Mat (Multi-Auto-Transformation) vector system. The oncogenes of Agrobacterium as positive markers for regeneration and selection of marker-free transgenic plants

Summary We have developed a new transformation method called MATVS (Multi-Auto-Transformation Vector System). The oncogenes (ipt or rol genes) of Agrobacterium are used as selectable markers to regenerate transgenic cells and to select marker-free transgenic plants in the MATVS. The chimeric ipt gene or the rol genes are combined withthe site-specific recombination R/RS system to remove the oncogenes from the transgenic cells after transformation. We report here the application of MATVS to transformation of tobacco, aspen, rice and snapdragon. (I) The GST-MAT vector pMAT8 has the native ipt gene and the R gene with a chemical inducible promoter (GST-II-27). Use of the GST-MAT vector generated marker-free transgenic tobacco plants cotaining a single copy transgene at high frequency. (2) Use of the GST-MAT vector pRBI11 containing the rbcS 3B-ipt gene produced transgenic marker-free hybrid aspen plants without crossing. (3) Use of the ipt-type MAT vector, pNPI30GFP, containing the 35S-ipt and 35S-R, genes, resulted in the regeneration of marker-free transgenic reice plants directly from infected scutellum tisues at high frequency within 1 mo. (4) Use of the rol-type MAT vector pNPI702, containing the rol genes and the 35S-R gene, produced transgenic marker-free plants of tobacco and snapdragon at high frequency without crossing. Our results show that the promoter of the ipt gene, the preculture periods of plant tissues and the culture medium are important factors to improve the generation efficiency of marker-free transgenic plants. We can rapidly produce marker-free transgenic plants without the production of ipt-shooty intermediates. Therefore, it is a most promising method to save time and work for the generation of marker-free transgenic plants in crops.     

Transgene stacking in plants in the absence of sexual crossing

A transgene stacking system is a prerequisite for the introduction of multiple genes and for the modification of complex metabolic pathways in plants. We demonstrate here that the MAT-vector system previously used for generating marker-free transgenic plants is also an efficient and reliable transformation system for the repeated introduction of multiple transgenes independent of sexual crossing. We previously reported that the GST-MAT vector system, in which excision of the yeast site-specific recombination R/RS system is regulated by the maize GST-II-27 promoter, could generate marker-free transgenic plants containing a single transgene with high frequency. Here we show that the GST-MAT vector can be used successfully to introduce a second transgene (GFP) into a marker-free transgenic tobacco line containing single copies of the first transgenes (nptII and uidA genes). The transgene-stacked marker-free transgenic tobacco plants were generated from ca. 20% of excision-positive ipt-shooty explants within 5 months of Agrobacterium infection. The presence of uidA, nptII, GFP genes and the absence of the ipt gene were verified by PCR analyses. Furthermore, Southern blot analysis showed that no chromosomal rearrangements were introduced between the first and second transformations.     

A new GST-MAT vector containing both ipt and iaaM/H genes can produce marker-free transgenic tobacco plants with high frequency

. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is highly dependent upon competency of the target plant tissues. It is important to develop the capacity of transformed cells to include cell proliferation and differentiation. A system which results in cell proliferation and differentiation only of transformed cells is highly desirable for plant transformation. We report here a new GST-MAT vector system (MATIMH), in which the ipt gene combined with iaaM/H genes was used as the selectable marker gene and the GST-II promoter was used as the promoter of the R gene in a site-specific recombination system. In tobacco transformation, the combination of the ipt gene and the iaaM/H genes can result in the production of both auxin and cytokinin in transformed tissues and induce regeneration of transgenic shoots exhibiting an ipt-shooty phenotype more efficiently than the ipt gene alone. When we transformed 20 tobacco leaf discs with the MATIMH vector, marker-free transgenic plants were produced from five (41.6%) out of 12 ipt-shooty lines. These results indicated that the combination of the iaaM/H genes and the ipt gene can more efficiently produce both transgenic plants and marker-free transgenic plants.     

