TY - JOUR
T1 - Transgenic expression of Arabidopsis ELONGATION FACTOR-TU RECEPTOR (AtEFR) gene in banana enhances resistance against Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum
AU - Adero, Mark
AU - Tripathi, Jaindra Nath
AU - Oduor, Richard
AU - Zipfel, Cyril
AU - Tripathi, Leena
N1 - Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Funding information: This study was supported by the 2 Blades Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2023/9/1
Y1 - 2023/9/1
N2 - Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) is a severe bacterial disease affecting banana production in East and Central Africa, where banana is cultivated as a staple crop. Classical breeding of banana is challenging because the crop is clonally propagated and has limited genetic diversity. Thus, genetic engineering serves as a viable alternative for banana improvement. Studies have shown that transfer of the elongation factor Tu receptor gene (AtEFR) from Arabidopsis thaliana to other plant species can enhance resistance against bacterial diseases. However, AtEFR activity in banana and its efficacy against Xcm has not been demonstrated. In this study, transgenic events of banana (Musa acuminata) cultivar dwarf Cavendish expressing the AtEFR gene were generated and evaluated for resistance against Xcm under greenhouse conditions. The transgenic banana events were responsive to the EF-Tu-derived elf18 peptide and exhibited enhanced resistance to BXW disease compared to non-transgenic control plants. This study suggests that the functionality of AtEFR is retained in banana with the potential of enhancing resistance to BXW under field conditions.
AB - Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) is a severe bacterial disease affecting banana production in East and Central Africa, where banana is cultivated as a staple crop. Classical breeding of banana is challenging because the crop is clonally propagated and has limited genetic diversity. Thus, genetic engineering serves as a viable alternative for banana improvement. Studies have shown that transfer of the elongation factor Tu receptor gene (AtEFR) from Arabidopsis thaliana to other plant species can enhance resistance against bacterial diseases. However, AtEFR activity in banana and its efficacy against Xcm has not been demonstrated. In this study, transgenic events of banana (Musa acuminata) cultivar dwarf Cavendish expressing the AtEFR gene were generated and evaluated for resistance against Xcm under greenhouse conditions. The transgenic banana events were responsive to the EF-Tu-derived elf18 peptide and exhibited enhanced resistance to BXW disease compared to non-transgenic control plants. This study suggests that the functionality of AtEFR is retained in banana with the potential of enhancing resistance to BXW under field conditions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85169524291&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0290884
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0290884
M3 - Article
C2 - 37656732
AN - SCOPUS:85169524291
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 18
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
IS - 9
M1 - e0290884
ER -