Research on expression of PtWRKY14 in transgenic tobacco and resistance to TMV

PtWRKY14 is a WRKY gene from Populus tomentosa. The study was conducted to investigate the effects of PtWRKY14 on plant disease resistance. The gene PtWRKY14 was constructed into binary vector pBI121 and transformed into tobacco plants by Agrobacterium-mediated leaf disc transformation. Transgenic tobaccos were identified by PCR and Southern hybridization. The results of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection test showed that transgenic tobacco possessed certain resistance to TMV infection. The expression of PtWRKY14, superoxide Dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) were analyzed by real-time PCR. The result showed PtWRKY14 was up-regulated expression by TMV treatment. While the expressions of SOD, POD and CAT in transgenic tobacco were more than in blank control tobacco. These results suggested that PtWRKY14 might be up-regulate expression of SOD, POD and CAT, leading to enhanced plant disease resistance.