Production of transgenic barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaernt.) using the ipt-type MAT vector system and impairment of Recombinase-mediated excision events

Expression of the uidA reporter gene was tested in transformation experiments of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.) with the ipt-type control vectors pIPT5, pIPT10 and pIPT20 and distinct in vitro culture conditions. The highest GUS expression levels were obtained with the pIPT10 construct carrying the ipt gene under the control of the native ipt promoter and using kanamycin as selective agent. The ipt-shooty transformants, characterized by the absence of both rooting ability and apical dominance associated with vitrification, were easily identified by visual selection. Using only the ipt gene as selectable marker, we obtained a stable transformation frequency of 9.8% with pIPT10 construct. The ipt-type MAT vector pEXM2 was then used to monitor the excision events mediated by the yeast Recombinase and the consequent production of ipt marker-free transgenic plants. Transgenic ipt-shooty lines were recovered at a frequency of 7.9% in the absence of kanamycin-based selection. The ipt-shooty phenotype was maintained in all the transgenic lines and no reversion to the normal phenotype occurred. PCR analysis revealed the presence of the ‘hit and run’ cassette in the genome of all the regenerated ipt-shooty lines while RT-PCR experiments confirmed the expression of the R gene, encoding the yeast Recombinase. A detailed molecular investigation, carried out to verify the integrity of the RS sites, revealed that these regions were intact in most cases. Our results with barrel medic suggest that the MAT system must be carefully evaluated and discussed on a case by case basis. L. Scaramelli, A. Balestrazzi and M. Confalonieri have contributed equally to this work.     

Isopentenyl transferase gene expression offers the positive selection of marker-free transgenic plant of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kalanchoe blossfeldiana</Emphasis>

The technologies allowing the production of transgenic plants without selectable marker genes, is of great interest in public and environmental safety. For generating such marker-free transgenic plants, possibility has been offered by Multi-Auto-Transformation [MAT] vector system, which combines positive selection, using the isopentenyl transferase (ipt) gene, with a site-specific recombination that generates marker-free plants. In this study Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring an ipt-type MAT vector, pMAT21, containing lacZ, gus genes and the removable cassette in the T-DNA region was used to produce marker-free transgenic Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln., employing ipt gene as the selectable marker gene. Co-cultivated explants were cultured on hormone- and selective agent-free MS medium, and 85% of the regenerated shoots showed ipt-shooty phenotype with GUS expression. Forty-one morphologically normal shoots were produced during the subculture. More than ninety percent of the normal shoots were ipt ⁻, gus ⁻ but lacZ ⁺ as determined by PCR analyses. These results indicate that the ipt phenotype was clearly distinguishable from non-transgenic as well as transgenic marker-free shoots. This study opens interesting perspective for the generation of marker-free transgenic K. blossfeldiana with objective useful transgene.     

Evaluation of MAT-vector system in white poplar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus alba</Emphasis> L.) and production of <Emphasis Type="Italic">ipt</Emphasis> marker-free transgenic plants by ‘single-step transformation’

Genetic transformation of an elite white poplar genotype (Populus alba L., cv. ‘Villafranca’) was performed with MAT vectors carrying the ipt and rol genes from Agrobacterium spp. as morphological markers. The effects associated with the use of different gene promoters and distinct in vitro regeneration protocols were evaluated. Poplar plantlets showing abnormal ipt and rol phenotypes were produced only in the presence of exogenous growth regulators. The occurrence of abnormal ipt and rol phenotypes allowed the visual selection of transformants. The ipt-type MAT vector pEXM2 was used to monitor the activity of the yeast site-specific recombination R/RS system in the transformed white poplar cells. Results from these experiments demonstrated that recombinase-mediated excision events occurred during the early stages of in vitro culture, thus causing the direct production of ipt marker-free transgenic plants with normal phenotype at an estimated frequency of 36.4%. Beside this unexpected finding, transgenic ipt-shooty plants were obtained at a frequency of 63.6% and normal shoots were subsequently recovered after a prolonged period of in vitro culture. Although the transformation efficiency observed in this study, using both ipt and nptII genes as selection markers, was similar to that previously reported with standard vectors carrying only the nptII gene, the easy identification of ipt transformants, the early recombinase-mediated excision events and finally the relatively short time period required to produce ipt marker-free transgenic plants support for the choice of MAT vectors as a reliable strategy for the future production of marker-free GM poplars.     

