500 μM of the Protox-inhibiting herbicide, oxyfluorfen, whereas seeds from the wild type failed to germinate even when treated at levels as low as 1 μM. After foliar application of oxyfluorfen, TTS3 and TTS4 exhibited a reduced Protox activity, however, it was much greater than uninhibited Protox activity of wild type. The great increase in conductivity was followed by the great accumulation of photodynamic protoporphyrin IX only in oxyfluorfen-treated wild-type plants, not in oxyfluorfen-treated TTS lines. The presence of the plastidal transit sequence neither excludes the intrinsic ability of subcellular translocation of M. xanthus Protox nor changes herbicide resistance in TTS lines.     

Use of Myxococcus xanthus protoporphyrinogen oxidase as a selectable marker for transformation of rice

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) is the target enzyme of peroxidizing herbicides. The overexpression of Myxococcus xanthus PPO (Mx PPO) confers a high level of herbicide resistance in rice. Among the peroxidizing herbicides, butafenacil has an efficiency ∼1000-fold that of oxadiazon, as judged by calli susceptibility tests upon herbicide treatment. Butafenacil (0.1 μM) was used to select transgenic rice plants expressing Mx PPO under the control of the constitutive maize ubiquitin promoter. The ectopic expression of the Mx PPO transgene was investigated in the T₀ generation by Northern blot and Western blot analysis. The T₀ transgenic plants expressing the Mx PPO gene were resistant to butafenacil based on in vitro leaf disk and in vivo foliar spray tests.     

Resistance of a soybean cell line to oxyfluorfen by overproduction of mitochondrial protoporphyrinogen oxidase

The diphenyl ether herbicide oxyfluorfen (2-chloro-4-trifluoromethylphenyl 3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenyl ether) inhibits protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) which catalyzes the oxidation of protoporphyrinogen IX (Protogen) to protoporphyrin IX (Proto IX), the last step of the common pathway to chlorophyll and haeme biosynthesis. We have selected an oxyfluorfen-resistant soybean cell line by stepwise selection methods, and the resistance mechanism has been investigated. No growth inhibition was observed in resistant cells at a concentration of 10(-7) M oxyfluorfen, a concentration at which normal cells did not survive. While the degree of inhibition of total extractable Protox by oxyfluorfen was the same in both cell types, the enzyme activity in the mitochondrial fraction from non-treated resistant cells was about nine-fold higher than that from normal cells. Northern analysis of mitochondrial Protox revealed that the concentration of mitochondrial Protox mRNA was much higher in resistant cells than that in normal cells. There were no differences in the absorption and metabolic breakdown of oxyfluorfen. The growth of resistant cells was also insensitive to oxadiazon [5-tert-butyl-3-(2,4-dichloro-5-isopropoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-(3H)- one], the other chemical class of Protox inhibitor. Therefore, the resistance of the selected soybean cell line to oxyfluorfen is probably mainly due to the overproduction of mitochondrial Protox.     

Resistance pattern and antioxidant enzyme profiles of protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX) inhibitor-resistant transgenic rice

We quantified the resistance levels of transgenic rice plants, expressing Myxococcus xanthus protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX) in chloroplasts and mitochondria, to PROTOX inhibitors, acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon. We also determined whether active oxygen species-scavenging enzymes are involved in the resistance mechanism of transgenic rice. The transgenic rice line M4 was about >200-fold more resistant to oxyfluorfen than the wild-type (WT). M4 was also resistant to acifluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon, but did not show multiple resistance to imazapyr and paraquat, which have different target sites. Acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon reduced the chlorophyll content in leaves of WT, but had minimal or no effect on M4. The PROTOX inhibitors also caused significant lipid peroxidation in the treated leaves of WT rice. However, the malondialdehyde production in M4 was not affected by these herbicides. The WT rice had higher activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase than M4 after treatment with PROTOX inhibitors. A similar response was observed in all cases of antioxidant isozyme profiles analyzed. However, the induction in antioxidant activity in WT was not enough to overcome the toxic effects of a PROTOX inhibitor so the plant eventually died.     

Development of PPO inhibitor-resistant cultures and crops

Recent progress in the development of protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO, Protox) inhibitor-resistant plant cell cultures and crops is reviewed, with emphasis on the molecular and cellular aspects of this topic. PPO herbicide-resistant maize plants have been reported, along with the isolation of plant PPO genes and the isolation of herbicide-resistant mutants. At the same time, PPO inhibitor-resistant rice plants have been developed by expression of the Bacillus subtilis PPO gene via targeting the gene into either chloroplast or cytoplasm. Other attempts to develop PPO herbicide-resistant plants include conventional tissue culture methods, expression of modified co-factors of the protoporphyrin IX binding subunit proteins, over-expression of wild-type plant PPO gene, and engineering of P-450 monooxygenases to degrade the PPO inhibitor.     

