ePrints

Concanavalin A inhibits development of tomato moth (Lacanobia oleracea) and peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) when expressed in transgenic potato plants

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Angharad MR GatehouseORCiD, Gillian Davison

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.

Abstract

The effects of concanavalin A (ConA), a glucose/mannose-specific lectin from jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis), on insect crop pests from two different orders, Lepidoptera and Homoptera, were investigated. When fed to larvae of tomato moth (Lacanobia oleracea) at a range of concentrations (0.02-2.0% of total protein) in artificial diet, ConA decreased survival, with up to 90% mortality observed at the highest dose level, and retarded development, but had only a small effect on larval weight. When fed to peach-potato aphids (Myzus persicae) at a range of concentrations (1-9 mu M) in liquid artificial diet, ConA reduced aphid size by up to 30%, retarded development to maturity, and reduced fecundity (production of offspring) by >35%, but had little effect on survival. With both insects, there was a poor correlation between lectin dose and the quantitative effect. Constitutive expression of ConA in transgenic potatoes driven by the CaMV 35S promoter resulted in the protein accumulating to levels lower than predicted, possibly due to potato not being able to adequately reproduce the post-translational processing of this lectin which occurs in jackbean. However, the expressed lectin was functionally active as a haemagglutinin. Bioassay of L. oleracea larvae on ConA-expressing potato plants showed that the lectin retarded larval development, and decreased larval weights by >45%, but had no significant effect on survival. It also decreased consumption of plant tissue by the larvae. In agreement with the diet bioassay results, ConA-expressing potatoes decreased the fecundity of M. persicae by up to 45%. ConA thus has potential as a protective agent against insect pests in transgenic crops.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Davison GM; Gatehouse AMR; Stewart JN; Galehouse LN; Kumar A; Geoghegan IE; Birch ANE; Gatehouse JA

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Molecular Breeding

Year: 1999

Volume: 5

Issue: 2

Pages: 153-165

ISSN (print): 1380-3743

ISSN (electronic): 1572-9788

Publisher: Springer

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1009681705481

DOI: 10.1023/A:1009681705481

Altmetrics

Share