Agrobacterium-mediated Transient Gene Expression Research Articles

Construction of viral-based expression vectors for high-level production of human interferon alpha 2b in plants

Human interferon (hINF) alpha 2b is clinically important pharmaceutical product included in combinatory therapy against chronic hepatitis C and B and complex therapy against several cancer diseases. Here, we created the genetic constructions, based on genome elements of potato virus X (PVX), carrying the infα2b gene for transient expression in plant cells. The created plasmid vector constructions were tested through Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression method in two plant species—Nicotiana benthamiana and Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil). Production of recombinant hINF alpha 2b was more efficient in N. benthamiana than that in O. basilicum plants. The average yield of hINF alpha 2b produced in N. benthamiana plants was 0.56 mg/g of fresh leaf weight (FW) or 6% of the total soluble cell proteins (TSP). The maximal level reached up to 1.2 mg/g FW or 9% TSP. We estimated that about 0.67 mg of hINF can be obtained from one N. benthamiana plant. The yield of hINF alpha 2b obtained with the PVX-based expression cassette was about 80 times higher than the yield of hINF alpha 2b obtained with a simple expression cassette in which the infα2b gene was controlled by the 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus.Key points• PVX-based expression vectors provide efficient transient expression of infα2b gene• N. benthamiana plants can produce human interferon alpha 2b at high levels• The yield of the hINF α2b reached up to 1.2 mg/g of fresh leaf weight

Effects of different light conditions on transient expression and biomass in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.

In the process of the production of recombinant proteins by using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system, the effectiveness of the control of light conditions pre- and post-agroinfiltration on efficiency of transient expression is worth being evaluated. In this study, Nicotiana benthamiana plants were used as a bioreactor to investigate the effects of different light conditions pre- and post-agroinfiltration on the transient expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP). The results showed that the plants grown under light condition for 5 weeks had the highest level of transient expression among those grown for 4-8 weeks. In the pre-agroinfiltration, the level of transient expression of GFP was obviously decreased by the increase in light intensity or by the shortening of the photoperiod. Although the shortening of the photoperiod post-agroinfiltration also decreased the level of transient expression, moderate light intensity post-agroinfiltration was needed for higher level of transient expression efficiency. However, there was no strong correlation between the transient expression efficiency and plant growth. The results suggested that light condition was an important factor affecting the level of transient expression in plants. Hence, light conditions should be optimized to obtain higher productivity of recombinant protein from transient expression systems.

Development of a Molasses-Based Medium for Agrobacterium tumefaciens Fermentation for Application in Plant-Based Recombinant Protein Production

The Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system is a rapid and efficient method for heterologous recombinant protein expression in plants. The fermentation of genetically modified Agrobacterium tumefaciens is an important step in increasing the efficiency of recombinant protein production in plants. However, the limitation of this system that makes it economically non-competitive for industrial-scale applications is the Agrobacterium suspension production cost. In this study, the utilization of sugarcane molasses as an alternative low-cost source of carbon at a concentration of 8.7 g/L and nitrogen at a concentration of 2.4 g/L for Agrobacterium cultivation was investigated. Molasses pretreatment using sulfuric acid (SA) was applied before fermentation, and it resulted in a maximum specific growth rate of 0.232 ± 0.0063 h−1 in the A. tumefaciens EHA105 culture. The supplementation of antibiotics in the molasses-based medium was shown to be unnecessary for plasmid maintenance during fermentation in both Agrobacterium strains, which helped to reduce the production cost. We evaluated recombinant protein production using an Agrobacterium culture without antibiotic supplementation in the growth media by demonstrating green fluorescent protein expression in wild-type Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. In the evaluation of the culture medium cost, the molasses-based medium cost was 6.1 times lower than that of LB. Finally, this study demonstrated that the newly developed molasses-based medium for Agrobacterium fermentation is a feasible and effective medium for transient recombinant protein production in plant tissues.

An efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation system and its application in gene function elucidation in Paeonia lactiflora Pall.

Paeonia lactiflora Pall. is known as the king of herbaceous flowers with high ornamental and precious medicinal value. However, the lack of a stable genetic transformation system has greatly affected the research of gene function in P. lactiflora. The Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression is a powerful tool for the characterization of gene function in plants. In this study, the seedlings of P. lactiflora were used as the transformation receptor materials, and the efficient transient transformation system with a GUS reporter gene was successfully established by Agrobacterium harboring pCAMBIA1301. To optimize the system, we investigated the effects of germination time, Agrobacterium cell density, infection time, acetosyringone (AS) concentration, co-culture time, negative pressure intensity, Tween-20 concentration and different receptor materials on the transient transformation efficiency of P. lactiflora. The results showed that the highest transient transformation efficiency (93.3%) could be obtained when seedlings in 2-3 cm bud length were subjected to 12 h infection of resuspension solution comprising 1.2 OD600 Agrobacterium, 200 μM AS and 0.01% Tween-20 under 10 of negative pressure intensity followed by 3 days of co-culture in darkness condition. This method is more suitable for the study of gene function in P. lactiflora. Subsequently, stress resistance genes PlGPAT, PlDHN2 and PlHD-Zip were used to verify the effectiveness of this transformation system. These results can provide critical information for identification of key genes in non-model plants, such as P. lactiflora, and promote the development of molecular biology research for P. lactiflora.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Transformation of Marchantia Liverworts.

Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression is a rapid and useful approach for characterizing functions of gene products in planta. However, the practicability of the method in the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha has not yet been thoroughly described. Here we report a simple and robust method for Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation of Marchantia thalli and its applicability. When thalli of M. polymorpha were co-cultured with Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying β-glucuronidase (GUS) genes, GUS staining was observed primarily in assimilatory filaments and rhizoids. GUS activity was detected 2 days after infection and saturated 3 days after infection. We were able to transiently co-express fluorescently tagged proteins with proper localizations. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our method can be used as a novel pathosystem to study liverwort-bacteria interactions. We also provide evidence that air chambers support bacterial colonization.

Protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tall fescue and future perspective on the application of genome editing.

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a major cool-season perennial grass grown for forage and turf. We have obtained transgenic tall fescue by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to improve agronomically important traits. In our protocol, we use embryogenic calli derived from not only mature seeds but also shoot tips. Although tall fescue cultivars consist of various genotypes with different genetic variation, we can produce transgenic plants at any time with calli induced from shoot tips of in vitro-maintained responsive genotypes. When the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene is used as a selectable marker, transformants are selected by incubation with 100 mg l-1 hygromycin in both selection and regeneration media. Since tall fescue is an anemophilous species, the cultivation of transgenic plants poses the risk of transgenic pollen flow. Recently, it has been reported that genome-edited plants without the integration of foreign DNA fragments can be produced by an Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system. We hope that our protocol will contribute to production of transgene-free genome-edited tall fescue.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Gene Expression in Developing Ricinus communis Seeds: A First Step in Making the Castor Oil Plant a Chemical Biofactory.

The castor oil plant represents a promising platform to produce oils with industrial applications. However, its use in biotechnology is limited by the absence of a well-established procedure to transform it, and a poor understanding of gene regulation and promoter use in this species. As such, a method has been developed to express proteins or hairpin-RNA in this plant, a method based on the direct injection of Agrobacterium into the developing endosperm of castor oil fruit, enabling different constructs and promoters to be tested. This method produces a high rate of transformation and a good proportion of viable seeds that express reporter genes for up to 20 days after infiltration (DAI). Gene expression under the control of different promoters was tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and by directly assaying the activity of the galactouronidase reporter gene, which proved to be strongest when driven by the glycinin promoter. Constructs expressing a fatty acid elongase from Lesquerella fendleri were tested, the expression of which provoked an important increase in the lesquerolic acid in the castor oil endosperm at 5 and 10 DAI, although this fatty acid did not accumulate significantly in the final mature seeds. The nature of this response could reflect the poor availability of substrates for this enzyme. In the light of this data, the potential of this technique to test promoters and different constructs in castor oil plants and other oilseeds is discussed.

