Enhanced resistance to bacterial diseases of transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing sarcotoxin IA, a bactericidal peptide of insect

• Published in: Journal of biochemistry (Tokyo) Vol. 125; no. 3; pp. 431 - 435
• Main Authors: Ohshima, M, Mitsuhara, I, Okamoto, M, Sawano, S, Nishiyama, K, Kaku, H, Natori, S, Ohashi, Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.03.1999
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; artificial strong promoter; bacterial disease resistant plant; bactericidal peptide; Cauliflower mosaic virus; chemical constituents of plants; disease resistance; Erwinia; Erwinia carotovora; experimental infections; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; gene overexpression; gene transfer; Gene Transfer Techniques; genes; genetic transformation; Insect Proteins - biosynthesis; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insecta; leaves; Nicotiana; Nicotiana - genetics; Nicotiana - microbiology; Nicotiana tabacum; Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum; peptides; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Plants, Genetically Modified - microbiology; Plants, Toxic; promoter regions; Pseudomonas; Pseudomonas syringae; Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci; recombinant DNA; Sarcophaga peregrina; sarcotoxin IA; transgenic plant; transgenic plants
• ISSN: 0021-924X; 1756-2651
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a022304

Sarcotoxin IA is a bactericidal peptide of 39 amino acids found in the common flesh fly, Sarcophaga peregrina. Many agronomically important bacteria in Japan are killed by this peptide at sab-micro molar levels, and the growth of tobacco and rice suspension cultured cells is not inhibited with less than 25 µM. Transgenic tobacco plants which overexpress the peptide, i.e. over 250 pmol per gram of fresh leaf, under the control of a high expression constitutive promoter showed enhanced resistance to the pathogens for wild fire disease (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci) and bacterial soft rot disease (Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora).