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Overexpressing MhNPR1 in transgenic Fuji apples enhances resistance to apple powdery mildew

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Abstract

Fuji is susceptible to fungal diseases like apple powdery mildew. Non-expressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1 (NPR1) plays a key role in regulating salicylic acid (SA)-mediated systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Previous studies show that overexpressing the Malus hupehensis-derived NPR1 (MhNPR1) gene in tobacco induces the transcript expression of pathogenesis-related genes (PRs) and resistance to the fungus Botrytis cinerea. In this study we introduced the MhNPR1 gene into the ‘Fuji’ apple via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Four transgenic apple lines were verified by PCR and RT-PCR. The semi-quantitative RT-PCR results showed that transcript overexpression of the MhNPR1 gene induced the expression of MdPRs and MdMLO genes known to interact with powdery mildew. Furthermore, the transgenic apple plants resisted infection by apple powdery mildew better than the wild-type plants. As a result, transcript overexpression of the MhNPR1 gene induced SAR and enhanced the Fuji apple’s resistance to fungal disease.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

6-BA:

6-Benzylaminopurine

ET:

Ethylene

NAA:

α-Naphthylacetic acid

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcript PCR

SA:

Salicylic acid

SAR:

Systemic acquired resistance

NPR1:

Non-expressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1

Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell. and Ev.):

P. leucotricha (Ell. and Ev.)

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the China Ministry of Science and Technology “863” program # 2011AA100204 and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Xiu-Kong Chen, Zhen Zhang, Xiao-Li Du, Bei-Bei Du & Shen-Chun Qu

  2. Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China

    Ji-Yu Zhang

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  1. Xiu-Kong Chen
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  2. Ji-Yu Zhang
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  3. Zhen Zhang
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  4. Xiao-Li Du
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shen-Chun Qu.

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11033_2012_1655_MOESM1_ESM.jpg

Enhanced resistance to apple powdery mildew in transgenic apples. In vitro-grown WT plantlets and MhNPR1-transgenic plantlets were transferred to soil and were not inoculated with Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell. and Ev.) Salm conidia. Inserts show pictures from representative leaves. Photographs were taken 0, 3, 7, 10 and 15 days after inoculation. Similar results were obtained in three independent experiments. Supplementary material 1 (JPEG 1108 kb)

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Chen, XK., Zhang, JY., Zhang, Z. et al. Overexpressing MhNPR1 in transgenic Fuji apples enhances resistance to apple powdery mildew. Mol Biol Rep 39, 8083–8089 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-012-1655-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-012-1655-3

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