Pustaka Ilmiah Universitas Padjadjaran

Proceeding Biotech

Production Of Transgenic Plants Expressing Dioscorea Batatas Tuber Lectin 1 To Confer Resistance Against Sup-sucking Pests

Dioscorea batatas tuber lectin 1 (DB1) is a storage protein isolated from yam tuber, and is shown to be a mannose-binding lectin. It shows 58% amino-acid identity to insecticidal snowdrop bulb lectin GNA, and 55% identity to Garlic leaf lectin ASAL. We demonstrated that =1 mg/ml DB1 in an artificial diet decreased the survival and fecundity of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae. The number of survival aphids was reduced to 60% in transgenic tobacco expressing cDNA of DB1 under the control of Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S-DB1) or phloem-specific promoter of rice sucrose synthase-1 gene (RSs1-DB1). We also produced transgenic rice (cv. Taichung 65) with 35S-DB1 and RSs1-DB1, which accumulated DB1 at a level of 2.2% and 0.33%, respectively, of total soluble protein. In our preliminary small-scale test, these transgenic rice seedlings showed resistance against brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens), white back planthopper (Sogatella fucifera) and small brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens). Our results indicate that DB1 can be used to enhance resistance to sap-sucking pests in transgenic crops.