农杆菌介导转基因植物T-DNA的整合方式

农杆菌介导的遗传转化已被广泛应用于植物转基因研究。作为外源基因的载体,农杆菌T-DNA片段在植物基因组中的整合方式,不仅影响外源基因的整合效率及稳定性,还会影响外源基因的表达特性。文章就农杆菌介导的T-DNA整合的两种主要模式、规律及相关研究手段进行综述,为农杆菌介导的转基因及T-DNA插入突变等相关研究提供借鉴。     

转基因植物中标记基因的消除

随着转基因植物的商业化,植物遗传转化技术将为农业生产带来一场新的革命,新的基因转化程序要求转基因为单拷贝,不带有标记基因,并在不同的转化体中表达一致,稳定遗传,本文讨论了转基因植物中有关标记基因及其安全性和标记基因消除的方法等问题。     

外源基因在转基因油菜染色体上的定位及分析

原位杂交技术 ( in situ hybridization,ISH)是基因定位的主要技术之一。近来 ,随着植物细胞染色体制片技术的发展 ,以及酶联放大检测系统的采用 ,在植物中已有低拷贝和单拷贝甚至小于 1 kb的 DNA序列定位的成功报道 [1 ,2 ]。染色体原位杂交技术不仅可以用于基因的物理作图 ,而且可以用来对转基因植物中的外源基因进行染色体定位 [3 5] 。研究表明 ,外源目的基因在转基因植物中的表达与整合位点有关 [6] 。因而 ,进行外源基因在转基因植物染色体上的定位以及研究外源基因的整合位点与表达之间的关系 ,对于开发和利用转基因植物具有重要…     

转基因水稻的研究和应用

植物基因工程的兴起,使特定的外源基因引入植物细胞成为可能。水稻转基因研究是国内外植物分子遗传学研究的热点之一。近十几年来,水稻转基因研究已取得显著进展。综述了水稻基因转化的方法、转基因技术在水稻上的应用及外源基因在转基因后代中的遗传表达的研究进展。     

抗草铵膦除草剂转基因油菜新种质的创制及鉴定北大核心CSCD

草铵膦是一种在世界范围内广泛使用的内吸型除草剂。目前,我国还未研发出具有自主知识产权的抗草铵膦除草剂油菜品种。本研究通过油菜下胚轴遗传转化方法成功将1个新型草铵膦抗性基因Syn1-RePAT转化到甘蓝型油菜中,通过筛选获得了27株阳性单株。利用Southern blot技术筛选出其中的单拷贝T-DNA插入株系,并通过后代分离比检测对重要株系进行了拷贝数验证。利用Inverse-PCR技术对OV40-7、OV40-15、OV40-16和OV40-17等转化体进行T-DNA侧翼序列分析与比对,分离获得了各转基因株系的插入位点信息。对不同转化体株系设计特异性引物,通过PCR技术检测外源基因序列在T1~T3代材料的整合稳定性。RT-PCR和qRT-PCR表达分析证实,Syn1-RePAT转基因在多个转化株系的不同世代稳定超量表达。对T1代转化体进行功能鉴定,各转化体对草铵膦具有良好的抗性,至少可耐受6倍田间推荐施用剂量的草铵膦。本研究所创建的新型抗草铵膦油菜种质资源极具应用前景,为我国抗草铵膦良种培育工作提供了有力支持。     

外源基因在转基因植物中的表达与稳定性

外源基因能否在转基因植物中稳定表达对转基因植物的应用前景有重要的影响。影响外源基因稳定表达的因素有多种,其中包括遗传和环境因素。在某些转基因植物中,外源基因表达是受发育调控,本文主要讨论了转基因沉默及发育时期和环境条件对源基因的表达及稳定性的影响,并进一步探讨了对策。     

T-DNA转移及整合的分子机制研究进展

农杆菌介导的外源基因转化是目前植物转基因应用比较广泛的方法。近年来关于农杆菌介导的整合机制的研究已经取得了很大的进步。研究表明,在VirD2和VirE2协助下,农杆菌转移T-DNA进入植物细胞,这两种蛋白共同协助T-DNA完成转移、核定位及在植物基因组中的整合。近年来关于拟南芥突变体的研究表明,被转化植物的宿主基因在T-DNA转移及整合过程中发挥主要的作用。通过对现有研究成果详细讨论了Vir’蛋白(VirD2和VirE2)及植物基因在农杆菌介导植物转化中的作用,详细讨论了依靠VirD2蛋白和SDSA(synthesis-dependent strand-annealing)整合的两类不同的整合模式,根据最新的研究成果阐述了以基因组的双链断裂修复为基础的整合模型,并提出新的观点。     

T-DNA转移研究进展

植物遗传转化技术近年在农作物性状改良、植物生物反应器利用以及基因功能鉴定等方面得到了广泛的应用.T-DNA转移是植物细胞农杆菌介导遗传转化整合和表达外源基因的基础.农杆菌Ti质粒vir基因编码蛋白、农杆菌一些染色体基因编码蛋白及植物细胞一些基因编码蛋白或因子均参与T-DNA转移.转移过程包括农杆菌对植物细胞的识别、附着,细菌对植物信号物质的感受,细菌vir基因的诱导表达,T复合体的形成,跨膜运输,进核运输和整合等一序列过程.植物细胞因子与农杆菌T-DNA转移相关蛋白的相互作用最近被认为在T-DNA转移过程中起重要作用.     

