Open AccessHeterologous Expression of the Mi-1.2 Gene from Tomato Confers Resistance Against Nematodes but Not Aphids in Eggplant
Author(s) -
Fiona L. Goggin,
Lingling Jia,
Gowri Shah,
Stephanie L. Hebert,
Valerie M. Williamson,
Diane E. Ullman
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
molecular plant-microbe interactions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.565
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1943-7706
pISSN - 0894-0282
DOI - 10.1094/mpmi-19-0383
Subject(s) - macrosiphum euphorbiae , biology , solanum , aphid , myzus persicae , gene , genetically modified tomato , nematode , meloidogyne javanica , root knot nematode , solanaceae , botany , transgene , genetically modified crops , genetics , pest analysis , aphididae , ecology , homoptera
The Mi-1.2 gene in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a member of the nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) class of plant resistance genes, and confers resistance against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae), and the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). Mi-1.2 mediates a rapid local defensive response at the site of infection, although the signaling and defensive pathways required for resistance are largely unknown. In this study, eggplant (S. melongena) was transformed with Mi-1.2 to determine whether this gene can function in a genetic background other than tomato. Eggplants that carried Mi-1.2 displayed resistance to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica but were fully susceptible to the potato aphid, whereas a susceptible tomato line transformed with the same transgene was resistant to nematodes and aphids. This study shows that Mi-1.2 can confer nematode resistance in another Solanaceous species. It also indicates that the requirements for Mi-mediated aphid and nematode resistance differ. Potentially, aphid resistance requires additional genes that are not conserved between tomato and eggplant.