THE EXPRESSION OF CECROPIN PEPTIDE IN TRANSGENIC TOBACCO DOES NOT CONFER RESISTANCE TO PSEUDOMONAS-SYRINGAE PV TABACI

We used in vitro growth inhibition assays to demonstrate that syntheti c cecropin protein has potent activity against a range of plant pathog enic bacteria. We then prepared transgenic tobacco plants which expres s cecropin mRNA and protein. We have used Pseudomonas syringae pv taba ci infection of these transgenic tobacco as a model system to evaluate whether the plants which express cecropin protein also have increased tolerance to infection. We found no dramatic difference in disease re sponse between plants which are expressing cecropin protein and contro l plants which were derived from the transformation with a binary vect or which did not carry the gene encoding cecropin protein.