Spontaneous, Artificial, and Genome Editing-Mediated Mutations in Prunus

Abstract

Mutation is a source of genetic diversity widely used in breeding programs for the acquisition of agronomically interesting characters in commercial varieties of the Prunus species, as well as in the rest of crop species. Mutation can occur in nature at a very low frequency or can be induced artificially. Spontaneous or bud sport mutations in somatic cells can be vegetatively propagated to get an individual with the mutant phenotype. Unlike animals, plants have unlimited growth and totipotent cells that let somatic mutations to be transmitted to the progeny. On the other hand, in vitro tissue culture makes it possible to induce mutation in plant material and perform large screenings for mutant’s selection and cleaning of chimeras. Finally, targeted mutagenesis has been boosted by the application of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 and Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) editing technologies. Over the last few decades, environmental stressors such as global warming have been threatening the supply of global demand for food based on population growth in the near future. For this purpose, the release of new varieties adapted to such changes is a requisite, and selected or generated Prunus mutants by properly regulated mechanisms could be helpful to this task. In this work, we reviewed the most relevant mutations for breeding traits in Prunus species such as flowering time, self-compatibility, fruit quality, and disease tolerance, including new molecular perspectives in the present postgenomic era including CRISPR/Cas9 and TALEN editing technologies.

Molecular insights into self-incompatibility systems: From evolution to breeding

“…Other species in which CRISPR/Cas9 has been used for trait improvement include cultivated alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ), one of the world’s most important forage crops that exhibits recalcitrant characteristics such as SI and tetrasomic inheritance ( Chen et al., 2020 ), apple ( Malus domestica ) ( Osakabe et al., 2018 ), and Prunus species ( Prudencio et al., 2022 ), suggesting that precise gene modifications are increasingly feasible for SI crops. Although routine protocols remain to be developed for more SI crops, these studies highlight the great potential of genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 to confer desirable traits for crop improvement without lengthy procedures.…”

Orchard Management and Incorporation of Biochemical and Molecular Strategies for Improving Drought Tolerance in Fruit Tree Crops

“…The ability of a population to adapt to stressful conditions such as drought and disease depends on the presence of individuals with the gene alleles required to adapt to these conditions [ 170 ].…”

Comparative Analysis of Physical and Chemical Mutagenesis in Chrysanthemum cv. 'Candid’: Assessing Genetic Variation and Breeding Potential

“…It is propagated vegetatively and has a strong system of self-incompatibility, making it difficult to obtain new cultivars through the crossing. Certain variants are more persistent than others traditionally, and new cultivars have been derived through spontaneous mutations in vegetative reproduction. In recent years, tissue culture-derived induced mutations and somaclonal variants have been used as novel sources of variation. − Although substantial work has been performed to produce novelties in chrysanthemum by the use of physical and chemical mutagens, there is always a need to investigate the possibility of a new variation for the floriculture trade.…”

“…2 It is propagated vegetatively and has a strong system of self-incompatibility, 3 making it difficult to obtain new cultivars through the crossing. Certain variants are more persistent than others 4 traditionally, and new cultivars have been derived through spontaneous mutations in vegetative reproduction. In recent years, tissue culture-derived induced mutations and somaclonal variants have been used as novel sources of variation.…”