ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
Bacillus thuringiensis δ-endotoxin gene ; Coleoptera ; transgenic plants
Zusammenfassung:
A crystal δ-endotoxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis (B.t.t.) encoding a coleopteran insect-specific toxin was used to construct a chimeric gene which expressed the toxin in plant cells. Via an Agrobacterium tumefaciens binary vector system, the toxin gene was transferred into tomato cells. From leaf disks recombinant plants were regenerated. Hybridization experiments demonstrated that these plants synthesized toxin-specific mRNA of the expected size. Transgenic tomato plants with the chimeric B.t.t. toxin gene contained a 74 kDa protein which cross-reacted with toxin antibodies. The expression caused a significant insecticidal activity of the transgenic tomato plants against Colorado potato beetle larvae.