Nicotiana cavicola as a host for production of recombinant proteins by Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression

Nicotiana cavicola as a host for production of recombinant proteins by Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression

Rapid enhancement of α-tocopherol content in Nicotiana benthamiana by transient expression of Arabidopsis thaliana Tocopherol cyclase and Homogentisate phytyl transferase genes.

Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression have become a method of choice over stable plant genetic transformation. Tocopherols are a family of vitamin E compounds, which are categorized along with tocotrienols occurring naturally in vegetable oils, nuts and leafy green vegetables. This is the first report involving AtTC and AtHPT transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana and this system can be used efficiently for large scale production of vitamin E. Agroinfiltration studies were carried out in N.benthamiana for the expression of Arabidopsis thaliana (At) genes encoding homogentisate phytyltransferase (HPT) and tocopherol cyclase (TC) individually and in combination (HPT + TC). The transgene presence was analyzed by reverse transcription PCR, which showed the presence of both the vitamin E biosynthetic pathway genes. The gene expression analysis was carried out by (reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) RT-qPCR and α-tocopherol content was quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The relative gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR confirmed an increased expression pattern where TC + HPT combination recorded the highest of 231 fold, followed by TC gene with 186 fold, whereas the HPT gene recorded 178 fold. The α-tocopherol content in leaves expressing HPT, TC, and HPT + TC was increased by 4.2, 5.9 and 11.3 fold, respectively, as compared to the control. These results indicate that the transient expression of HPT and TC genes has enhanced the vitamin E levels and stable expression of both A. thaliana genes could be an efficient strategy to enhance vitamin E biosynthesis in agricultural crop breeding.

A rapid and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system for strawberry leaves and the study of disease resistance proteins

Transient gene expression is a simple and universal method and has been broadly applied in gene functional analyses in several plant species. However, few studies have reported the utilization and transient expression of strawberry leaves. Here, an Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system was established in strawberry leaves. The strawberry leaf transient gene expression system was tested for protein expression, western blot assays, and protein subcellular localization. Furthermore, the Arabidopsis thaliana broad-spectrum disease resistance protein RPW8.2 was transiently expressed in strawberry leaves. Both the application of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and the following infection by the strawberry powdery mildew pathogen, Podosphaera aphanis, resulted in increased expression of the RPW8.2 fusion protein. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR analysis showed that the transient expression of AtRPW8.2 in strawberry leaves could induce defense-related gene transcription levels. In conclusion, we demonstrated the potential of a rapid and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system in strawberry leaves and its use for the study of disease resistant protein activity in strawberry leaves.

Effects of plant density on recombinant hemagglutinin yields in an Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system using Nicotiana benthamiana plants.

Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression systems enable plants to rapidly produce a wide range of recombinant proteins. To achieve economically feasible upstream production and downstream processing, it is beneficial to obtain high levels of two yield-related quantities of upstream production: recombinant protein content per fresh mass of harvested biomass (g gFM-1 ) and recombinant protein productivity per unit area-time (g m-2 /month). Here, we report that the density of Nicotiana benthamiana plants during upstream production had significant impacts on the yield-related quantities of recombinant hemagglutinin (HA). The two quantities were smaller at a high plant density of 400 plants m-2 than at a low plant density of 100 plants m-2 . The smaller quantities at the high plant density were attributed to: (i) a lower HA content in young leaves, which usually have high HA accumulation potentials; (ii) a lower biomass allocation to the young leaves; and (iii) a high area-time requirement for plants. Thus, plant density is a key factor for improving upstream production in Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression systems. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1762-1770. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Transient Expression of Coat Protein of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) by Agroinfiltration

An Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression assay was carried out in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaves for expression of a chimeric gene encoding a part of capsid protein of Foot and Mouth Disease virus called VP1. The plant leaves were transformed via agroinfiltration procedure. The presence of the foreign gene and its expression in transformed plants were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real time PCR, protein Dot blot and ELISA. Moreover, gene expression in the transformed leaves was quantified by ELISA method. The results obtained in this investigation indicated high level of gene expression in alfalfa leaves, showing that transient gene expression can be applied as an effective and time-saving procedure for the production of recombinant proteins. The procedures for transformation, detection of recombinant protein and its application for molecular experiments are described in the study.

Optimization of Agroinfiltration in Pisum sativum Provides a New Tool for Studying the Salivary Protein Functions in the Pea Aphid Complex

Aphids are piercing-sucking insect pests and feed on phloem sap. During feeding, aphids inject a battery of salivary proteins into host plant. Some of these proteins function like effectors of microbial pathogens and influence the outcome of plant–aphid interactions. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) is the model aphid and encompasses multiple biotypes each specialized to one or a few legume species, providing an opportunity to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the compatibility between plants and aphid biotypes. We aim to identify the aphid factors that determine the compatibility with host plants, hence involved in the host plant specialization process, and hypothesize that salivary proteins are one of those factors. Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression is a powerful tool to perform functional analyses of effector (salivary) proteins in plants. However, the tool was not established for the legume species that A. pisum feeds on. Thus, we decided to optimize the method for legume plants to facilitate the functional analyses of A. pisum salivary proteins. We screened a range of cultivars of pea (Pisum sativum) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa). None of the M. sativa cultivars was suitable for agroinfiltration under the tested conditions; however, we established a protocol for efficient transient gene expression in two cultivars of P. sativum, ZP1109 and ZP1130, using A. tumefaciens AGL-1 strain and the pEAQ-HT-DEST1 vector. We confirmed that the genes are expressed from 3 to 10 days post-infiltration and that aphid lines of the pea adapted biotype fed and reproduced on these two cultivars while lines of alfalfa and clover biotypes did not. Thus, the pea biotype recognizes these two cultivars as typical pea plants. By using a combination of ZP1109 and an A. pisum line, we defined an agroinfiltration procedure to examine the effect of in planta expression of selected salivary proteins on A. pisum fitness and demonstrated that transient expression of one candidate salivary gene increased the fecundity of the aphids. This result confirms that the agroinfiltration can be used to perform functional analyses of salivary proteins in P. sativum and consequently to study the molecular mechanisms underlying host specialization in the pea aphid complex.

Molecular Cloning of HbPR-1 Gene from Rubber Tree, Expression of HbPR-1 Gene in Nicotiana benthamiana and Its Inhibition of Phytophthora palmivora.

This is the first report to present a full-length cDNA (designated HbPR-1) encoding a putative basic HbPR-1 protein from rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) treated with salicylic acid. It was characterized and also expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana using Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system in order to investigate the role of HbPR-1 gene in rubber tree against its oomycete pathogen Phytopthora palmivora and to produce recombinant HbPR-1 protein for microbial inhibition test. The HbPR-1 cDNA was 647 bp long and contained an open reading frame of 492 nucleotides encoding 163 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 17,681 Da and an isoelectric point (pI) of 8.56, demonstrating that HbPR-1 protein belongs to the basic PR-1 type. The predicted 3D structure of HbPR-1 was composed of four α-helices, three β-sheets, seven strands, and one junction loop. Expression and purification of recombinant HbPR-1 protein were successful using Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression and one-step of affinity chromatography. Heterologous expression of HbPR-1 in N. benthamiana reduced necrosis areas which were inoculated with P. palmivora zoospores, indicating that the expressed HbPR-1 protein played an important role in plant resistance to pathogens. The purified recombinant HbPR-1 protein was found to inhibit 64% of P. palmivora zoospore germination on a water agar plate compared with control, suggesting that it was an antimicrobial protein against P. palmivora.

