Selectable marker genes from plants: reliability and potential

Abstract

Selectable marker genes (SMGs) are still useful to efficiently obtain transgenic plants, although marker-free techniques are available, but with limitations. The presence of SMGs, especially bacterial antibiotic resistance genes, in transgenic crops is criticized. Fortunately, several genes isolated from plants are available that can serve as SMGs.Here, I review the plant genes reported to have been used as SMGs. Some are wild-type genes that, when overexpressed, confer a selective advantage during in vitro plant regeneration, whereas some are mutated genes encoding enzymes resistant to inhibitory chemicals. Most of the genes have not yet been tested in a significant number of species. The effect of SMGs expression on the phenotype has often been superficially examined and should be better characterized. The sequence conservation of some SMGs could allow derivation of a SMGs from any plant species, if an intragenic or cisgenic approach to genetic engineering is preferred. I conclude that several promising SMGs have been isolated from plants, allowing avoidance of bacterial genes for transformation, transgene stacking, and intragenic or cisgenic engineering approaches. Nonetheless, further testing in more plant species would be useful to fully assess phenotypic neutrality, efficiency, and versatility. Patent rights restrict the immediate use of most plant SMGs for commercial applications, but freely available marker systems do exist.

Germin-like protein 2 gene promoter from rice is responsive to fungal pathogens in transgenic potato plants

“…In the field of biotechnology, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is considered a significant crop plant, providing a beneficial exemplary system for studying signaling processes (Banerjee et al 2006). Genetic transformation offers the tools to direct single specific elements in more complicated pathways and the control of their spatial and temporal expression (Rosellini 2011). In transgene expressions, the practice of plant defense gene promoters is beneficial as they are triggered only when plants are under pest or pathogen stress.…”

7. Themenbereich grüne Gentechnologie: Pflanzenzüchtung und Agrarwirtschaft

“…Auch die komplexen Wechselwirkungen zwischen molekulargenetischen Faktoren und der Umwelt, die die Genexpression beeinflussen, können aufgedeckt werden, wenn "genetical genomics"-Studien unter unterschiedlichen Umweltbedingungen wiederholt werden (Snoek et al, 2013;Joosen et al, 2013 lung (Schatten) zu Genotyp-Umwelt-Interaktionen führte, die mit einer veränderten Genexpression in bestimmten Genregionen einhergingen (Snoek et al, 2013 Die Anzahl an selektierbaren Markern, die nicht auf einer Antibiotikum-oder Herbizidresistenz beruhen, hat im Untersuchungszeitraum beträchtlich zugenommen. Inzwischen sind für Pflanzen bereits mehr als 50 Markergene beschrieben worden (Manimaran et al, 2011;Rosellini, 2011;Tuteja et al, 2012). 48 Neben der Verwendung alternativer Markergene kommt auch der Erzeugung markerfreier transgener Pflanzen eine steigende Bedeutung zu.…”

Scientific opinion addressing the safety assessment of plants developed through cisgenesis and intragenesis

“…Exemptions could include the use of genes from the breeders' gene pool (Rosellini, 2011), which themselves can confer herbicide resistance or other traits useful for plant selection. for herbicide tolerance) that are introduced into the plant together with the donor gene(s).…”