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Insect-resistant transgenic Pinus radiata

  • Genetic Transformation and Hybridization
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Abstract

Transgenic radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plants containing a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin gene, crylAc, were produced by means of biolistic transformation of embryogenic tissue. Using the selectable marker gene nptII and corresponding geneticin selection, 20 independent transgenic lines from five genotypes were established. Over 200 plants regenerated from ten transgenic lines were successfully transferred to soil. The integration and expression of the introduced genes in transgenic tissue and/or plants were confirmed by PCR, Southern hybridisation and neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) and Bt ELISA assays. Bioassays with larvae of the painted apple moth, Teia anartoides, demonstrated that transgenic plants displayed variable levels of resistance to insect damage, with one transgenic line being highly resistant to feeding damage.

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Abbreviations

ELISA :

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

nptII/NPTII :

Neomycin phosphotransferase gene or protein

uidA/GUS :

β-Glucuronidase gene or protein

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Cathy Hargreaves, Cathie Reeves and Nancy Cranshaw for the initiation of embryogenic cell lines; Andrew McAlonan and Lorelle Phillips for assistance with the extraction of DNA from the plant tissue for Southern hybridisation; Karen Nielsen and Carmella Lee for assistance with the Southern hybridisation study; Judy Moody, Tomoko Pearson and Nancy Cranshaw for ELISA analysis; Susan van der Maas for maintenance of the plants in the containment glasshouse; Bill Faulds for providing neonate painted apple moth larvae; Charlie Low for statistical analysis; Tania Elder for typing this manuscript. This research was jointly funded by Fundacion Chile and the Foundation of Research Science and Technology

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, New Zealand

    Lynette J. Grace, Julia A. Charity, Belinda Gresham, Nod Kay & Christian Walter

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  1. Lynette J. Grace
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  2. Julia A. Charity
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  3. Belinda Gresham
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  4. Nod Kay
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  5. Christian Walter
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Correspondence to Lynette J. Grace.

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Communicated by S.A. Merkle

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Grace, L.J., Charity, J.A., Gresham, B. et al. Insect-resistant transgenic Pinus radiata. Plant Cell Rep 24, 103–111 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-004-0912-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-004-0912-x

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