Transgenic banana plants expressing Xanthomonas wilt resistance genes revealed a stable non-target bacterial colonization structure
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Scientific Reports
Abstract
Africa is among the continents where the battle over genetically modified crops is currently being
played out. The impact of GM in Africa could potentially be very positive. In Uganda, researchers
have developed transgenic banana lines resistant to banana Xanthomonas wilt. The transgenic lines
expressing hrap and pflp can provide a timely solution to the pandemic. However, the impact of
the transgenes expression on non-target microorganisms has not yet been investigated. To study
this effect, transgenic and control lines were grown under field conditions and their associated
microbiome was investigated by 16S rRNA gene profiling combining amplicon sequencing and
molecular fingerprinting. Three years after sucker planting, no statistically significant differences
between transgenic lines and their non-modified predecessors were detected for their associated
bacterial communities. The overall gammaproteobacterial rhizosphere microbiome was highly
dominated by Xanthomonadales, while Pseudomonadales and Enterobacteriales were accumulated
in the pseudostem. Shannon indices revealed much higher diversity in the rhizosphere than in the
pseudostem endosphere. However, the expression of the transgenes did not result in changes in the
diversity of Gammaproteobacteria, the closest relatives of the target pathogen. In this field experiment,
the expression of the resistance genes appears to have no consequences for non-target rhizobacteria
and endophytes.
Description
Keywords
Transgenic banana plants, Xanthomonas, Genes, Bacterial colonization structure
Citation
Nimusiima, J., Köberl, M., Tumuhairwe, J. B., Kubiriba, J., Staver, C., & Berg, G. (2015). Transgenic banana plants expressing Xanthomonas wilt resistance genes revealed a stable non-target bacterial colonization structure. Scientific Reports, 5(1), 1-8. DOI: 10.1038/srep18078