Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #136546
Title: TRANSFORMATION OF A COMMERCIAL CULTIVAR WITH GENES FOR RESISTANCE TO FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT

Author
item MANOHARAN, MUTHUSAMY - PLNT SCI, NDSU, FARGO, ND
item Dahleen, Lynn
item HOHN, T. - SYNGENTA, RES.TRI.PK., NC
item McCormick, Susan
item Alexander, Nancy
item SCHWARZ, PAUL - CER SCI, NDSU, FARGO, ND
item HORSLEY, RICH - PLNT SCI, NDSU, FARGO, ND

Submitted to: In Vitro Cellular And Developmental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2002
Publication Date: 10/2/2002
Citation: MANOHARAN, M., DAHLEEN, L.S., HOHN, T., MC CORMICK, S.P., ALEXANDER, N.J., SCHWARZ, P., HORSLEY, R.D. TRANSFORMATION OF A COMMERCIAL CULTIVAR WITH GENES FOR RESISTANCE TO FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT. IN VITRO CELLULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY. 2002. VOL. 38:27A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight, incited primarily by Fusarium graminearum, has caused devastating losses to barley since the 1990's. Production of mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) by F. graminearum is harmful to humans and livestock. Expressing certain anti-toxin genes such as TRI101 and PDR5 could improve resistance to fungal infection and reduce DON levels. TRI101 encodes a 3-OH trichothecene acetyltransferase that converts DON to a less toxic acetylated form. PDR5, and ATP-binding cassette, acts as an efflux transporter, shunting DON across the plasma membrane from the interior of the cell. We have transformed the commercial malting barley cultivar Conlon with these genes to reduce DON levels in infected grain. Ten-day old calli derived from immature embryos were co-bombarded with the herbicide-resistance gene bar as the selectable marker. Putative transgenic plants were confirmed by Southern analysis. A total of seven independent events with TRI101 and six with PDR5 were recovered. Northern analysis indicated the expression of PDR5. Expression of TRI101 was confirmed by detecting acetyltransferase activity in seeds of the transgenic plants. T2 lines of three events with TRI101 and two events with PDR5 were field tested for disease and toxin level. Both genes appeared to reduce FHB infection and PDR5 also may reduce DON accumulation.