Expression of a bacterial gene in transgenic plants confers resistance to the herbicide phenmedipham

Abstract

Tobacco plants were genetically engineered to express a detoxifying pathway for the herbicide phenmedipham. A gene from Arthrobacter oxidans strain P52 that encodes an enzyme catalysing the hydrolytic cleavage of the carbamate compound phenmedipham has recently been cloned and sequenced. The coding sequence was fused with a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and introduced into tobacco plants by Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. Transgenic plants expressing high levels of phenmedipham hydrolase exhibited resistance when sprayed with the herbicide at up to ten times the usual field application rate.

Metabolism-based herbicide resistance: regulationby safeners

“…Apart from the limited information on the enzymology of plant esterases or other hydrolytic enzymes involved in herbicide metabolism, very little is also known about the expression and regulation of genes coding for plant esterases. A gene coding for a hydrolytic enzyme, which deesterifies the carbamate herbicides phenmedipham and desmedi-pham, has been isolated from the soil bacterium Arthrobacter oxidans (Streber et al 1994). This gene has been cloned and used to engineer transgenic tobacco plants that are tolerant to these herbicides (Streber et al 1994).…”

“…A gene coding for a hydrolytic enzyme, which deesterifies the carbamate herbicides phenmedipham and desmedi-pham, has been isolated from the soil bacterium Arthrobacter oxidans (Streber et al 1994). This gene has been cloned and used to engineer transgenic tobacco plants that are tolerant to these herbicides (Streber et al 1994).…”

New multiple‐herbicide crop resistance and formulation technology to augment the utility of glyphosate

“…Transgenes also exist to make crops resistant to other herbicides (Table 1). 45, 48–58 Some can confer resistance to more than one herbicide mode of action, such as the P45054 and aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase transgenes 50. Other enzymes that metabolize herbicides are potential candidates to make transgenes for herbicide resistance.…”

Herbicide resistance in transgenic plants with mammalian P450 monooxygenase genes

“…Herbicide tolerance towards sulfonylurea and imidazolinone herbicides and towards glyphosate and norflurazon was achieved by over‐production of an unmodified and a modified target enzyme such as acetolactate synthase related to the biosynthesis of branched‐chain amino acids,4 a 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate 3‐phosphate synthase related to biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids5 and a phytoene desaturase related to carotenoid biosynthesis,6 respectively. Over‐production of a hygromycin B phosphotransferase,7 a phosphinothricin acetyltransferase,8 a dehalogenase,9 a carbamate hydrolase,10 a nitrilase,11 a glutathione S ‐transferase12 and a 2,4‐D monooxygenase13 in transgenic plants brought herbicide tolerance towards glyphosate, glufosinate, dalapon, fenmedifam, bromoxynil, metolachlor and 2,4‐D, respectively. Furthermore, transgenic tobacco plants expressing soybean CYP71A10 gene showed tolerance towards phenylurea herbicides such as chlortoluron and linuron 14.…”