Tobacco plants transformed with the bean. alpha. ai gene express an inhibitor of insect. alpha. -amylase in their seeds. [Nicotiana tabacum; Tenebrio molitor]

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Plant Physiology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.93.2.805· OSTI ID:5859802

Altabella, T; Chrispeels, M J ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla (USA)

Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds contain a putative plant defense protein that inhibits insect and mammalian but not plant {alpha}-amylases. We recently presented strong circumstantial evidence that this {alpha}-amylase inhibitor ({alpha}Al) is encoded by an already-identified lectin gene whose product is referred to as lectin-like-protein (LLP). We have now made a chimeric gene consisting of the coding sequence of the lectin gene that encodes LLP and the 5{prime} and 3{prime} flanking sequences of the lectin gene that encodes phytohemagglutinin-L. When this chimeric gene was expressed in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), we observed in the seeds a series of polypeptides (M{sub r} 10,000-18,000) that cross-react with antibodies to the bean {alpha}-amylase inhibitor. Most of these polypeptides bind to a pig pancreas {alpha}-amylase affinity column. An extract of the seeds of the transformed tobacco plants inhibits pig pancreas {alpha}-amylase activity as well as the {alpha}-amylase present in the midgut of Tenebrio molitor. We suggest that introduction of this lectin gene (to be called {alpha}ai) into other leguminous plants may be a strategy to protect the seeds from the seed-eating larvae of Coleoptera.

• OSTI ID: 5859802
• Journal Information: Plant Physiology; (USA), Vol. 93:2; ISSN 0032-0889
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BEETLES
ENZYME ACTIVITY
ENZYME INHIBITORS
GENES
NICOTIANA
GENETIC ENGINEERING
AMYLASE
IMMUNOASSAY
PHASEOLUS
PLANT BREEDING
SEEDS
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
BIOASSAY
COLEOPTERA
ENZYMES
GLYCOSYL HYDROLASES
HYDROLASES
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
LEGUMINOSAE
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
O-GLYCOSYL HYDROLASES
PLANTS
550200* - Biochemistry