马铃薯Y病毒复制酶基因不同位置cDNA区段介导对PVY的不同抗性

为探究靶序列位置对RNA介导的病毒抗性产生的影响,利用聚合酶链式反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)技术扩增马铃薯Y病毒(Potato virus Y,PVY)复制酶基因(nuclear inclusion b,NIb)不同位置的cDNA区段,反向插入双元载体pROKII中,构建了发夹RNA(hairpin RNA,hpR-NA)结构的植物表达载体。将构建的植物表达载体采用冻融法转入农杆菌LBA4404,叶盘法转化烟草NC89,获得转基因植株。攻毒试验表明:PVYNIb基因不同位置cDNA区段介导的对PVY的抗性存在显著差异;3′端1/2处和中间位置的序列可介导高水平的病毒抗性,抗性植株的比例在50%以上,而5′端、5′端1/2处和3′端的序列介导的抗性效率较低,抗性植株的比例仅为10%~30%。Northern杂交显示:抗病植株中RNA的积累量明显低于同类型的感病植株,抗性与RNA积累量呈负相关;抗病转基因植株中有siRNA存在,表明病毒抗性是由RNA介导的。     

表达Harpin蛋白质Hpa1功能片段的转基因小麦对赤霉病的抗性

来自水稻黄单胞菌的harpin蛋白质Hpa1有促进植物生长、诱导植物抗病性的功能,Hpa1序列10~42氨基酸片段（Hpa1_10-42）的活性比全长分子高1.3~7.5倍。为研究Hpa1_10-42在转基因小麦体内表达以后对赤霉病的影响和评价转基因小麦抗病水平与应用潜力,对6个小麦转基因系进行了测定。结果显示,Hpa1_10-42在转基因系T₃~T₅代呈现稳定表达,用禾谷镰刀菌一个分离物进行接种以后,转基因系发生赤霉病的程度较非转基因小麦显著降低,且转基因系T₃~T₅代赤霉病降低的趋势一致。另外,转基因系小麦病害减轻的程度,与在非转基因小麦上使用杀菌剂的效果相当,表明Hpa1_10-42转基因表达对小麦赤霉病有防治作用。     

Overexpression of an nsLTPs-like antimicrobial protein gene (LJAMP2) from motherwort (Leonurus japonicus) enhances resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

Sclerotinia stem rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most important diseases of oilseed rape worldwide and leads to considerable yield losses. In this study, a non-specific lipid transfer protein-like antimicrobial protein gene (LJAMP2) from motherwort (Leonurus japonicus) was introduced into oilseed rape (Zhongyou 821) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. In vitro experiments revealed that the mycelial growth of S. sclerotiorum was significantly inhibited when supplied with crude leaf extracts from transgenic oilseed rape plants overexpressing LJAMP2. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that transgenic LJAMP2 plants had enhanced resistance to S. sclerotiorum. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the LJAMP2 gene was transcribed in all transformed plants. In addition, we also found that overexpression of LJAMP2 in transgenic plants caused constitutive activation of the defense-related gene PR-1 and an increase of H₂O₂ production, but did not enhance PDF1.2 expression. Our results suggest that constitutive expression of the LJAMP2 gene from motherwort seeds might be exploited to improve the resistance of oilseed rape against S. sclerotiorum.     

水稻瘤矮病毒P12蛋白抗血清制备及其应用

为了进一步研究水稻瘤矮病毒(Rice gall dwarf virus,RGDV)P12的功能,将RGDV-GX P12编码区亚克隆至原核表达载体,并导入大肠杆菌诱导表达;重组的P12融合蛋白经Ni-NTA His·Bind Resins纯化后用于免疫小鼠制备抗血清,并进行Western blotting分析。结果显示,约41 kD大小的RGDV P12融合蛋白可在大肠杆菌中高效表达;利用该重组蛋白所制备的抗血清可特异地与融合表达和非融合的P12蛋白发生强烈的免疫学反应。利用该特异性抗血清在病毒粒子样品中检测不到P12蛋白,而在病株总蛋白样品中可检测到1条与预期大小一致的明显条带,表明RGDV P12是一种非结构蛋白。     

