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Transgenic Rice Plants Expressing a Modified cry1Ca1 Gene are Resistant to Spodoptera litura and Chilo suppressalis

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Abstract

Nucleotide sequence encoding the truncated insecticidal Cry1Ca1 protein from Bacillus thuringiensis was extensively modified based on the codon usage of rice genes. The overall G + C contents of the synthetic cry1Ca1 coding sequence were raised to 65% with an additional bias of enriching for G and C ending codons as preferred by monocots. The synthetic gene was introduced into the Chinese japonica variety, Xiushui 11, by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic rice plants harboring this gene were highly resistant to Chilo suppressalis and Spodoptera litura larvae as revealed by insect bioassays. High levels of Cry1Ca1 protein were obtained in the leaves of transgenic rice, which were effective in achieving 100% mortality of S. litura and C. suppressalis larvae. The levels of Cry1Ca1 expression in the leaves of these transgenic plants were up to 0.34% of the total soluble proteins. The larvae of C. suppressalis and S. litura could consume a maximum of 1.89  and 4.89 mm2 of transgenic leaf area whereas the consumption of non-transgenic leaves by these larvae was significantly higher; 58.33 and 61.22 mm2, respectively. Analysis of R1 transgenic plants indicated that the cry1Ca1 was inherited by the progeny plants and provided complete protection against C. suppressalis and S. litura larvae.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by The Rockefeller Foundation International Rice Biotechnology Program, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2007CB109202). MAZ is grateful for a UNESCO fellowship. Greatly appreciated is the expertise of Nicola Adams who helped prepare the plasmids for repair mutagenesis. We are thankful to the Bacillus Genetic Stock Center, USA, for providing us the wild-type cry1Ca1 clone in E. coli (ECE125).

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Author notes

  1. Taek H. You

    Present address: Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, 27506, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada

    Mohsin Abbas Zaidi, Evelin Loit & Illimar Altosaar

  2. National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87-West Canal Bank, Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan

    Mohsin Abbas Zaidi & Sheikh Riazuddin

  3. State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Gongyin Ye & Hongwei Yao

  4. Department of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 484 W 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Taek H. You & Donald H. Dean

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  1. Mohsin Abbas Zaidi
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Correspondence to Illimar Altosaar.

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Zaidi, M.A., Ye, G., Yao, H. et al. Transgenic Rice Plants Expressing a Modified cry1Ca1 Gene are Resistant to Spodoptera litura and Chilo suppressalis . Mol Biotechnol 43, 232–242 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-009-9201-9

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