Engineered Expression of Vip3A in Green Tissues as a Feasible Approach for the Control of Insect Pests in Maize
Guangsheng Yuan,
Cheng Zeng,
Haoya Shi,
Yong Yang,
Juan Du,
Chaoying Zou,
Langlang Ma,
Guangtang Pan,
Yaou Shen
Affiliations
Guangsheng Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Cheng Zeng
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Haoya Shi
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yong Yang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Juan Du
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Chaoying Zou
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Langlang Ma
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Guangtang Pan
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yaou Shen
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region of Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Genetic engineering technology offers opportunities to improve many important agronomic traits in crops, including insect-resistance. However, genetically modified (GM) exogenous proteins in edible tissues of transgenic crops has become an issue of intense public concern. To advance the application of GM techniques in maize, a Cre/loxP-based strategy was developed for manipulating the transgenes in green tissues while locking them in non-green tissues. In the strategy, the site-specific excision can be used to switch on or off the expression of transgenes at specific tissues. In this work, two basic transgenic maize, named KEY, carrying the Cre gene, and LOCK, containing the Vip3A gene with a blocked element, were obtained based on their separate fusion gene cassettes. The expression level and concentration of Vip3A were observed with a high specific accumulation in the green tissues (leaf and stem), and only a small amount was observed in the root and kernel tissues in the KEY × LOCK hybrids. The insect resistance of transgenic maize against two common lepidopteran pests, Ostrinia furnacalis and Spodoptera frugiperda, was assessed in the laboratory and field. The results indicate that the hybrids possessed high resistance levels against the two pests, with mortality rates above 73.6% and damage scales below 2.4 compared with the control group. Our results suggest that the Cre/loxP-mediated genetic engineering approach has a competitive advantage in GM maize. Overall, the findings from this study are significant for providing a feasible strategy for transgenes avoiding expression in edible parts and exploring novel techniques toward the biosafety of GM plants.