Effective selection system for generating marker-free transgenic plants independent of sexual crossing

 In a previous report, a novel selection protocol termed "the MAT-vector system" for generating marker-free transgenic plants (MFTPs) was presented. The first stage of the system is visual selection of morphologically abnormal transgenic shoots, ipt-shooty, that have lost apical dominance and rooting ability. The second stage involves elimination of the ipt gene and the appearance of MFTPs free of ipt gene influence. The present report describes a practical MAT-vector in which removal of the ipt gene is efficiently mediated by the site-specific recombination system R/RS from Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, in place of the maize transposable element Ac, used previously. This improved MAT-vector produced MFTPs from 39% of moderate ipt-shooty and 70% of extreme ipt-shooty lines. These results are superior to the previous MAT-vector which produced MFTPs from only 5% of ipt-shooty lines. The present novel system also induced direct development of MFTPs from adventitious buds without production of ipt-shooty intermediates. The presence of β-glucuronidase (GUS) and neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) genes of interest, and the absence of the ipt gene were verified by a GUS histochemical assay, NPTII assay, and molecular analysis. Received: 19 June 1998 / Revision received: 4 December 1998 / Accepted: 18 December 1998     

Evaluation of a morphological marker selection and excision system to generate marker-free transgenic cassava plants

The efficacy of the ipt-type Multi-Auto-Transformation (MAT) vector system to transform the extensively grown cassava cultivar “KU50” was evaluated. This system utilizes the isopentenyltransferase (ipt) gene as morphological marker for visual selection of transgenic lines. The extreme shooty phenotype (ESP) of transgenic lines is lost due to the removal of ipt gene mediated by the yeast Rint/RS system. As a result, phenotypically normal shoots, considered marker-free transgenic plants, could be obtained. When transforming KU50 cassava cultivar with two different ipt-type MAT vectors, transformation frequency at 19–21% was observed. Among the total number of ESP explants, 32–38% regained normal extended shoot phenotype and 88–96% of which were confirmed to represent the marker-free transgenic plants. This is the first demonstration of the efficacy of Rint/RS system in promoting excision of ipt marker gene in cassava specie, with the consequent rapid production of marker-free transgenic plants. The high efficiency of this system should facilitate pyramiding a number of transgenes by repeated transformation without having to undergo through laborious, expensive and time-consuming processes of sexual crossing and seed production. The generation of marker-free, thus environmentally safe, genetically modified cassava clones should also ease the public concerns regarding the use of transgenic cassava in both food and nonfood industries.     

A transformation vector for the production of marker-free transgenic plants containing a single copy transgene at high frequency

We represent here the GST-MAT vector system. The R recombinase gene of the site-specific recombination system R/RS from Zygosaccharomyces rouxii was fused to the chemical inducible promoter of the glutathione-S-transferase (GST-II-27) gene from Zea mays. Upon excision, the isopentenyltransferase (ipt) gene that is used as a selectable marker gene is removed. When the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV 35S) was used to express R recombinase, 67% of the marker-free transgenic plants had more than three transgene copies. Because the CaMV 35S promoter transiently and efficiently excised the ipt gene before callus and adventitious bud formation, the frequency of emergence of the ipt-shooty explants with a single T-DNA copy might be reduced. In this study we show that the GST-MAT vector efficiently produced transgenic ipt-shooty explants from 37 (88%) out of 42 differentiated adventitious buds and marker-free transgenic plants containing the GUS gene from five (14%) out of 37 ipt-shooty lines. Furthermore, the GST-MAT vector also induced two marker-free transgenic plants without the production of ipt-shooty intermediates. Southern blot analysis showed that six (86%) out of seven marker-free transgenic plants had a single GUS gene. This result suggests that the GST-MAT vector is useful to generate high frequency, marker-free transgenic plants containing a single transgene.     

Efficient production of transgenic citrus plants using isopentenyl transferase positive selection and removal of the marker gene by site-specific recombination

The presence of marker genes conferring antibiotic resistance in transgenic plants represents a serious obstacle for their public acceptance and future commercialization. In citrus, selection using the selectable marker gene nptII, that confers resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin, is in general very effective. An attractive alternative is offered by the MAT system (Multi-Auto-Transformation), which combines the ipt gene for positive selection with the recombinase system R/RS for removal of marker genes from transgenic cells after transformation. Transformation with a MAT vector has been attempted in two citrus genotypes, Pineapple sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osb.) and Carrizo citrange (C. sinensis L. Osb. × Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.). Results indicated that the IPT phenotype was clearly distinguishable in sweet orange but not in citrange, and that excision was not always efficient and precise. Nevertheless, the easy visual detection of the IPT phenotype combined with the higher transformation efficiency achieved in sweet orange using this system open interesting perspectives for the generation of marker-free transgenic citrus plants.     

