No abstract

The selectable marker gene phospho-mannose isomerase (pmi), which encodes the enzyme phospho-mannose isomerase (PMI) to enable selection of transformed cell lines on media containing mannose (Man), was evaluated for genetic transformation of papaya (Carica papaya L.). We found that papaya embryogenic calli have little or no PMI activity and cannot utilize Man as a carbon source; however, when calli were transformed with a pmi gene, the PMI activity was greatly increased and they could utilize Man as efficiently as sucrose. Plants regenerated from selected callus lines also exhibited PMI activity but at a lower specific activity level. Our transformation efficiency with Man selection was higher than that reported using antibiotic selection or with a visual marker. For papaya, the PMI/Man selection system for producing transgenic plants is a highly efficient addition to previously published methods for selection and may facilitate the stacking of multiple transgenes of interest. Additionally, since the PMI/Man selection system does not involve antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes, its use might reduce environmental concerns about the potential flow of those genes into related plant populations.

Papaya plants producing the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) chitinase protein were obtained following microprojectile bombardment of embryogenic calli derived from the hypocotyls of the cultivar Kapoho. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out to confirm the presence of the transgene. RT-PCR and a quantitative chitinase assay showed increased levels of chitinase activity in every selected transgenic line. Insect bioassays in the laboratory showed that plants expressing the Manduca sexta chitinase gene significantly inhibited multiplication of carmine spider mites (Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisd.). Experiments conducted to evaluate reaction of the transgenic plants to natural infection by carmine spider mites showed that the Manduca sexta chitinase gene provided increased tolerance under field conditions.

Differential cDNA screening was used to identify genes expressed during the colonisation of rice leaves by the pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe grisea. This led to the identification of a gene, called UEP1, which encodes a ubiquitin extension protein. UEP1 was highly expressed 48 h after initial fungal infection of rice leaves when M. grisea is proliferating in the leaf epidermis but not yet causing disease symptoms. UEP1 appeared to be down-regulated after this time despite further extensive growth of the fungus throughout the leaf tissue. To investigate the potential role of ubiquitin in fungal pathogenesis we subsequently isolated UEP3 and PUB4, encoding a second ubiquitin extension protein and a polyubiquitin respectively. UEP1 was expressed abundantly during active growth of M. grisea in axenic culture but was down-regulated by starvation-stress. UEP3 showed a similar pattern of expression to UEP1 during the growth of M. grisea in culture and after environmental stress, but was not highly expressed during plant colonisation. PUB4 was highly expressed after environmental stress, but was not highly expressed during plant colonisation. UEP1 was found to be present in a much-higher copy number per haploid genome compared to UEP3 and PUB4. The restricted high-level expression of UEP1 suggests that M. grisea undergoes rapid ribosomal biogenesis and protein turnover during initial plant-tissue colonisation, which is regulated by a specific UEP1-encoded component of the M. grisea ubiquitin gene family.