Abstract:
Objective Disease resistance to Xamthomonas axonopodis pv. Manihotis (Xam) of cassava related to MeUGT25, a UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGT) gene, was studied for breeding purposes.
Method MeUGT25 was cloned from cassava leaves (SC124) by RT-PCR. Subsequently, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) andXam infection challenge experiment were conducted to confirm the disease resistance of the plant.
Result The expression of MeUGT25 was significantly induced by the presence of Xam. In 3 transgenic plants, qRT-PCR showed reductions in MeUGT25 expression by 71%, 70%, and 69%. In 6 d after an Xam−inoculation, the bacterial counts on the leaves of MeUGT25V-2 and MeUGT25V-3 plants increased significantly, but not of MeUGT25V-1. On the other hand, apparent plaques appeared on the leaves of the MeUGT25 gene silencing plants indicating the lowered MeUGT25 expression had significantly reduced the resistance of cassava to Xam infection.
Conclusion Reduction of MeUGT25 expression in cassava mitigated the ability of the leaves to resist invasion by Xam suggesting a positive regulatory role of the gene played in the disease resistance.