植物DNA断裂修复基因对农杆菌T-DNA整合的作用

转基因植物在作物新品种培育和生物制药中已发挥了巨大作用。农杆菌介导的遗传转化是广泛用于基因组分析的强大工具,也是获得转基因植物的主导技术。农杆菌介导的基因转移是极其复杂的生物学过程,需要许多农杆菌和植物的遗传因子协同参与完成。经过20多年的研究,人们对T-DNA产生和转运的分子机制以及农杆菌与寄主植物的互作已有所了解。T-DNA整合是农杆菌介导转化过程中最为关键的一步,但对于其整合机制所知仍有限。越来越多的证据表明,寄主植物细胞的DNA断裂修复基因对农杆菌T-DNA整合具有重要作用。该文首先介绍T-DNA转移的大致过程,重点讨论DNA断裂损伤修复相关基因对T-DNA整合的作用,为通过DNA损伤修复基因的遗传操纵来提高农杆菌介导植物遗传转化的效率提供参考。     

植物转基因的失活与沉默

植物外源基因转化研究揭示有相当比例的植物转基因表现失活与沉默。这一现象涉及转基因重复拷贝之间的异源配对,基因顺序的甲基化,转录后的衰退调控以及插入位点染色质高级结构的改变,并与外源基因的随机整合有关。克服转基因失活的方法包括单拷贝转基因子代筛选,构建细胞核基质支架附着区载体以及采用具有特殊功能的启动子与增强子。转基因失活问题的发生提示人们,外源基因的转化与整合存在一些特有的遗传机制。     

Genomic stability and long-term transgene expression in poplar

Stable expression of foreign genes over the entire life span of a plant is important for long-lived organisms such as trees. For transgenic forest trees, very little information is available on long-term transgene expression and genomic stability. Independent transgenic lines obtained directly after transformation are initially screened in respect to T-DNA integration and transgene expression. However, very little consideration has been given to long-term transgene stability in long-lived forest trees. We have investigated possible genome wide changes following T-DNA integration as well as long-term stability of transgene expression in different transgenic lines of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × Populus tremuloides) that are up to 19 years old. For studies on possible genome wide changes following T-DNA integration, four different independent rolC-transgenic lines were subjected to an extensive AFLP study and compared to the non-transgenic control line. Only minor genomic changes following T-DNA integration could be detected. To study long-term transgene expression, six different independent rolC-transgenic lines produced in 1993 and since that time have been kept continuously under in vitro conditions. In addition, 18 transgenic plants belonging to eight independent rolC-transgenic lines transferred to glasshouse between 1994 and 2004 were chosen to determine the presence and expression of the rolC gene. In all transgenic lines examined, the rolC gene could successfully be amplified by PCR tests. Both, the 19 years old tissue cultures and the up to 18 years old glasshouse-grown trees revealed expression of the rolC transgene, as demonstrated by the rolC-phenotype and/or northern blot experiments confirming long-term transgene expression.     

Label-free amperometric immunosensor for the detection of human serum chorionic gonadotropin based on nanoporous gold and graphene

Identifying a good transgenic event from the pool of putative transgenics is crucial for further characterization. In transgenic plants, the transgene can integrate in either single or multiple locations by disrupting the endogenes and/or in heterochromatin regions causing the positional effect. Apart from this, to protect the unauthorized use of transgenic plants, the signature of transgene integration for every commercial transgenic event needs to be characterized. Here we show an affinity-based genome walking method, named locus-finding (LF) PCR (polymerase chain reaction), to determine the transgene flanking sequences of rice plants transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. LF PCR includes a primary PCR by a degenerated primer and transfer DNA (T-DNA)-specific primer, a nested PCR, and a method of enriching the desired amplicons by using a biotin-tagged primer that is complementary to the T-DNA. This enrichment technique separates the single strands of desired amplicons from the off-target amplicons, reducing the template complexity by several orders of magnitude. We analyzed eight transgenic rice plants and found the transgene integration loci in three different chromosomes. The characteristic illegitimate recombination of the Agrobacterium sp. was also observed from the sequenced integration loci. We believe that the LF PCR should be an indispensable technique in transgenic analysis.     

