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A novel insecticidal GroEL protein from Xenorhabdus nematophila confers insect resistance in tobacco

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Abstract

Xenorhabdus nematophila is an entomopathogenic bacteria. It secretes a GroEL homolog, XnGroEL protein, toxic to its larval prey. GroEL belongs to the family of molecular chaperones and is required for proper folding of cellular proteins. Oral ingestion of insecticidal XnGroEL protein is toxic to Helicoverpa armigera, leading to cessation of growth and development of the larvae. In the present study, the insecticidal efficacy of XnGroEL against H. armigera has been evaluated in transgenic tobacco plant expressing the protein. A 1.7-kb gene encoding the 58-kDa XnGroEL protein was incorporated into the tobacco genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The stable integration of the transgene was confirmed by Southern blot analysis and its expression by RT-PCR and western blot analyses in transgenic plants. The transgenic lines showed healthy growth and were phenotypically normal. Insect bioassays revealed significant reduction of 100 % in the survival of larvae (p < 0.001) and 55–77 % reduction in plant damage (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001) compared to the untransformed and vector control plants. The results demonstrate that XnGroEL is a novel potential candidate for imparting insect resistance against H. armigera in plants.

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Acknowledgments

The grant from the Department of Biotechnology (No. BT/PR11260/PBD/16/819/2008) to Prof. Neera Bhalla Sarin and Dr. Nirupama Banerjee is gratefully acknowledged. PK acknowledges the financial support from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Partial funds from Department of Science and Technology (D.S.T.-PURSE, D.S.T.-F.I.S.T.), U.G.C.-C.A.S., U.G.C.-R.N.W., and J.N.U are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are due to Dr. Mohd Aslam Yusuf, School of Life Sciences, JNU, for his critical comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Punam Kumari, Shashi Kant, Shazmira Zaman, Nirupama Banerjee & Neera Bhalla Sarin

  2. Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Gagan Kumar Mahapatro

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  1. Punam Kumari
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  2. Shashi Kant
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  3. Shazmira Zaman
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Correspondence to Nirupama Banerjee or Neera Bhalla Sarin.

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Kumari, P., Kant, S., Zaman, S. et al. A novel insecticidal GroEL protein from Xenorhabdus nematophila confers insect resistance in tobacco. Transgenic Res 23, 99–107 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-013-9734-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-013-9734-3

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