Abstract: Stem segments from diseased Paulownia tomentosa×P. fortunei and leaves from healthy control were transformed with the expression vector p438PRSI via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The p438PRSI vector contained shiva-1 gene, which encodes an antibacterial peptide under the control of a CaMV35S promoter. The regenerated plants from transformed explants were planted in a greenhouse and nursery. PCR and Southern blotting analysis showed that the shiva-1 gene was successfully integrated into the Paulownia genome. Transcription of the integrated shiva-1 gene was confirmed by RT-PCR. Bioassay in the green house and phytoplasma DNA-dot blotting demonstrated that resistance to Paulownia witch’s broom disease (PWB) increased significantly in shiva-1-transgenic Paulownia. Further investigations indicated that higher Shiva-1 expression correlated with fewer phytoplasma and less symptoms in diseased transgenic Paulownia. Together, our findings strongly suggest that breeding shiva-1-Paulownia is an effective strategy to control PWB disease.

Key words: Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Paulownia, Paulownia witch’s broom, phytoplasma, shiva-1.