Insect resistant cotton 

This modified cotton contains the insecticidal cry1Ac gene which imparts resistance against Lepidoptera. The LMO also contains the selectable markers nptII to isolate transformed seedlings and a GUS gene cassette as a reporter gene.

Bt-cotton was generated by using the biolistic method of transformation system. The transformed cotton shoots containing the nptII gene were selected on medium supplemented with kanamycin.  A procedure for biolistics method of transformation of cotton is novel and performed using shoot meristem. Plants were regenerated and ultimately plantlets were grown in soil and assayed for insect resistance.

The cry1Ac gene in Indian inbred lines behave as a single dominant Mendelian factor and is stably integrated in the plant genome.

Local collection, India

pUC18

A truncated cry1Ac gene derived from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (B.t.k.)

Immunological and DNA based detection methods have been developed for cry1Ac event-1 its expressed protein. ELISA kits from Envirologix, USA are being used for detecting Cry1Ac protein in our laboratory. The gene specific primers designed and supplied by BREF IIT Kharagpur are being used for detecting this event. Central Institute of Cotton Research, ICAR, Nagpur, India, is the referral laboratory for event testing. RT-PCR based LOD (Limit of Detection) protocol was developed and validated at SGS, Ahmedabad, India.