Establishment of a plant phosphorus utilization and weed control system based on phosphite and its dehydrogenase.

Guizhen YU; Hang Yuan; Zhu Luo; Yanjuan Liu; Xian Liu; Yanxiu Gao; Ming Gong; Zhurong Zou

Return

Establishment of a plant phosphorus utilization and weed control system based on phosphite and its dehydrogenase.

Author: Guizhen YU ¹ ; Hang YUAN ¹ ; Zhu LUO ¹ ; Yanjuan LIU ¹ ; Xian LIU ¹ ; Yanxiu GAO ¹ ; Ming GONG ¹ ; Zhurong ZOU ¹
Author Information

1. Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: phosphite; phosphite dehydrogenase; plant phosphorus utilization; selection marker; weed control
MeSH: Oxidoreductases; Phosphites; Phosphorus; Plants, Genetically Modified; Weed Control
From: Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2019;35(2):327-336
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Nowadays, available phosphorus (P) deficiency in soil and weed resistance to herbicides have emerged as two severe limiting factors for sustainable agriculture. Therefore, it is of urgent needs to improve plant absorption/utilization ability of the soil P, seek phosphate (Pi)-alternative P fertilizers, and develop new forms of weed control systems. Phosphite (Phi), as a P resource of relatively high amount only less than Pi in Earth, can be converted to utilizable Pi uniquely in some bacterial species by oxidization via its specific dehydrogenase (PTDH), but inhibits plant growth and development. This implies that Phi might rather become a suitable P fertilizer for plants if introducing a PTDH detoxifier from bacteria. Herein, we created the transgenic tobaccos harboring a Pseudomonas PTDH gene (PsPtx) amplified from the soil metagenome previously. RT-PCR showed that the exotic PsPtx gene could express similarly in root, stem and leaf tissues of all transgenic lines. PsPtx transgenic tobaccos could utilize Phi by oxidization as the sole Pi supply, and also outperformed wild-type tobacco with a remarkably dominant growth under Phi stress conditions. Moreover, the PsPtx gene was preliminarily evaluated with a notable quality as a potential candidate of the selection marker in plant genetic transformation. Conclusively, PsPtx and its encoded phosphite dehydrogenase might be applicable for developing a dual system of plant phosphorus utilization and weed control using Phi as P fertilizer and herbicide, and provide an effectual solution to some obstacles in the current crop transgenic studies.