Involvement of OsNPR1/NH1 in rice basal resistance to blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Rice blast disease, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is a major threat to worldwide rice production. Plant basal resistance is activated by virulent pathogens in susceptible host plants. OsNPR1/NH1, a rice homolog of NPR1 that is the key regulator of systemic acquired resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana, was shown to be involved in the resistance of rice to bacterial blight disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and benzothiadiazole (BTH)-induced blast resistance. However, the role of OsNPR1/NH1 in rice basal resistance to blast fungus M. oryzae remains uncertain. In this study, the OsNPR1 gene was isolated and identified from rice cultivar Gui99. Transgenic Gui99 rice plants harbouring OsNPR1-RNAi were generated, and the OsNPR1-RNAi plants were significantly more susceptible to M. oryzae infection. Northern hybridization analysis showed that the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, such as PR-1a, PBZ1, CHI, GLU, and PAL, was significantly suppressed in the OsNPR1-RNAi plants. Consistently, overexpression of OsNPR1 in rice cultivars Gui99 and TP309 conferred significantly enhanced resistance to M. oryzae and increased expression of the above-mentioned PR genes. These results revealed that OsNPR1 is involved in rice basal resistance to the blast pathogen M. oryzae, thus providing new insights into the role of OsNPR1 in rice disease resistance.     

Root-specific expression of defensin in transgenic tobacco results in enhanced resistance against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora parasitica</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">nicotianae</Emphasis>

Phytophthora species are soil-borne pathogens that damage plants in both agro- and natural ecosystems. To suppress the devastating pathogen, we generated a root-specific expression system using a specific promoter (pPRP3) conferring elevated expression of the target gene in roots that are very susceptible to soil-borne pathogens. To verify root-specific expression, we compared β-glucuronidase (GUS) expression driven by a constitutive or root-specific promoters in shoots and roots. In histochemical and fluorometric assays, GUS activity was detected in whole tobacco plants when GUS expression was driven by p35S, but was detected only in the roots by pPRP3. We then expressed a pepper defensin (J1–1) gene in tobacco to elucidate its effect on plant resistance. The accumulation of J1–1 was also tissue-specific in transgenic tobacco plants. Finally, transgenic plants carrying GUS or J1–1 genes in combination with p35S or pPRP3 were inoculated with Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae and Pythium aphanidermatum. Disease symptoms were significantly suppressed in transgenic plants that accumulated J1–1, regardless of the promoter used. Furthermore, the expression of PR genes was induced in J1–1 transgenic plants, exhibiting much higher levels in p35S-driven J1–1 plants than in pPRP3::J1–1 plants. These results demonstrated that J1–1 transgenic plants were primed for enhanced expression of PR genes, which provided synergistic effects with the defensin for disease resistance.     

Transformation a mutant Monochoria vaginalis acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene renders Arabidopsis thaliana resistant to ALS inhibitors

Acetolactate synthase (ALS) genes from Monochoria vaginalis resistant (R) and susceptible (S) biotypes against ALS inhibitors found in Korea revealed a single amino acid substitution of Proline (CCT), at 169th position based on the M. vaginalis ALS sequence numbering, to serine (TCT) in conserved domain A of the gene (equal to the proline 197 in Arabidopsis thaliana ALS gene sequence). A. thaliana plants transformed with the single mutated (Pro₁₆₉ to Ser) M. vaginalis ALS gene (including transit signal peptide) showed cross-resistance patterns to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, like as sulfonylurea-herbicide bensulfuron methyl (R/S factor of 9.5), imidazolinone-herbicide imazapyr (R/S factor of 5.1), and triazolopyrimidine-herbicide flumetsulam (R/S factor of 17.6) when measuring hypocotyls’ length of A. thaliana. The ALS activity from the transgenic A. thaliana plants confirmed the cross-resistance pattern to these herbicides like as R/S factor of 8.3 to bensulfuron methyl, 2.3 to imazapyr, and 13.2 to flumetsulam.     

Transgenic indica rice expressing a bitter melon (Momordica charantia) class I chitinase gene (McCHIT1) confers enhanced resistance to Magnaporthe grisea and Rhizoctonia solani

McCHIT1 chitinase (DQ407723), a class I secretory endochitinase from bitter melon (Momordica charantia), had been demonstrated to enhance resistance against Phytophthora nicotianae and Verticillium wilt in transgenic tobacco and cotton. In order to obtain disease-resistant transgenic rice, McCHIT1 was transformed into a restorer line JinHui35 (Oryza sativa subsp. indica) by using the herbicide-resistance gene Bar as the selection marker. Transgenic rice lines and their progenies overexpressing the McCHIT1 gene showed enhanced resistance to Magnaporthe grisea (rice blast) and Rhizoctonia solani (sheath blight), two major fungal pathogens of rice. McCHIT1-transgenic rice confirmed the inheritance of the transgene and disease resistance to the subsequent generation. The T₂ transformants exhibited significantly increased tolerance to M. grisea, with a 30.0 to 85.7 reduction in disease index, and R. solani, with a 25.0 to 43.0 reduction in disease index, based on that of the control as 100. These results indicated that over-expression of the McCHIT1 gene could lead to partial disease reduction against these two important pathogens in transgenic rice.     