Environment Control to Improve Recombinant Protein Yields in Plants Based on Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Gene Expression.

Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression systems enable plants to produce a wide range of recombinant proteins on a rapid timescale. To achieve economically feasible upstream production and downstream processing, two yield parameters should be considered: (1) recombinant protein content per unit biomass and (2) recombinant protein productivity per unit area–time at the end of the upstream production. Because environmental factors in the upstream production have impacts on these parameters, environment control is important to maximize the recombinant protein yield. In this review, we summarize the effects of pre- and postinoculation environmental factors in the upstream production on the yield parameters and discuss the basic concept of environment control for plant-based transient expression systems. Preinoculation environmental factors associated with planting density, light quality, and nutrient supply affect plant characteristics, such as biomass and morphology, which in turn affect recombinant protein content and productivity. Accordingly, environment control for such plant characteristics has significant implications to achieve a high yield. On the other hand, postinoculation environmental factors, such as temperature, light intensity, and humidity, have been shown to affect recombinant protein content. Considering that recombinant protein production in Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression systems is a result of a series of complex biological events starting from T-DNA transfer from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to protein biosynthesis and accumulation in leaf tissue, we propose that dynamic environment control during the postinoculation process, i.e., changing environmental conditions at an appropriate timing for each event, may be a promising approach to obtain a high yield. Detailed descriptions of plant growth conditions and careful examination of environmental effects will significantly contribute to our knowledge to stably obtain high recombinant protein content and productivity, thus enhancing the utility of plant-based transient expression systems as recombinant protein factories.

Testing the utility of fluorescent proteins in Mimulus lewisii by an Agrobacterium-mediated transient assay.

The Agrobacterium -mediated transient expression assay by leaf infiltration in Mimulus lewisii is robust. Fluorescent proteins EGFP, EYFP and DsRed give bright fluorescence signals in the infiltrated tissue. Mimulus lewisii is an emerging developmental genetic model system. Recently developed genomic and genetic resources and a stable transformation protocol have greatly facilitated the identification and functional characterization of genes controlling the development of ecologically important floral traits using this species. To further expedite gene and protein function analyses in M. lewisii, we adopted and simplified the Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression method routinely used in tobacco plants. With the validated transient assay, we examined the performance of fluorescent proteins EGFP, EYFP and DsRed in M. lewisii. All three proteins gave bright fluorescence signals when transiently expressed in agroinfiltrated leaves. Furthermore, we demonstrated the utility of fluorescent proteins in M. lewisii by showing the nuclear localization of Reduced Carotenoid Pigmentation 1 (RCP1), a recently discovered R2R3-MYB transcription factor that regulates carotenoid pigmentation during flower development. Both the transient assay and the fluorescent proteins are valuable additions to the M. lewisii toolbox, making this emerging genetic and developmental model system even more powerful.

Development of Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation in persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.)

The Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression is a powerful tool for the characterization of gene function in plants. Here, we have established in vivo transient transformation system with GFP as a reporter gene by Agrobacterium-mediated injection infiltration in persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) leaves. Transformation conditions (concentration of acetosyringone, bacterial density and days after agroinfiltration) were optimized to achieve higher transformation efficiency. This system is suitable for different types of persimmon cultivars such as ‘Mopanshi’ (PCA), ‘Eshi 1’ and ‘Baogai-tianshi’ (C-PCNA). Furthermore, the developed transient transformation system was successfully utilized for the overexpression of DkLAC1 gene. The results exhibited that the expression level of DkLAC1 increased obviously, which lead to remarkable accumulation of proanthocyanidin (PAs) in persimmon (‘Mopanshi’ and ‘Eshi 1’) leaves transformed with DkLAC1. In conclusion, based on the Agrobacterium-mediated injection infiltration, we have developed a simple and highly efficient transient transformation system that can quickly analyze the gene function in persimmon.

