Embryo-specific expression of a visual reporter gene as a selection system for citrus transformation

The embryo-specific Dc3 gene promoter driving the VvMybA1 anthocyanin regulatory gene was used to develop a visual selection system for the genetic transformation of citrus. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of cell suspension cultures resulted in the production of purple transgenic somatic embr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-01, Vol.13 (1), p.e0190413-e0190413
Main Authors: Dutt, Manjul, Zambon, Flavia T, Erpen, Lígia, Soriano, Leonardo, Grosser, Jude
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agrobacterium
Antibiotics
Biology and Life Sciences
Citrus
Citrus fruits
Cloning
Coloration
Drought
Education
Efficiency
Embryonic development
Embryos
Flowers & plants
Fruit trees
Gas exchange
Gene expression
Genetic aspects
Genetic engineering
Genetic transformation
Leaves
Metabolism
Photosynthesis
Plants
Promoters (Genetics)
Proteins
Reporter gene
Research and Analysis Methods
Salinity
Seeds
Sodium chloride
Somatic embryos
Studies
Transgenic plants
Vectors (Biology)
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The embryo-specific Dc3 gene promoter driving the VvMybA1 anthocyanin regulatory gene was used to develop a visual selection system for the genetic transformation of citrus. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of cell suspension cultures resulted in the production of purple transgenic somatic embryos that could be easily separated from the green non-transgenic embryos. The somatic embryos produced phenotypically normal plants devoid of any visual purple coloration. These results were also confirmed using protoplast transformation. There was minimal gene expression in unstressed one-year-old transgenic lines. Cold and drought stress did not have any effect on gene expression, while exogenous ABA and NaCl application resulted in a minor change in gene expression in several transgenic lines. When gas exchange was measured in intact leaves, the transgenic lines were similar to controls under the same environment. Our results provide conclusive evidence for the utilization of a plant-derived, embryo-specific visual reporter system for the genetic transformation of citrus. Such a system could aid in the development of an all-plant, consumer-friendly GM citrus tree.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0190413