Limited expression of cry1Ac along with a plant-derived agglutinin lectin gene in the cotton plant; an approach to reducing public concerns about transgenics.

Delpasand Khabbazı S., Delpasand Khabbazi A., Ozcan S. F., Bakhsh A., Başalma D., Özcan S.

International Molecular Plant Protection Congress, Adana, Turkey, Adana, Turkey, 10 March - 13 April 2019, pp.78

Publication Type: Conference Paper / Summary Text
City: Adana
Country: Turkey
Page Numbers: pp.78
Yozgat Bozok University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Cotton is the most important fiber crop influencing the global economy. However, crop yield is affected by many insect pests of Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. For more than two decades, insect resistant transgenic cotton cultivars have been commercialized. Most of the introduced cultivars constitutively express Bacillus thuringinensis cry genes under the control of CaMV 35S promoter. Confining the toxin accumulation to certain tissues along with the use of resistance genes of plant origin can reduce the public concern. In this study, we constructed a triple-gene-harboring vectors to transform the cotton by Agrobacterium tumefaciens for insect resistance. Using a wound-inducible promoter isolated from Asparagus officinalis (AoPR1), we limited the expression of cry1Ac to insect-biting sites of the transgenic cotton plants. Furthermore, the cry1Ac gene was accompanied by Galanthus nivalis agglutinin lectin gene (GNA) to target the sap-sucking insect pests. Following molecular evaluations and biotoxicity analyzes, we obtained several transgenic cotton lines at different resistance levels against Spodoptera littoralis and Aphis gossypii Glover. Moreover, research work based on the expression of the GUS reporter gene driven by AoPR1 promoter showed that cry toxins will not accumulate in unwounded plant organs such as leaves, stems, roots, and crop residues, thus minimizing food and environmental concerns.