Combining a regeneration-promoting <Emphasis Type="Italic">ipt</Emphasis> gene and site-specific recombination allows a more efficient apricot transformation and the elimination of marker genes

The presence of marker genes conferring antibiotic resistance in transgenic plants represents a serious obstacle for their public acceptance and future commercialization. In addition, their elimination may allow gene stacking by the same selection strategy. In apricot, selection using the selectable marker gene nptII, that confers resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics, is relatively effective. An attractive alternative is offered by the MAT system (multi-auto-transformation), which combines the ipt gene for positive selection with the recombinase system R/RS for removal of marker genes from transgenic cells after transformation. Transformation with an MAT vector has been attempted in the apricot cultivar ‘Helena’. Regeneration from infected leaves with Agrobacterium harboring a plasmid containing the ipt gene was significantly higher than that from non-transformed controls in a non-selective medium. In addition, transformation efficiencies were much higher than those previously reported using antibiotic selection, probably due to the integration of the regeneration-promoting ipt gene. However, the lack of an ipt expression-induced differential phenotype in apricot made difficult in detecting the marker genes excision and plants had to be evaluated at different times. PCR analysis showed that cassette excision start occurring after 6 months approximately and 1 year in culture was necessary for complete elimination of the cassette in all the transgenic lines. Excision was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. We report here for the first time in a temperate fruit tree that the MAT vector system improves regeneration and transformation efficiency and would allow complete elimination of marker genes from transgenic apricot plants by site-specific recombination.     

Expression of the PsMT A1 gene in white poplar engineered with the MAT system is associated with heavy metal tolerance and protection against 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine mediated-DNA damage

Marker-free transgenic white poplar (Populus alba L., cv ‘Villafranca’) plants, expressing the PsMT _A1 gene from Pisum sativum for a metallothionein-like protein, were produced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The 35SCaMV-PsMT _A1 -NosT cassette was inserted into the ipt-type vector pMAT22. The occurrence of the abnormal ipt-shooty phenotype allowed the visual selection of transformants, while the yeast site-specific recombination R/RS system was responsible for the excision of the undesired vector sequences with the consequent recovery of normal marker-free transgenic plants. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of the 35SCaMV-PsMT _A1 -NosT cassette and transgene expression. Five selected lines were further characterized, revealing the ability to withstand heavy metal toxicity. They survived 0.1 mM CuCl₂, a concentration which strongly affected the nontransgenic plants. Moreover, root development was only slightly affected by the ectopic expression of the transgene. Reactive oxygen species were accumulated to a lower extent in leaf tissues of multi-auto-transformation (MAT)-PsMT_A1 plants exposed to copper and zinc, compared to control plants. Tolerance to photo-oxidative stress induced by paraquat was another distinctive feature of the MAT-PsMT_A1 lines. Finally, low levels of DNA damage were detected by quantifying the amounts of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine in leaf tissues of the transgenic plants exposed to copper.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis>-resistant marker-free <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petunia hybrida</Emphasis> produced using the MAT vector system

The presence of marker genes conferring antibiotic or herbicide resistance in transgenic plants has been a controversial issue and a serious problem for their public acceptance and commercialization. The MAT (multi-auto-transformation) vector system has been one of the strategies developed to excise the selection marker gene and produce marker-free transgenic plants. In an attempt to produce transgenic marker-free Petunia hybrida plants resistant to Botrytis cinerea (gray mold), we used the ipt gene as a selectable marker gene and the wasabi defensin (WD) gene, isolated from Wasabia japonica (a Japanese horseradish which has been a potential source of antimicrobial proteins), as a gene of interest. The WD gene was cloned from the binary vector, pEKH-WD, to an ipt-type MAT vector, pMAT21, by gateway cloning technology and transferred to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105. Infected leaf explants of P. hybrida were cultured on hormone- and antibiotic-free MS medium. Extreme shooty phenotype (ESP)/ipt shoots were produced by the explants infected with the pMAT21-WD. The same antibiotic- and hormone-free MS medium was used in subcultures of the ipt shoots. Ipt shoots subsequently produced morphologically normal shoots. Molecular analyses of genomic DNA from the transgenic plants confirmed the integration of the gene of interest and excision of the selection marker. Expression of the WD gene was confirmed by northern blot and western blot analyses. A disease resistance assay of the marker-free transgenic plants exhibited enhanced resistance against B. cinerea strain 40 isolated from P. hybrida.     

