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Transgenic poplars expressing a cysteine proteinase inhibitor are toxic to coleopterous

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Pilate, Gilles | Leplé, Jean-Charles | Bonadé-Bottino, M. | Augustin, Sylvie | Delplanque, A. | Dumanois Lê Tân, V. | Jouanin, Lise

Edité par CCSD -

*INRA, Station d'Amélioration des Arbres Forestiers, Orléans Diffusion du document : INRA, Station d'Amélioration des Arbres Forestiers, Orléans. International audience. In France, two Coleopterous, Chrysomela populi and Chrysomela tremulae that feed on poplar leaves, are responsible for severe damages in poplar plantation. Analysis of proteolytic activity in the gut of Chrysomela tremulae larvae show that cysteine proteinases are the major digestive enzymes. In in vitro test, this proteolytic activity is inhibited by the addition of the rice proteinase inbitor OCL. Therefore, we introduced the OCI coding sequence fused to a strong constitutive promoter into a hybrid poplar clone Populus tremula x P. tremuloides very sensitive to Chrysomela attack. Transgenic poplars were assesed for their ability to express the active form of OCI and for their toxicity against C. tremulae. OCI protein was detected in transgenic poplars by Western blot analysis. Three of them, exhibiting high level of OCI protein, were used as feeding material for in vitro insect assays. When ingested, foliage from these three poplars slows down larvae growth and development and increases the percentage of mortality when compared to what happens with foliage from control trees: the average mortality rises from 4,5% with control tree up to 40% for transgenic foliage. These results give good evidence for the use of cysteine proteinase inhibitor to limit insect attacks in poplar plantation.

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