Allium Sativum Leaf Agglutinin (ASAL) Endowed Enhanced Resistance Against Myzus Persicae under Both Constitutive and Phloem Specific Promoters

Abstract Globally, aphid, Myzus persicae is an economically significant, polyphagous crop pest that feeds on more than 400 plant species and transmits more than 100 plant viruses. Aphid infestation is mostly managed by insecticides that cause heavy environmental contamination and insect resistance. Cloning of plant derived insecticidal genes to develop transgenic plants under suitable promoter is a promising technology. In the present study, ASAL (MN820725) was isolated from native garlic and cloned in plant transformation vector, pGA482 through Agrobacterium mediated tobacco transformation. PCR of genomic DNA of transgenic tobacco plants using gene specific primers confirmed the presence of asal gene of 546 bp. To detect the integration of gene Southern blot analysis was conducted that revealed stable integration of asal gene while, gene expression was analyzed through qRT-PCR that showed variable expression of asal gene in transgenic tobacco plants. Efficacy of asal gene was evaluated through aphid bioassay. Aphid bioassay revealed that transgenic tobacco lines LS-17, LS-20, LR-1, and LR-7 exhibited 100% aphid mortality and significantly reduced the aphid population. These findings suggested the potential of ASAL against aphids that can be further used against other notorious sap sucking pests.