© 2003 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Bacterial disease resistance of transgenic hybrid poplar expressing the synthetic antimicrobial peptide D4E1
R. Mentag (1), M. Luckevich (1), M. -J. Morency (1) and A. Séguin (1, 2)
1. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, 1055 du P.E.P.S., P.O. Box 3800, Sainte-Foy,
Québec, Canada, G1V 4C7 / 2. Author to whom correspondence should be addressed (seguin@cfl.forestry.ca) / Received January 8, 2002; accepted September 20, 2002; published online March 17, 2003
Summary
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. × 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.
Keywords:
Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Hypoxylon mammatum, Xanthomonas populi.
