ABSTRACT. The kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch.) is an economically and nutritionally important fruit crop that has a remarkably high vitamin C content and is popular throughout the world. However, kiwifruit plants are vulnerable to attack from pests, and effective pest control is urgently required. Transgenic kiwifruit plants containing the synthetic chimeric gene SbtCry1Ac that encodes the insecticidal protein btCrylAc were obtained through an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of kiwifruit leaf discs. The kanamycin resistance of the transgenic plants was then analyzed. Results from polymerase chain reactions and genomic DNA Southern blot analyses indicated that SbtCrylAc had been integrated into the genomes of these plants. The results of insect bioassays revealed that the average Oraesia excavate inhibition rate of plants tested at 10 days post-infestation was 75.2%. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has developed insect-resistant transgenic kiwifruit plants.

ABSTRACT. This study aimed to determine the influence of vector structure on dual Bt gene expression and establish an efficient expression vector using Cry1Ac and Cry3A genes. Four vectors (N4, N5, N10, and S23) were developed and used for genetic transformation of tobacco to obtain insect-resistant transgenic lines. The vectors were constructed using the MAR structure, applying different promoter and enhancer sequences, and changing the transgene open-reading frame sequence. The average Cry1Ac toxalbumin expression quantity was 67 times higher in N5 than in N4 transgenic lines (8.77 and 0.13 µg/g, respectively). In contrast, the average Cry3A toxalbumin expression quantity was 1.5 times higher in N4 than in N5 lines (12.70 and 8.21 µg/g, respectively). The sequences of both Bt genes significantly influenced toxalbumin expression, although upstream Bt genes presented lower expression levels. The average Cry1Ac toxalbumin content was 13 times higher in the transgenic lines of AtADH 5'-nontranslated sequence N5 (8.77 mg/g) than in the omega N10 lines (0.67 mg/g). Furthermore, the average Cry1Ac toxalbumin content was 5 times higher in MAR N5 than in non-MAR S23 lines (8.77 and 1.63 mg/g, respectively). The average Cry3A toxalbumin content was 1.3 times higher in N5 than in S23 lines (8.21 and 6.48 mg/g, respectively). Moreover, toxalbumin expression levels differed significantly among the S23-transformed lines. The MAR structure applied on both ends of the genes increased both the level and stability of exogenous gene expression. In conclusion, N5 was the most optimal of the four tested vectors.