A large-scale study of rice plants transformed with different T-DNAs provides new insights into locus composition and T-DNA linkage configurations

Transgenic locus composition and T-DNA linkage configuration were assessed in a population of rice plants transformed using the dual-binary vector system pGreen (T-DNA containing the bar and gus genes)/pSoup (T-DNA containing the aphIV and gfp genes). Transgene structure, expression and inheritance were analysed in 62 independently transformed plant lines and in around 4,000 progeny plants. The plant lines exhibited a wide variety of transgenic locus number and composition. The most frequent form of integration was where both T-DNAs integrated at the same locus (56% of loci). When single-type T-DNA integration occurred (44% of loci), pGreen T-DNA was preferentially integrated. In around half of the plant lines (52%), the T-DNAs integrated at two independent loci or more. In these plants, both mixed and single-type T-DNA integration often occurred concurrently at different loci during the transformation process. Non-intact T-DNAs were present in 70–78% of the plant lines causing 14–21% of the loci to contain only the mid to right border part of a T-DNA. In 53–66% of the loci, T-DNA integrated with vector backbone sequences. Comparison of transgene presence and expression in progeny plants showed that segregation of the transgene phenotype was not a reliable indicator of either transgene inheritance or T-DNA linkage, as only 60–80% of the transgenic loci were detected by the expression study. Co-expression (28% of lines) and backbone transfer (53–66% of loci) were generally a greater limitation to the production of marker-free T₁ plants expressing the gene of interest than co-transformation (71% of lines) and unlinked integration (44% of loci).     

Analysis of T-DNA-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Xa21</Emphasis> loci and bacterial blight resistance effects of the transgene <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xa21</Emphasis> in transgenic rice

The genetic loci and phenotypic effects of the transgene Xa21, a bacterial blight (BB) resistance gene cloned from rice, were investigated in transgenic rice produced through an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. The flanking sequences of integrated T-DNAs were isolated from Xa21 transgenic rice lines using thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR. Based on the analysis of 24 T-DNA- Xa21 flanking sequences, T-DNA loci in rice could be classified into three types: the typical T-DNA integration with the definite left and right borders, the T-DNA integration linked with the adjacent vector backbone sequences and the T-DNA integration involved in a complicated recombination in the flanking sequences. The T-DNA integration in rice was similar to that in dicotyledonous genomes but was significantly different from the integration produced through direct DNA transformation approaches. All three types of integrated transgene Xa21 could be stably inherited and expressed the BB resistance through derived generations in their respective transgenic lines. The flanking sequences of the typical T-DNA integration consisted of actual rice genomic DNA and could be used as probes to locate the transgene on the rice genetic map. A total of 15 different rice T-DNA flanking sequences were identified. They displayed restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) between two rice varieties, ZYQ8 and JX17, and were mapped on rice chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12, respectively, by using a double haploid population derived from a cross between ZYQ8 and JX17. The blast search and homology comparison of the rice T-DNA flanking sequences with the rice chromosome-anchored sequence database confirmed the RFLP mapping results. On the basis of genetic mapping of the T-DNA- Xa21 loci, the BB resistance effects of the transgene Xa21 at different chromosome locations were investigated using homozygous transgenic lines with only one copy of the transgene. Among the transgenic lines, no obvious position effects of the transgene Xa21 were observed. In addition, the BB resistance levels of the Xa21 transgenic plants with different transgene copy numbers and on different genetic backgrounds were also investigated. It was observed that genetic background (or genome) effects were more obvious than dosage effects and position effects on the BB resistance level of the transgenic plants.     

Integration,expression and inheritance of two linked T-DNA marker genes in transgenic lettuce

T-DNA integration and stability were assessed in Agrobacterium-derived transgenic lettuce lines carrying a chimaeric CaMV 35S promoter-driven gus-intron gene and a chimaeric nos.nptII.nos gene. T-DNA integration was predominantly complex in transgenic plants derived from an A. tumefaciens strain carrying the supervirulent plasmid ToK47. Truncation of the right side of the T-DNA was observed in first seed generation R₁ plants from one line. Complex T-DNA integration patterns did not always correlate with low transgene expression. Despite a high T-DNA copy number, ca. 30% of the lines analysed showed high transgene expression in the R₁ generation. High transgene expression was stable at least to the R₄ seed generation in selected high-expressing lines. Transgene expression was lost in the R₂ generation in a low expressing line, while complete, heritable transgene silencing from the R₀ to R₂ generations was also observed in another line. A 50-fold variation in -glucuronidase (GUS) activity and a 16-fold variation in NPTII protein content were observed between R₁ plants derived from different R₀ parents. Reactivation of transgene expression with 5-azacytidine in partially silenced lines indicated that low expression was associated with DNA methylation.     

