Pea transformation: History, current status and challenges

Abstract

This review recapitulates the history, important milestones, the current status, and the perspectives of the pea (Pisum sativum L.) transformation as a tool for pea crop breeding. It summarises the developments of the pea transformation from the first methodological experiments to achieving the complete transformation and regeneration of genetically modified (GM) plants, transformation with the first genes of interest (GOI), to recent techniques of targeted genome editing. We show how recent biotechnological methods and genetic engineering may contribute to pea breeding in order to speed up the breeding process and for the creation of new pea cultivars. The focus is laid on genetic engineering which represents an excellent technology to enhance the pea gene pool with genes of interest which are not naturally present in the pea genome. Different methods of pea transformation are mentioned, as well as various GOI that have been used for pea transformation to date, all aimed at improving transgenic pea traits. Tolerance to herbicides or resistance to viruses, fungal pathogens, and insect pests belong, among others, to the pea traits that have already been modulated by methods of genetic engineering. The production of phytopharmaceuticals is also an important chapter in the use of genetically modified peas. We compare different methods of introducing transgenes to peas and also the usage of different selective and reporter genes. The transformation of other major legumes (soybeans, beans) is marginally mentioned. The effect of genetically modified (GM) peas on animal health (feeding tests, allergenicity) is summarised, the potential risks and benefits of pea modification are evaluated and also the prime expectations of GM peas and the real current state of this technology are compared. Unfortunately, this technology or, more precisely, the products created by this technology are under strict (albeit not scientifically-based) legislative control in the European Union.

An efficient method for the isolation and transfection of Pea (Pisum sativum) mesophyll protoplasts

“…The opportunities to study this species are limited due the lack of robust and e cient transformation systems in the species. While a few reports have shown the ability to transform and regenerate P. sativum cultivars, often they shown to be time-consuming and strongly genotype dependent (3,25).…”

“…It is an annual plant belonging to the Leguminosae and its seeds play a crucial role as a food source due their high content of proteins, starch, bers, and minerals (2). Despite the great commercial interests in pea, the molecular research on this important crop is limited due to lack of robust and optimized transformation methods (3). The generation of transgenic lines is relatively expensive and time-consuming and in the case of pea, particularly challenging due an ine cient plant regeneration system (3).…”

“…Despite the great commercial interests in pea, the molecular research on this important crop is limited due to lack of robust and optimized transformation methods (3). The generation of transgenic lines is relatively expensive and time-consuming and in the case of pea, particularly challenging due an ine cient plant regeneration system (3). Transient transformation systems, like the transfection of protoplasts, serve as quick and e cient alternative methods to study a wide range of cellular and molecular processes in plants (4).…”

Managing Root Parasitic Weeds to Facilitate Legume Reintroduction into Mediterranean Rain-Fed Farming Systems

“…The integration of information obtained from QTL analysis with gene and protein expression analysis in response to broomrape infection [177,178] can shortcut conventional breeding or marker-assisted selection to identify candidate genes that could be used for selective gene silencing (RNAs, siRNA) [179] or DNA base editing (CRISPR/Cas9) to deliver broomrape resistance [180][181][182]. Although legumes are considered recalcitrant to stable genetic transformation protocols, progress is being achieved [183,184]; therefore, transient transformation or TILLING may be used for the functional characterization of candidate genes.…”

Phytosanitary features of pea morphotypes under the conditions of the Tyumen region

“…The use of isolated genetic sources with a certain resistance in breeding, which make it possible to change the pea genome with targeted specific properties, is a modern method for increasing productivity [11]. The timely application of plant protection products and agrochemicals is the main regulator of crop conservation [12][13][14].…”