Genes from mycoparasitic fungi as a source for improving plant resistance to fungal pathogens
AUTOR(ES)
Lorito, Matteo
FONTE
The National Academy of Sciences
RESUMO
Disease resistance in transgenic plants has been improved, for the first time, by the insertion of a gene from a biocontrol fungus. The gene encoding a strongly antifungal endochitinase from the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum was transferred to tobacco and potato. High expression levels of the fungal gene were obtained in different plant tissues, which had no visible effect on plant growth and development. Substantial differences in endochitinase activity were detected among transformants. Selected transgenic lines were highly tolerant or completely resistant to the foliar pathogens Alternaria alternata, A. solani, Botrytis cinerea, and the soilborne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. The high level and the broad spectrum of resistance obtained with a single chitinase gene from Trichoderma overcome the limited efficacy of transgenic expression in plants of chitinase genes from plants and bacteria. These results demonstrate a rich source of genes from biocontrol fungi that can be used to control diseases in plants.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=20894Documentos Relacionados
- Fungal Resistance to Plant Antibiotics as a Mechanism of Pathogenesis
- Algal polysaccharides as source of plant resistance inducers
- Impact on Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Formation of Pseudomonas Strains Used as Inoculants for Biocontrol of Soil-Borne Fungal Plant Pathogens
- WEEDS AS POTENTIAL HOSTS FOR FUNGAL ROOT PATHOGENS OF WATERMELON
- Resistencia das plantas a molestias fungicas