Expression of a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Penaeidin4-1 in Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) Enhances Plant Fungal Disease Resistance
2011

Enhancing Disease Resistance in Creeping Bentgrass Using Antimicrobial Peptide

Sample size: 30 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Zhou Man, Hu Qian, Li Zhigang, Chen Dayong, Luo Hong

Primary Institution: Clemson University

Hypothesis

Can the antimicrobial peptide Penaeidin4-1 enhance disease resistance in creeping bentgrass against fungal pathogens?

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that the antimicrobial peptide Pen4-1 effectively enhances resistance to major fungal diseases in creeping bentgrass.

Supporting Evidence

  • Transgenic plants showed a 42% to 48% reduction in lesion size from R. solani infection compared to controls.
  • Pen4-1 expression was confirmed at the transcription level in all transgenic lines.
  • Transgenic lines exhibited high resistance against both dollar spot and brown patch diseases.

Takeaway

Scientists added a special protein from shrimp to grass plants to help them fight off diseases caused by fungi, and it worked really well!

Methodology

Transgenic creeping bentgrass plants were created using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to express the Penaeidin4-1 peptide, followed by in vitro and in vivo assays to test disease resistance.

Limitations

The study did not successfully detect the Pen4-1 protein in transgenic plants, which may affect the understanding of its functional expression.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.01

Statistical Significance

p<0.01

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0024677

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