Kav: Antifungal Peptide from Pine for Multiple Disease Resistance in Canola

Date: December 2011
Term: 3 years
Status: Completed
Researcher(s): Nat Kav, S. Verma, M. Rahman, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta
SaskCanola Investment: n/a
Total Project Cost: n/a
Funding Partners: n/a

Project Summary

Canola can be significantly affected by diseases such as sclerotinia stem rot, blackleg and alternaria black spot resulting in loss of crop productivity and quality. Researchers from the University of Alberta conducted a research study to determine whether the cDNA encoding a peptide isolated from western white pine (Pinus monticola) could protect canola from multiple fungal pathogens more efficiently than what was currently available. The results of this study demonstrated that generating transgenic crops expressing this peptide can provide canola with increased tolerance towards multiple phytopathogenic fungi and may serve as the basis for the development of a novel disease management strategy.

Canola can be significantly affected by diseases such as sclerotinia stem rot, blackleg and alternaria black spot resulting in loss of crop productivity and quality. Enhancement of fungal resistance in crops has been a major challenge in the field of plant breeding and biotechnology, making engineering for multiple disease tolerance in crop plants of significant potential value to industry.

Researchers from the University of Alberta conducted a research study to determine whether the genetic material encoding a peptide with antimicrobial properties isolated from western white pine (Pinus monticola) could protect canola from multiple fungal pathogens more efficiently than what was currently available. Plants naturally produce antimicrobial peptides as an innate defense against invading pathogens. These have emerged as a potential resource for protection of plants against phytopathogens that cause diseases.

In the study, researchers successfully incorporated the transgene encoding this peptide into the genome of Brassica napus. In vitro experiments with proteins extracted from transgenic canola expressing the transgene and the recombinant peptides demonstrated their ability to inhibit spore germination and growth of fungal hyphae. In the final phase of the study, researchers evaluated the reaction of the transgenic lines carrying the cDNA against important canola phytopathogenic fungi (Leptosphaeria maculans, Alternaria brassicae, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Plasmodiophora brassicae). In all cases, the transgenic lines exhibited tolerance against the first three fungi: blackleg, alternaria black spot and sclerotinia stem rot as compared to the controls, but not against the clubroot pathogen.

Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that generating transgenic crops expressing the antimicrobial peptide isolated from western white pine, can provide canola with increased tolerance towards multiple phytopathogenic fungi and may serve as the basis for the development of a novel disease management strategy. This is the first study to show this particular peptide imparting multiple pathogen tolerance in canola. This process may be extended to other crops to improve disease tolerance.

Scientific Publications

Verma, S.S.; Yajima, W.R.; Rahman, M.H.; Shah, S.; Liu, J.-J.; Ekramoddoullah, A.K.M.; Kav, N.N.V. 2012. A cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptide from Pinus monticola (PmAMP1) confers resistance to multiple fungal pathogens in canola (Brassica napus). Plant Molecular Biology 79: 61-74.

Full Report PDF: n/a