Expression of the bacteriophage T4 lysozyme gene in tall fescue confers resistance to gray leaf spot and brown patch diseases

• Published in: Transgenic research Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 47 - 57
• Main Authors: Dong, Shujie, Shew, H. David, Tredway, Lane P, Lu, Jianli, Sivamani, Elumalai, Miller, Eric S, Qu, Rongda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01-02-2008; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Genetics and Genomics; Bacteria; Bacteriophage T4 - enzymology; Bacteriophage T4 - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology; Biotechnology; Cloning, Molecular; Festuca - enzymology; Festuca - genetics; Festuca - microbiology; Festuca arundinacea; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal resistance; Gene Expression; Genes, Viral; Genetic Engineering; Genetic technics; Genetic Vectors; Life Sciences; Magnaporthe - pathogenicity; Magnaporthe grisea; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Molecular Medicine; Muramidase - genetics; Original Paper; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plants, Genetically Modified; Rhizobium - genetics; Rhizoctonia - pathogenicity; Rhizoctonia solani; T4 lysozyme; Thanatephorus cucumeris; Transgenic animals and transgenic plants; Transgenics; Tall fescue; Fungal resistance; T4 lysozyme; Ascomycota; Disease; Enzyme; Fungal resistance, Magnaporthe grisea, Rhizoctonia solani; Plant leaf; Glycosylases; Virus; Fungi; Resistance; Magnaporthe grisea; Gene; Glycosidases; Hydrolases; Rhizoctonia solani; Fungi Imperfecti; Lysozyme; Phage
• ISSN: 0962-8819; 1573-9368
• DOI: 10.1007/s11248-007-9073-3

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is an important turf and forage grass species worldwide. Fungal diseases present a major limitation in the maintenance of tall fescue lawns, landscapes, and forage fields. Two severe fungal diseases of tall fescue are brown patch, caused by Rhizoctonia solani, and gray leaf spot, caused by Magnaporthe grisea. These diseases are often major problems of other turfgrass species as well. In efforts to obtain tall fescue plants resistant to these diseases, we introduced the bacteriophage T4 lysozyme gene into tall fescue through Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. In replicated experiments under controlled environments conducive to disease development, 6 of 13 transgenic events showed high resistance to inoculation of a mixture of two M. grisea isolates from tall fescue. Three of these six resistant plants also displayed significant resistance to an R. solani isolate from tall fescue. Thus, we have demonstrated that the bacteriophage T4 lysozyme gene confers resistance to both gray leaf spot and brown patch diseases in transgenic tall fescue plants. The gene may have wide applications in engineered fungal disease resistance in various crops.