Transgenic Phalaenopsis plants with resistance to Erwinia carotovora produced by introducing wasabi defensin gene using Agrobacterium method

Abstract

Transgenic plants over-expressing wasabi defensin gene were successfully produced in Phalaenopsis orchid by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. Embryogenic cell suspension culture of Phalaenopsis Wataboushi ‘#6.13’ was infected with A. tumefaciens strain EHA101 carrying a plasmid containing wasabi defensin gene and selectable marker nptII, hpt genes. Plantlets were regenerated through somatic embryogenesis from the calli selected on hygromycin-containing medium. Transformation of plantlets with wasabi defensin gene was confirmed by PCR analysis. Southern blot analysis confirmed successful integration of 1–4 copies of the gene. Production of the 5 kDa wasabi defensin protein with varying levels was confirmed in the leaf extracts of different transgenic clones using Western blot analysis. Most of the transgenic plants showed strong resistance to Erwinia carotovora, which causes soft rot disease in the control plant. These results suggest the usefulness of this gene for conferring the resistance to various diseases of Phalaenopsis and possibly other orchids.

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