Researchers Create Fire-Blight Resistant Apples
March 19, 2014| |
Researchers from ETH Zurich and Julius Kühn Institute have created the first fire-blight resistant apple. The researchers identified and isolated the gene for fire-blight resistance in a wild apple for the first time and confirmed its function as a resistance-mediating gene. The newly discovered gene carries the genetic code for a protein that recognizes a surface protein of the pathogen, triggering a defense response in the affected plant. They said that this single gene can protect the plant against the disease.
Led by ETH-Zurich plant pathologist Cesar Gessler, the team used cis-genetic engineering and tested the fire blight resistance properties of the cis-gene apple trees in Switzerland and in Germany by infecting them with fire blight. The results revealed that the resistance gene took effect and prevented the trees from becoming infected.
For more details about this research, read the news release available at: https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2014/03/resistent-gegen-feuerbrand.html.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- ISAAA Annual Network Meeting
- FAO Paper: Asia-Pacific's Agri Workers Should be Prime Beneficiaries of Sustainable Agriculture
- Rice Experts Roll Out New Stress-Tolerant Rice Varieties for Africa
- South Sudan becomes 194th Party to Convention on Biological Diversity
- Scientists Model Photosynthesis to Find Room for Improvement
- Scientists Hack Plant's Internal Timepiece to Combat Global Warming
- Chinese AG Minister Eats GM Food
- ISAAA Releases Borlaug Centennial Emblem
- USDA GAIN Report on Agribiotechnology in Australia
- Researchers Sequence Pepper Genome
- Unlocking the Genetic Secrets of Wheat
- Researchers Create Fire-Blight Resistant Apples
- CST Releases Letter for the UK Prime Minister Regarding GM Technologies
- UK Public Attitudes to Science Revealed
- EFSA's Opens GMO Plenary Meeting to Observers
-
Research Highlights
- Study Shows Bt Rice Does Not Affect Green Lacewing
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- First Genetic Clues to Fight Dieback
-
Announcements
- 13th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms
-
Resources
- ISAAA Publishes E-poster on Bt Brinjal
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 30, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 30, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet