PLANT-DEFENSIN GENES INTRODUCTION FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PEAR PHYTOPATHOGEN RESISTANCE

Plant defensin genes (PD) have been transferred to pear (Pyrus communis) to achieve protection against fungal and microbial diseases.
The genes of radish defensin Rs-AFP2 were cloned by PCR amplification by usage of specific primers for nucleotide sequences of these genes.
Sequence analysis of the rs gene shown that its structure has some slight differences from earlier studies.
Based on previously developed transformation methods the PD gene from Raphanus sativus was transferred to the pear cultivar Burakovka by using different agrobacterial vector systems.
We used the genomic copy of Rs-AFP2 gene, containing the intron encoding region.
Transformation frequency varied from 11 to 59% and 70 transgenic lines were obtained.
Petiole explants were more effective than leaf explants.
PD gene insertions were confirmed by PCR analysis.
Western blotting for some transformants has showed expression of transferred gene.
The transgenic plants are under evaluation under field conditions to evaluate resistance levels.

VIII International Symposium on Pear

V.G. Lebedev, S.V. Dolgov, N. Lavrova, V.G. Lunin, B.S. Naroditski

Pyrus communis, agrobacterial transformation, Raphanus sativus, intron

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.596.21