Bacterial transferase activity expressed in petunia progenies

Area of Science:

• Plant biotechnology
• Molecular biology
• Enzyme engineering

Background:

• Petunia hybrida possesses its own hexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase, distinct from the E. coli enzyme.
• Bacterial genes can be introduced into plants via phage transduction, potentially altering plant metabolism.
• Galactose metabolism in plants can be a limiting factor for growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of introducing the E. coli hexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase gene into Petunia plants.
• To determine if the bacterial enzyme confers a growth advantage on galactose-containing media.
• To confirm the presence and activity of the bacterial enzyme in transgenic Petunia generations.

Main Methods:

• Petunia plants were generated using pollen pretreated with phage carrying the E. coli hexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase gene.
• Control groups were generated using pollen treated with phage carrying a mutant transferase gene or homologous Petunia DNA.
• Plant growth and enzyme activity were assessed on galactose and sucrose media across six generations under sterile conditions.

Main Results:

• Transgenic Petunia plants exhibited significantly improved growth and development on galactose media compared to controls over six generations.
• Bacterial hexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase activity was detected in F(3) transgenic plants grown on galactose, but not in controls.
• The bacterial enzyme's activity was specific to galactose media, suggesting inducible expression.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced growth of transgenic Petunia on galactose media is attributable to the functional activity of the introduced E. coli hexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase.
• Bacterial enzyme expression can be induced by specific substrates, offering a mechanism for metabolic enhancement in plants.
• This study demonstrates the potential of gene transfer for improving plant utilization of specific carbon sources.