Transgenic Cavendish bananas with resistance to Fusarium wilt tropical race 4

James Dale (), Anthony James, Jean-Yves Paul, Harjeet Khanna, Mark Smith, Santy Peraza-Echeverria, Fernando Garcia-Bastidas, Gert Kema, Peter Waterhouse, Kerrie Mengersen and Robert Harding
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James Dale: Queensland University of Technology
Anthony James: Queensland University of Technology
Jean-Yves Paul: Queensland University of Technology
Harjeet Khanna: Queensland University of Technology
Mark Smith: Darwin Banana Farming Company
Santy Peraza-Echeverria: Queensland University of Technology
Fernando Garcia-Bastidas: Wageningen University and Research Centre, Plant Research International
Gert Kema: Wageningen University and Research Centre, Plant Research International
Peter Waterhouse: Queensland University of Technology
Kerrie Mengersen: Queensland University of Technology
Robert Harding: Queensland University of Technology

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Banana (Musa spp.) is a staple food for more than 400 million people. Over 40% of world production and virtually all the export trade is based on Cavendish banana. However, Cavendish banana is under threat from a virulent fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (TR4) for which no acceptable resistant replacement has been identified. Here we report the identification of transgenic Cavendish with resistance to TR4. In our 3-year field trial, two lines of transgenic Cavendish, one transformed with RGA2, a gene isolated from a TR4-resistant diploid banana, and the other with a nematode-derived gene, Ced9, remain disease free. Transgene expression in the RGA2 lines is strongly correlated with resistance. Endogenous RGA2 homologs are also present in Cavendish but are expressed tenfold lower than that in our most resistant transgenic line. The expression of these homologs can potentially be elevated through gene editing, to provide non-transgenic resistance.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01670-6

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