Genetically Transforming Russian Potato Cultivars for Resistance to Colorado Beetle

Abstract

Using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure, a total of 204 primary transformants of the Elizaveta, Lugovskoi and Nevski potato varieties carrying the cry IIIa gene were obtained. A number of biomolecular tests, including Southern hybridization, insert copy number screening, immunofluorescence analysis for assessment of the target gene expression levels, and PCR control for testing of the insert integrity, was carried out for these transformants, as well as the biosafety field trials for the transgenic lines selected during the biomolecular analysis. As a result, 3 transgenic lines (E2, N1, and L5) carrying one insert copy per genome with target gene expression level over 10 ppm were selected.

Constitutive expression of a synthetic cry1Ab gene confers resistance to potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zeller) larva

“…Thus, in this study, the transformation efficiency was 30.92%. Other researchers have reported lower numbers; for example, Guo et al (2016) reported 2.15%, while Kamionskaya et al (2012) reported 9.3% and 20.8% transformation rates for two different potato varieties.…”

Effects of Bioinsecticidal Aegerolysin-Based Cytolytic Complexes on Non-Target Organisms

“…Due to their specific interactions with their membrane lipid receptor CPE, these aegerolysin-based bicomponent proteinaceous complexes might represent alternatives to currently used bioinsecticides, such as the proteinaceous crystal toxins (i.e., Cry toxins) from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis . Transgenic potato cultivars and corn hybrids that express Cry toxins (e.g., Bt potatoes, Bt maize) have been developed to provide resistance to CPB and WCR, and have been used in commercial cultivation in the USA since 1995 and 2003, respectively [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. One of the Cry toxins used against WCR is the binary Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 complex, where, structurally, Cry34Ab1 belongs to the aegerolysin protein family [ 16 , 17 ].…”