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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Dawson, Georgia » National Peanut Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290211
Title: Bioengineering resistance to phytoene desaturase inhibitors in Arabidopsis thaliana

Author
item Arias De Ares, Renee
item NETHERLAND, M - Sepro Corporation
item MICHEL, A - Syngenta
item Duke, Stephen
item Scheffler, Brian
item Dayan, Franck

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/12/2003
Publication Date: 2/11/2004
Citation: Arias, R.S., Netherland, M.D., Michel, A., Duke, S.O., Scheffler, B.E., Dayan, F.E. 2004. Bioengineering resistance to phytoene desaturase inhibitors in Arabidopsis thaliana. Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) Meeting, February 11, 2004, Kansas City, MO. Meeting Proceedings.

Interpretive Summary: none required.

Technical Abstract: Three natural somatic mutations at codon 304 of the phytoene desaturase gene (pds) of Hydrilla verticillata ( L. f. Royle) have been reported to provide resistance to the herbicide fluridone. We substituted the arginine 304 present in the wild-type H. verticillata phytoene desaturase (PDS) with all 19 other natural amino acids and tested PDS against fluridone. In in vitro assays, the threonine ( Thr), cysteine (Cys), alanine (Ala) and glutamine (Gln) mutations imparted the highest resistance to fluridone. Thr, three natural mutations [Cys, serine (Ser), histidine (His)] and the wild-type PDS protein were tested in vitro against seven inhibitors of PDS representing several classes of herbicides. These mutations conferred cross-resistance to norflurazon and overall negative cross-resistance to beflubutamid, picolinafen and diflufenican. The T3 generation of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants harbouring the four selected mutations and wild-type pds had similar patterns of cross-resistance to the herbicides as observed in the in vitro assays. These plants exhibited normal growth and development, even after long-term exposure to herbicide. As Thr304 pds is of plant origin, it could become more acceptable than other selectable markers for use in genetically modified plants.