Reaction of transgenic Citrus sinensis plants to Citrus tristeza virus infection by Toxoptera citricida

Transgenic Citrus sinensis ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Valencia’ plants containing Citrus tristeza virus (CTV)-derived sequences were propagated and inoculated with CTV. For propagation, selected buds from transgenic and non-transgenic control plants were grafted onto C. aurantium and C. limonia rootstock plants. CTV inoculation was performed via viruliferous aphids (Toxoptera citricida), and viral detection post-inoculation was performed through DASI-ELISA or RT-qPCR. After four inoculations, none of the transgenic lines tested showed complete resistance. However, viral multiplication was undetectable in some of the propagated clones. These resistant clones mainly came from transgenic ‘Valencia’ sweet orange plants grafted onto C. limonia rootstock containing the pCTV-CS gene construct. Although the tested viral inoculation method represents natural field infection conditions, the results did not differ significantly from those previously reported when the same transgenic lines were bud-graft inoculated. This finding indicates that the difficulties in producing CTV-resistant transgenic citrus lines may be unrelated to the inoculation method. Transgene expression level was quantified by RT-qPCR analysis and it was not possible to relate transgene mRNA level with resistance to the pathogen.     

大豆凝集素基因lec-s转化烟草>增强对烟草花叶病毒的抗性

 将编码大豆凝集素的lec-s基因插入植物表达载体pBI121中,构建植物重组表达质粒pBI121:: lec-s。由根癌土壤杆菌EHA105介导的叶盘法转化烟草,获得了转基因烟草株系。PCR和RT-PCR检测证明lec-s基因已转入烟草植株中。接种烟草花叶病毒（Tobacco mosaic virus,TMV）进行抗病性试验结果表明,转基因烟草叶片上的病斑数显著减少,说明转基因烟草表现出对TMV的抗性。定量RT-PCR检测发现,接种TMV后,抗病防卫基因（PR-1a、GST1、Pal和hsr515）在转基因烟草叶片中显著上调表达。这些结果表明,大豆凝集素基因lec-s转化烟草可对TMV产生抗性,其作用机制可能在于lec-s基因参与了植物的防卫信号通路,诱导了抗病防卫基因在转基因植株体内的表达,增强了植株对TMV的系统抗性。     

水稻抗病基因Xa21转入3个粳稻品种的抗性初步分析

 通过农杆菌介导转化,将已克隆的水稻白叶枯病抗性基因Xa21转入我国辽宁省3个粳稻品种:沈农606、辽粳454、辽粳294,共获得独立转基因系205个。通过PCR、GUS染色和Southern blot分析,证明Xa21基因已经整合到3个粳稻栽培品种的基因组中。通过温室接种菲律宾白叶枯病小种6的代表菌系PXO99,T₀代转基因水稻除了3-34表现部分抗性外,其它的转基因材料均表现高度抗病,表明Xa21转基因水稻已经获得抗性;温室接种T₁和T₂代试验表明,单拷贝整合的转化体呈现3:1分离,同时单拷贝3-34材料也表现部分抗性和感病3:1分离,证明已整合的Xa21基因能稳定遗传;同时对3-34部分抗性机制进行了分子生物学检测,证明GUS基因全部丢失、Xa21基因部分丢失并导致部分抗性。获得部分抗性材料,对于深入研究Xa21基因的功能区和研究抗病分子机制具有重要的意义。     

Host‐induced gene silencing in the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a necrotrophic fungus that causes a devastating disease called white mould, infecting more than 450 plant species worldwide. Control of this disease with fungicides is limited, so host plant resistance is the preferred alternative for disease management. However, due to the nature of the disease, breeding programmes have had limited success. A potential alternative to developing necrotrophic fungal resistance is the use of host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS) methods, which involves host expression of dsRNA‐generating constructs directed against genes in the pathogen. In this study, the target gene chosen was chitin synthase (chs), which commands the synthesis of chitin, the polysaccharide that is a crucial structural component of the cell walls of many fungi. Tobacco plants were transformed with an interfering intron‐containing hairpin RNA construct for silencing the fungal chs gene. Seventy‐two hours after inoculation, five transgenic lines showed a reduction in disease severity ranging from 55·5 to 86·7% compared with the non‐transgenic lines. The lesion area did not show extensive progress over this time (up to 120 h). Disease resistance and silencing of the fungal chs gene was positively correlated with the presence of detectable siRNA in the transgenic lines. It was demonstrated that expression of endogenous genes from the very aggressive necrotrophic fungus S. sclerotiorum could be prevented by host induced silencing. HIGS of the fungal chitin synthase gene can generate white mould‐tolerant plants. From a biotechnological perspective, these results open new prospects for the development of transgenic plants resistant to necrotrophic fungal pathogens.