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Development of insect resistance in tomato plants expressing the δ-endotoxin gene ofBacillus thuringiensis subsp.tenebrionis

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Abstract

A crystal δ-endotoxin gene ofBacillus thuringiensis subsp.tenebrionis (B.t.t.) encoding a coleopteran insect-specific toxin was used to construct a chimeric gene which expressed the toxin in plant cells. Via anAgrobacterium tumefaciens binary vector system, the toxin gene was transferred into tomato cells. From leaf disks recombinant plants were regenerated. Hybridization experiments demonstrated that these plants synthesized toxin-specific mRNA of the expected size. Transgenic tomato plants with the chimericB.t.t. toxin gene contained a 74 kDa protein which cross-reacted with toxin antibodies. The expression caused a significant insecticidal activity of the transgenic tomato plants against Colorado potato beetle larvae.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetic Engineering and Institute of Environment and Life Sciences, Hallym University, 200-702, Chuncheon, Korea

    Seong-Lyul Rhim

  2. Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, 441-744, Suwon, Korea

    Hwa-Jin Cho & Byung-Dong Kim

  3. Department of Zoology, University of Heidelberg, Germany

    Wolfgang Schnetter

  4. Max-Planck-Institute of medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany

    Klaus Geider

Authors
  1. Seong-Lyul Rhim
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  2. Hwa-Jin Cho
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  3. Byung-Dong Kim
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  4. Wolfgang Schnetter
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  5. Klaus Geider
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Rhim, SL., Cho, HJ., Kim, BD. et al. Development of insect resistance in tomato plants expressing the δ-endotoxin gene ofBacillus thuringiensis subsp.tenebrionis . Mol Breeding 1, 229–236 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277423

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277423

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