An in planta, Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression method for inducing gene silencing in rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaves

BackgroundLocalized introduction and transient expression of T-DNA constructs mediated by agro-infiltration of leaf tissues has been largely used in dicot plants for analyzing the transitivity and the cell-to cell movement of the RNAi signal. In cereals, however, the morphology of the leaf and particularly the structure of the leaf epidermis, prevent infiltration of a bacterial suspension in cells by simple pressure, a method otherwise successful in dicots leaves. This study aimed at establishing a rapid method for the functional analysis of rice genes based on the triggering of RNA interference (RNAi) following Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation of leaves.ResultsUsing an agro-infection protocol combining a wound treatment and a surfactant, we were able to obtain in a reliable manner transient expression of a T-DNA-borne uidA gene in leaf cells of japonica and indica rice cultivars. Using this protocol to transiently inhibit gene expression in leaf cells, we introduced hairpin RNA (hpRNA) T-DNA constructs containing gene specific tags of the phytoene desaturase (OsPDS) and of the SLENDER 1 (OsSLR1) genes previously proven to trigger RNAi of target genes in stable transformants. SiRNA accumulation was observed in the agro-infected leaf area for both constructs indicating successful triggering of the silencing signal. Accumulation of secondary siRNA was observed in both stably and transiently transformed leaf tissues expressing the HpRNA OsSLR1 construct. Gene silencing signalling was investigated in monitoring the parallel time course of OsPDS-derived mRNA and siRNA accumulation in the agro-infiltrated leaf area and adjacent systemic sectors. The sensitive RT-Q-PCR method evidenced a consistent, parallel decrease of OsPDS transcripts in both the agroinfiltred and adjacent tissues, with a time lag for the latter.ConclusionsThese results indicate that the method is efficient at inducing gene silencing in the agro-infected leaf area. The transfer of low amounts of siRNA, probably occurring passively through the symplastic pathway from the agro-infected area, seemed sufficient to trigger degradation of target transcripts in the adjacent tissues. This method is therefore well suited to study the cell-to-cell movement of the silencing signal in a monocot plant and further test the functionality of natural and artificial miRNA expression constructs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1939-8433-5-23) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Versatile Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Gene Expression System for Herbaceous Plants and Trees

Plant transient expression is a powerful method used widely for the functional characterization of genes and protein production. In comparison with stable transformation, it has the advantages of being simple, quick, economical, and effective. In the present study, we developed a novel transient gene expression system based on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. This system is simple and convenient and allows for high transient expression levels. Hyperosmotic pretreatment of plants significantly improved the transient expression in this system. Furthermore, other factors, including acetosyringone concentration, cocultivation time, and Agrobacterium cell density, significantly influenced transient expression efficiency. The results showed that this method is suitable for use with herbaceous plants (such as tobacco and Arabidopsis) and trees (such as birch, poplar, tamarisk, cork, willow, and aralia), suggesting that it may be applied widely in plant transient expression studies.

Evaluation of anti-herbivory genes using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system

A high-throughput system for the evaluation of anti-herbivory genes in plant is proposed, in which genes are transiently expressed in a small area of leaf via Agrobacterium-infiltration, and the results can be obtained within 1 week. Transient expression of the cry1Ab gene, a well-known Bt toxin gene, in the leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun NN) exhibited a lethal effect on both cotton cutworm (Spodoptera litura) and cabbage armyworm (Mamestra brassicae) larvae. In Arabidopsis leaves, this gene also provided potent inhibition of feeding of diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) larvae. The expression of another anti-herbivory gene, MLX56, in tobacco and tomato (Solanum lycopersium cv. MicroTom) leaves resulted in enhanced mortality of M. brassicae and S. litura larvae. Significantly higher growth inhibition of S. litura larvae and feeding inhibition of P. xylostella larvae were also observed in tobacco and Arabidopsis leaves expressing the MLX56 gene. All results could be obtained within 5–7 days, indicating that this Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system enables a high throughput evaluation of anti-herbivory genes.