Production of marker-free disease-resistant potato using isopentenyl transferase gene as a positive selection marker

The use of antibiotic or herbicide resistant genes as selection markers for production of transgenic plants and their continuous presence in the final transgenics has been a serious problem for their public acceptance and commercialization. MAT (multi-auto-transformation) vector system has been one of the different strategies to excise the selection marker gene and produce marker-free transgenic plants. In the present study, ipt (isopentenyl transferase) gene was used as a selection marker gene. A chitinase gene, ChiC (isolated from Streptomyces griseus strain HUT 6037) was used as a gene of interest. ChiC gene was cloned from the binary vector, pEKH1 to an ipt-type MAT vector, pMAT21 by gateway cloning and transferred to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105. The infected tuber discs of potato were cultured on hormone- and antibiotic-free MS medium. Seven of the 35 explants infected with the pMAT21/ChiC produced shoots. The same antibiotic- and hormones-free MS medium was used in subcultures of the shoots (ipt like and normal shoots). Molecular analyses of genomic DNA from transgenic plants confirmed the integration of gene of interest and excision of the selection marker in 3 of the 7 clones. Expression of ChiC gene was confirmed by Northern blot and western blot analyses. Disease-resistant assay of the marker-free transgenic, in vitro and greenhouse-grown plants exhibited enhanced resistance against Alternaria solani (early blight), Botrytis cinerea (gray mold) and Fusarium oxysporum (Fusarium wilt). From these results it could be concluded that ipt gene can be used as a selection marker to produce marker-free disease-resistant transgenic potato plants on PGR- and antibiotic-free MS medium.     

Production of marker-free transgenic Nierembergia caerulea using MAT vector system

Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring an ipt-type MAT vector, pNPI132, was used to produce morphologically normal transgenic Nierembergia caerulea cv. Mont Blanc employing ipt gene as the selectable marker gene. β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene was used as model gene of interest. The MAT vector system is a positive selection system that gives the advantage of regeneration to the transgenic cells without killing the non-transgenic cells. Infected explants were cultured on hormone- and antibiotic-free MS medium, and 65% of the regenerated shoots developed ipt shooty phenotype-morphologically abnormal shoots, within approximately 3 months after co-cultivation. Twenty morphologically normal shoots were produced from 12 transgenic ipt shoots 7 months after co-cultivation. The normal shoots rooted well on hormone-free MS medium. Ninety percent of the normal shoots were ipt ⁻, GUS⁺ and excision⁺ as determined by PCR and Southern blot analyses. These results indicate that ipt-type MAT vector system can be used successfully in Nierembergia to produce marker-free transgenic plants without using phytohormones and selective chemical agents.     

Development of a simple and efficient system for excising selectable markers in Arabidopsis using a minimal promoter::Cre fusion construct

The development of rapid and efficient strategies to generate selectable marker-free transgenic plants could help increase the consumer acceptance of genetically modified (GM) plants. To produce marker-free transgenic plants without conditional treatment or the genetic crossing of offspring, we have developed a rapid and convenient DNA excision method mediated by the Cre/loxP recombination system under the control of a −46 minimal CaMV 35S promoter. The results of a transient expression assay showed that −46 minimal promoter::Cre recombinase (−46::Cre) can cause the loxP-specific excision of a selectable marker, thereby connecting the 35S promoter and β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. Analysis of stable transgenic Arabidopsis plants indicated a positive correlation between loxP-specific DNA excision and GUS expression. PCR and DNA gel-blot analysis further revealed that nine of the 10 tested T₁ transgenic lines carried both excised and nonexcised constructs in their genomes. In the subsequent T₂ generation plants, over 30% of the individuals for each line were marker-free plants harboring the excised construct only. These results demonstrate that the −46::Cre fusion construct can be efficiently and easily utilized for producing marker-free transgenic plants.     

Production and selection of marker-free transgenic plants of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petunia hybrida</Emphasis> using site-specific recombination

MAT (multi-auto-transformation) vector system has been one of the strategies to excise the selection marker gene from transgenic plants. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring an ipt-type MAT vector, pNPI132, was used to produce morphologically normal transgenic Petunia hybrida ‘Dainty Lady’ employing isopentenyl transferase (ipt) gene as the selection marker gene. β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene was used as model gene of interest. Infected explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium without plant growth regulators (PGR) and antibiotics. Shoots showing extreme shooty phenotype (ESP) were produced from the adventitious shoots separated from the explants. Visual selection was carried out until production of morphologically normal shoots (approximately 4 months after infection). Histochemical GUS assay detected GUS gene in both ESP and normal shoots. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of model gene (GUS gene) and excision of the selection marker (ipt) gene in the normal transgenic plants. The insertion sites (1–3 for ipt gene and 1–2 for GUS gene) were detected by Southern blot analysis using DIG-labeled probes of both genes. These results show that ipt-type MAT vector can be used successfully to produce marker-free transgenic Petunia hybrida plants on PGR- and antibiotic-free MS medium.     

