Brazilian scientists led by Lisia Atillo studied the genetic transformation
of sweet oranges through the use of Salicylic binding-protein 2 (SABP2) to
enhance the resistance of sweet oranges to citrus-diseases such as
leprosies, citrus canker, and greening disease (HLB). SABP2 is involved in
signal transduction pathway which activates systemic resistance and can
enhance disease resistance of sweet oranges, thus overexpressing it in this
crop can be a tool in enhancing sweet oranges' resistance to diseases.

Results of the study show that the overexpression of SABP2 had resulted to
the production of transgenic shoots. This transgenic shoots are then grafted
to Carrizo citrange, a sweet orange cultivar to further assess and evaluate
its resistance to citrus diseases.

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