Canadian Forest Service Publications
Bacterial disease resistance of transgenic hybrid poplar expressing the synthetic antimicrobial peptide D4E1. 2003. Mentag, R.; Luckevich, M.; Morency, M.J.; Séguin, A. Tree Physiol. 23: 405-411.
Year: 2003
Issued by: Laurentian Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 22761
Language: English
Availability: PDF (request by e-mail)
Abstract
Important losses in poplar productivity occur because of susceptibility to microbial pathogens. To enhance disease resistance in susceptible genotypes, the gene coding for D4E1, a synthetic antimicrobial peptide consisting of 17 amino acid residues,was introduced into poplar (Populus tremula L. x Populus alba L.) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Four kanamycin-resistant transformants were selected based on significant accumulation of the D4E1 transcript and confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and RNA dot-blot analysis. These transgenic poplar lines were tested for resistance to Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Xanthomonas populi pv. populi and Hypoxylon mammatum (Wahl.) Miller. One transgenic poplar line, Tr23, bearing the highest transcript accumulation for the _D4E1+ gene, showed a significant reduction in symptoms caused by A. tumefaciens and X. populi. However, none of the transgenic poplar lines showed a significant difference in disease response to the fungal pathogen H. mammatum.