DEGRADATION OF OXALIC-ACID BY TRANSGENIC OILSEED RAPE PLANTS EXPRESSING OXALATE OXIDASE

Oxalic acid is thought to have a primary role in the pathogenicity of several plant pathogens, notably Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. A gene codi ng for the enzyme oxalate oxidase was isolated from barley roots and i ntroduced into oilseed rape as a means of degrading oxalic acid in viv o. This report describes the production of several transgenic plants o f oilseed rape and the characterisation of these plants by Southern, W estern. and enzyme activity assays. Plants were shown to contain an ac tive oxalate oxidase enzyme and were tolerant of exogenously supplied oxalic acid.