Obtaining and Analysis of Marker-free Oil Plants Camelina sativa (L.) Expressing Gene for Antimicrobial Peptide Cecropin P1

Abstract

The marker-free transgenic Camelina sativa (L.) plants carrying a synthetic gene for cecropin P1, an antimicrobial peptide, under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA promoter have been obtained and analyzed. The plants were transformed by the agrobacterial binary vector free of selection genes of antibiotic and herbicide resistance. Screening of the marker-free transformants was performed by measuring the antibacterial activity of cecropin P1 and by enzyme immunoassay. The obtained plants exhibited increased resistance to the infection by the Erwinia carotovora bacteria, Fusarium graminearum fungi, and to oxidative stress during infection. The analysis of the fatty acid composition of seed oil showed an increased amount of α-linolenic acid in the transgenic camelina lines as compared to unmodified plants. The obtained results indicate that the gene for cecropin P1 can be included in the integral antistress plant protective system. Camelina sativa, cecropin Р1, agrobacterium-mediated transformation, marker-free transgenic plants, fatty acid compositions, microbial phytopathogenes, oxidative stress, resistance, cecropin P1. The work was financially supported by State job № 0101-2014-0046, № РК 01201352439 and with the partial financial support the Russian Fund for Basic Investigation, Grants № 18-08-00752, № 16-04-00623.