Selectable marker-free transgenic plants without sexual crossing: transient expression of cre recombinase and use of a conditional lethal dominant gene

Transgenic tobacco plants were produced that contained single-copy pART54 T-DNA, with a 35S-uidA gene linked to loxP-flanked kanamycin resistance (nptII) and cytosine deaminase (codA) genes. Retransformation of these plants with pCre1 (containing 35S transcribed cre recombinase and hygromycin (hpt) resistance genes) resulted in excision of the loxP-flanked genes from the genome. Phenotypes of progeny from selfed-retransformed plants confirmed nptII and codA excision and integration of the cre-linked hpt gene. To avoid integration of the hpt gene, and thereby generate plants totally free of marker genes, we attempted to transiently express the cre recombinase. Agrobacterium tumefaciens (pCre1) was cocultivated with leaf discs of two pART54-transformed lines and shoots were regenerated in the absence of hygromycin selection. Nineteen of 773 (0.25%) shoots showed tolerance to 5-fluorocytosine (5-fc) which is converted to the toxic 5-fluorouracil by cytosine deaminase. 5-fc tolerance in six shoots was found to be due to excision of the loxP-flanked region of the pART54 T-DNA. In four of these shoots excision could be attributed to cre expression from integrated pCre1 T-DNA, whereas in two shoots excision appeared to be a consequence of transient cre expression from pCre1 T-DNA molecules which had been transferred to the plant cells but not integrated into the genome. The absence of selectable marker genes was confirmed by the phenotype of the T₁ progeny. Therefore, through transient cre expression, marker-free transgenic plants were produced without sexual crossing. This approach could be applicable to the elimination of marker genes from transgenic crops which must be vegetatively propagated to maintain their elite genotype.     

Generation of selectable marker-free transgenic tomato resistant to drought, cold and oxidative stress using the Cre/loxP DNA excision system

The aim of this research was to generate selectable marker-free transgenic tomato plants with improved tolerance to abiotic stress. An estradiol-induced site-specific DNA excision of a selectable marker gene using the Cre/loxP DNA recombination system was employed to develop transgenic tomato constitutively expressing AtIpk2β, an inositol polyphosphate 6-/3-kinase gene from Arabidopsis thaliana. Transgenic tomato plants containing a selectable marker were also produced as controls. The expression of AtIpk2β conferred improved resistance to drought, cold and oxidative stress in both sets of transgenic tomato plants. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using this Cre/loxP-based marker elimination strategy to generate marker-free transgenic crops with improved stress tolerance.     

Development of disease-resistant marker-free tomato by R/RS site-specific recombination

The selection marker genes, imparting antibiotic or herbicide resistance, in the final transgenics have been criticized by the public and considered a hindrance in their commercialization. Multi-auto-transformation (MAT) vector system has been one of the strategies to produce marker-free transgenic plants without using selective chemicals and plant growth regulators (PGRs). In the study reported here, isopentenyltransferase (ipt) gene was used as a selection marker and wasabi defensin (WD) gene, isolated from Wasabia japonica as a target gene. WD was cloned from the binary vector, pEKH-WD to an ipt-type MAT vector, pMAT21 by gateway cloning and transferred to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105. Infected cotyledons of tomato cv. Reiyo were cultured on PGR- and antibiotic-free MS medium. Adventitious shoots were developed by the explants infected with the pMAT21/wasabi defensin. The same PGR- and antibiotic-free MS medium was used in subcultures of the adventitious shoot lines (ASLs) to produce ipt and normal shoots. Approximately, 6 months after infection morphologically normal shoots were produced. Molecular analyses of the developed shoots confirmed the integration of gene of interest (WD) and excision of the selection marker (ipt). Expression of WD was confirmed by Northern blot and Western blot analyses. The marker-free transgenic plants exhibited enhanced resistance against Botrytis cinerea (gray mold), Alternaria solani (early blight), Fusarium oxysporum (Fusarium wilt) and Erysiphe lycopersici (powdery mildew).