Functional & Integrative Genomics

, Volume 15, Issue 4, pp 461–480 | Cite as

Enhanced resistance to blister blight in transgenic tea (Camellia sinensis [L.] O. Kuntze) by overexpression of class I chitinase gene from potato (Solanum tuberosum)

Original Paper
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Abstract

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world. A crop loss of up to 43 % has been reported due to blister blight disease of tea caused by a fungus, Exobasidium vexans. Thus, it directly affects the tea industry qualitatively and quantitatively. Solanum tuberosum class I chitinase gene (AF153195) is a plant pathogenesis-related gene. It was introduced into tea genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) gene conferring hygromycin resistance as plant selectable marker. A total of 41 hygromycin resistant plantlets were obtained, and PCR analysis established 12 plantlets confirming about the stable integration of transgene in the plant genome. Real-time PCR detected transgene expression in four transgenic plantlets (T28, C57, C9, and T31). Resistance to biotrophic fungal pathogen, E. vexans, was tested by detached leaf infection assay of greenhouse acclimated plantlets. An inhibitory activity against the fungal pathogen was evident from the detached leaves from the transformants compared with the control. Fungal lesion formed on control plantlet whereas the transgenic plantlets showed resistance to inoculated fungal pathogen by the formation of hypersensitivity reaction area. This result suggests that constitutive expression of the potato class I chitinase gene can be exploited to improve resistance to fungal pathogen, E. vexans, in economical perennial plantation crop like tea.

Keywords

Camellia sinensis Blister blight Exobasidium vexans Transgene Transgenic tea 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by generous funding from Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. HRS was Senior Research Fellow supported by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India. The authors are also thankful to reviewers for guiding us to enhance the quality of our text.

Compliance with ethical standards

ᅟ

Conflicts of interest

None

Supplementary material

10142_2015_436_MOESM1_ESM.doc (32 kb)
Supplementary 1 (DOC 32 kb)
10142_2015_436_MOESM2_ESM.doc (30 kb)
Supplementary 2 (DOC 29 kb)
10142_2015_436_MOESM3_ESM.doc (134 kb)
Supplementary 3 (DOC 134 kb)

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© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Biotechnology DepartmentTocklai Tea Research InstituteJorhatIndia
  2. 2.Department of Biological SciencesGauhati UniversityGauhatiIndia
  3. 3.Institutional Biotech HubCachar CollegeSilcharIndia
  4. 4.Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable DevelopmentTakyelpatIndia

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