The generation of disease-resistant citrus plants is a high priority goal in genetic improvement programs. Constitutive over-expression of antifungal genes from microorganisms involved in plant defence mechanisms represents a promising strategy for conferring genetic resistance against a broad range of plant pathogenic fungi. Members of Trichoderma spp. are mycoparasitic and represent a good source to obtain genes for improving plant resistance to fungal pathogens (Lorito et al., 1998). These fungi are known to inhibit the growth of other fungal species by means of antifungal antibiotics and cell wall-degrading enzymes including chitinases, proteases, glucanases and mannanase. Several proteins expressed by Trichoderma during biocontrol have demonstrated high cell degradation activity against a wide range of plant pathogenic fungi (Lorito et al., 1998). Among the antifungal genes, the one encoding endochitinase has been already introduced in tobacco, potato (Lorito and Scala, 1999), apple (Bolar et al., 2000 and 2001), poplar (Noël et al., 2005), cotton (Kumar et al., 2009) and banana (Vishnevetsky et al., 2011) and shown to confer increased resistance to all tested pathogens (Harman et al., 2004). Transgenic lemon clones with the chit42 gene from Trichoderma harzianum showed increased resistance in vitro and in vivo to different fungi (Gentile et al., 2007). When inoculated with Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. leaves of transgenic lemon plants showed a significant reduction of lesion development and of disease incidence respect to the wild type, revealing a positive correlation between resistance and transgene expression (Distefano et al., 2008).

Lemon Fruits from Endochitinase Transgenic Plants Exhibit Resistance against Postharvest Fungal Pathogens

DISTEFANO, GAETANO;LA MALFA, Stefano Giovanni;LA ROSA, Rosa;GENTILE, Alessandra
2015-01-01

Abstract

The generation of disease-resistant citrus plants is a high priority goal in genetic improvement programs. Constitutive over-expression of antifungal genes from microorganisms involved in plant defence mechanisms represents a promising strategy for conferring genetic resistance against a broad range of plant pathogenic fungi. Members of Trichoderma spp. are mycoparasitic and represent a good source to obtain genes for improving plant resistance to fungal pathogens (Lorito et al., 1998). These fungi are known to inhibit the growth of other fungal species by means of antifungal antibiotics and cell wall-degrading enzymes including chitinases, proteases, glucanases and mannanase. Several proteins expressed by Trichoderma during biocontrol have demonstrated high cell degradation activity against a wide range of plant pathogenic fungi (Lorito et al., 1998). Among the antifungal genes, the one encoding endochitinase has been already introduced in tobacco, potato (Lorito and Scala, 1999), apple (Bolar et al., 2000 and 2001), poplar (Noël et al., 2005), cotton (Kumar et al., 2009) and banana (Vishnevetsky et al., 2011) and shown to confer increased resistance to all tested pathogens (Harman et al., 2004). Transgenic lemon clones with the chit42 gene from Trichoderma harzianum showed increased resistance in vitro and in vivo to different fungi (Gentile et al., 2007). When inoculated with Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. leaves of transgenic lemon plants showed a significant reduction of lesion development and of disease incidence respect to the wild type, revealing a positive correlation between resistance and transgene expression (Distefano et al., 2008).
2015
phytopathogenic fungi; Citrus; chitinase gene
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/34480
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