Controlling Myzus persicae with recombinant endophytic fungi Chaetomium globosum expressing Pinellia ternata agglutinin

Abstract

Aims: Sap‐sucking insect pests have become the major threats to many crops in recent years; however, only a few biopesticides have been developed for controlling those pests. Here, we developed a novel pest management strategy, which uses endophytes to express anti‐pest plant lectins. Methods and Results: The fungal endophyte of Chaetomium globosum YY‐11 with anti‐fungal activities was isolated from rape seedlings. Pinellia ternata agglutinin (pta) gene was cloned into YY‐11 mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The positive transformants, as selected by antibiotic resistance, were evaluated using PCR and Western blot assay. We found that the recombinant endophytes colonized most of the crops, and the resistance of rape inoculated with recombinant endophytic fungi significantly inhibited the growth and reproduction of Myzus persicae. Conclusions: Our results showed that the recombinant endophytes expressing Pinellia ernata agglutinin (PTA) may endow hosts with resistance against sap‐sucking pests. Significance and Impact of the Study: This research may have important implications for using endophytes to deliver insecticidal plant lectin proteins to control sap‐sucking pests for crop protection.

Resistance to bio-insecticides or how to enhance their sustainability: a review

“…For example, a seed treatment system with a bio-insecticide could emerge (Kabaluk and Ericsson, 2007). Without talking about genetically modified plants, genetic engineering can also be used to express pesticidal compounds in plants via endophytes (Qi et al, 2011). These new approaches are very promising for the management of bio-pesticides resistance because they have different modes of action.…”

Beneficial endophytic microorganisms of Brassica – A review

“…For instance, the role of antibiosis can be readily investigated through the use of antibiotic deficient mutants and comparing them to plants inoculated with parent strains. This molecular technology has also opened the way for novel strategies for plant pest management, for example the endophyte Chaetomium globosum has been engineered using recombinant DNA technology to express anti-pest plant lectins that have been shown to significantly inhibit the growth and reproduction of sap-sucking pests (Qi et al, 2011;Zhao et al, 2010).…”

Colonization of Onions by Endophytic Fungi and Their Impacts on the Biology of Thrips tabaci

“…Indeed, the endophytic niche in a plant is a rich source of microorganisms that can directly and indirectly promote plant growth and development through plant defence against herbivorous insects [11] and plant pathogens [12], [13] due to their ability to produce secondary metabolites with biocidal activity [14], [15]. On a wide variety of crops, fungal endophytes have been reported to deter feeding, oviposition and performance of stem boring, sap sucking, chewing, and leaf mining insects [11], [16], [17], [18]. For example, endophytic colonization of banana by Beauveria bassiana significantly reduced larval survivorship of banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), resulting in 42–87% reduction in plant damage [19].…”