Number and Accuracy of T-DNA Insertions in Transgenic Banana (Musa spp.) Plants Characterized by an Improved Anchored PCR Technique

Nineteen transgenic banana plants, produced via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, were analyzed for the integration of T-DNA border regions using an improved anchored PCR technique. The method described is a relatively fast, three-step procedure (restriction digestion of genomic DNA, ligation of ‘vectorette’-type adaptors, and a single round of suppression PCR) for the amplification of specific T-DNA border-containing genomic fragments. Most transgenic plants carried a low number of inserts and the method was suitable for a detailed characterization of the integration events, including T-DNA border integrity as well as the insertion of non-T-DNA vector sequences, which occurred in 26% of the plants. Furthermore, the particular band pattern generated by four enzyme/primer combinations for each individual plant served as a fingerprint, allowing the identification of plants representing identical transformation events. Genomic Southern hybridization and nucleotide sequence analysis of amplification products confirmed the data obtained by anchored PCR. Sequencing of seven right or left border junction regions revealed different T-DNA processing events for each plant, indicating a relatively low frequency of precisely nicked T-DNA integration among the plants studied.     

Transgene behaviour in populations of rice plants transformed using a new dual binary vector system: pGreen/pSoup

Transgene integration, expression level and stability have been studied, across two generations, in a population of rice plants transformed using a new dual binary vector system: pGreen/pSoup. pGreen is a small Ti binary vector unable to replicate in Agrobacterium without the presence of another binary plasmid, pSoup, in the same strain. We engineered both pGreen and pSoup to contain each a different T-DNA. Transformation experiments were conducted using a pGreen vector containing the bar and gusA expression units (no transgene in pSoup) or with a pSoup vector containing an aphIV and gfp expression units (no transgene in pGreen). High plant transformation frequencies (up to 40%) were obtained using herbicide resistance ( bar) or antibiotic resistance ( aphIV) genes. Around 80% of the independently transformed plants expressed unselected reporter genes ( gusA or gfp) present in the vectors. Backbone sequences transfer was frequent (45% of lines) and occurred often in multicopy lines. Around 15-20% of the rice plant lines contained a single T-DNA integration without backbone. Integration of additional transgene copies did not improve expression levels in either T(0) plants or T(1) progenies. Nearly all multicopy lines contained transgenes integrated at several loci in the plant genome, showing that T-DNAs from either pGreen or pSoup frequently integrated at unlinked loci. Precise determination of loci number required the analysis of transgene presence in progeny. Segregation of transgene phenotype was generally misleading and tended to underestimate the real number of transgenic loci. The contribution of this new dual-binary vector system to the development of high-throughput rice transformation systems and to the production of marker-free transgenic rice plants is discussed.     

Reduced variation in transgene expression from a binary vector with selectable markers at the right and left T-DNA borders

A new binary vector for Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation was constructed, in which two selectable markers, for kanamycin and hygromycin resistance, were placed next to the right and left T-DNA borders, respectively, and a CaMV 35S promoter-driven β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene was placed between these markers as a reporter gene (transgene). Using double antibiotic selection, all transgenic tobacco plants carrying at least one intact copy of the T-DNA expressed the transgene, and this population exhibited reduced variability in transgene expression as compared with that obtained from the parent vector pBI121. Absence of the intact transgene was the major reason for transgenic plants with little or no transgene expression. Integration of truncated T-DNAs was also observed among transgenic plants that expressed the transgene and carried multiple T-DNA inserts. The copy number of fully integrated T-DNAs was positively associated with transgene expression levels in R₀ plants and R₁ progeny populations. Variability due to position effect was determined among 17 plants carrying a single T-DNA insert. The coefficient of variability among these plants was only 35.5%, indicating a minor role for position effects in causing transgene variability. The new binary vector reported here can therefore be used to obtain transgenic populations with reduced variability in transgene expression.     

Genetic analysis of T-DNA insertions into the tobacco genome

A genetic test was performed on seeds from 283 transgenic tobacco plants obtained by T-DNA transformation. Seeds from self-fertilized transgenic plants were germinated on kanamycin-containing medium, and the percentage of seeds which germinated, as well as the ratio of kanamycin-resistant to kanamycin-sensitive seedlings were scored. Nine categories of transformants could be distinguished according to the number of loci into which T-DNA had inserted, and according to the effects of T-DNA integration on seed or seedling development. In most of the plants, T-DNA was inserted into a single site; others contained multiple independent copies of T-DNA. The number of T-DNA integration sites was found to be independent of whether a binary vector system or a cointegrate Ti plasmid had been used to obtain the transgenic plant. Loss of marker genes or marker gene expression from generation to generation appeared to be a quite frequent event. Plants which appeared to be insertional recessive embryo-lethal mutants did not exhibit this trait in the next generation.Abbreviations Kan^R kanamycin resistant - Kan^S kanamycin sensitive - NOP nopaline - NOS nopaline synthase - NPT II neomycin phosphotransferase II