Stability of Herbicide Resistance and GUS Expression in Transgenic Hybrid Poplars (Populus sp.) During Four Years of Field Trials and Vegetative Propagation

Meilan, Richard; Auerbach, D.J.; Ma, Cathleen; DiFazio, Stephen P.; Strauss, Steven H.

doi:10.21273/hortsci.37.2.277

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In a study similar to what a tree breeding program might address, Meilan et al (2002) reported high stability of herbicide resistance genes in 40 independent poplar transgenic events over 4 years in the field. Hawkins et al (2003) reported stable expression of a GUS reporter gene in 44 independent poplar transgenic events over a period of 6 years under in vitro, greenhouse, and field conditions.…”

Section: Stability Of Transgene Expressionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Genetic containment of forest plantations

Brunner

DiFazio

et al. 2007

Tree Genetics & Genomes

100

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Dispersal of pollen, seeds, or vegetative propagules from intensively bred, exotic, or recombinant DNA modified forest plantations may cause detrimental or beneficial ecological impacts on wild or managed ecosystems. Insertion of genes designed to prevent or substantially reduce dispersal could reduce the risk and extent of undesired impacts. Containment measures may also be required by law or marketplace constraints, regardless of risks or benefits. We discuss: (1) the context for when genetic containment or mitigation systems may be needed;(2) technology approaches and mechanisms; (3) the state of knowledge on genes/genomics of sexual reproduction in forest trees; (4) stability of transgene expression during vegetative growth; (5) simulation studies to define the level of containment needed; and (6) needed research to deliver effective containment technologies. We illustrate progress with several examples from our research on recombinant DNA modified poplars. Our simulations show that even partial sterility can provide very substantial reductions in gene flow into wild trees. We conclude that it is impossible to define the most effective containment approaches, nor their reliability, based on current genomic knowledge and technological tools. Additional genomic and technological studies of a wide variety of options are needed. Studies in field environments are essential to provide data relevant to ecological analysis and regulatory decisions and need to be carried out in phylogenetically diverse representatives of the economically most important taxa of forest trees.

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Section: Stability Of Transgene Expressionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Genetic containment of forest plantations

Brunner

DiFazio

et al. 2007

Tree Genetics & Genomes

100

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“…Stable expression of transgenes under field conditions has been demonstrated in various species, such as poplar Meilan et al 2002), sunflower (Rousselin et al 2002), pineapple (Sripaoraya et al 2006) and soybean (Padgette et al 1995). However, loss of transgene expression does occur, as has been demonstrated in aspen (Kumar and Fladung 2001), tall fescue (Bettany et al 1998), oilseed rape (Metz et al 1997), oat (Pawlowski et al 1998) and many other species.…”

Section: Expression Of the Rolb Gene Under Field Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of transgenic rootstocks on growth and development of non-transgenic scion cultivars in apple

Smolka

Heikelt

et al. 2010

Transgenic Res

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Although cultivation of genetic modified (GM) annual crops has been steadily increasing in the recent 10 years, the commercial cultivation of GM fruit tree is still very limited and reports of field trials on GM fruit trees are rare. This is probably because development and evaluation of GM fruit trees require a long period of time due to long life cycles of trees. In this study, we report results from a field trial on three rolB transgenic dwarfing apple rootstocks of M26 and M9 together with non-transgenic controls grafted with five non-transgenic scion cultivars. We intended to investigate the effects of transgenic rootstock on non-transgenic scion cultivars under natural conditions as well as to evaluate the potential value of using the rolB gene to modify difficult-to-root rootstocks of fruit trees. The results showed that all rolB transgenic rootstocks significantly reduced vegetative growth including tree height regardless of scion cultivar, compared with the non-transgenic rootstocks. Flowering and fruiting were also decreased for cultivars grown on the transgenic rootstocks in most cases, but the fruit quality was not clearly affected by the transgenic rootstocks. Cutting experiment and RT-PCR analysis showed that the rolB gene was stably expressed under field conditions. PCR and RT-PCR analyses displayed that the rolB gene or its mRNA were not detectable in the scion cultivars, indicating no translocation of the transgene or its mRNA from rootstock to scion. Our results suggest that rolB modified rootstocks should be used in combination with vigorous scion cultivars in order to obtain sufficient vegetative growth and good yield. Alternatively, the rolB gene could be used to dwarf vigorous rootstocks of fruit trees or produce bonzai plants as it can significantly reduce the vegetative growth of plants.

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“…Academic and government researchers submitted most of the field release permits, mostly for the purpose of basic research, or to establish proof of concept. Some of the most promising constructs were taken to the next level by demonstrating commercial feasibility in field trials, although limited in both scale and duration (e.g., Meilan et al 2000Meilan et al , 2002aMeilan et al , 2000bHu et al 2001;Pilate et al 2002). Having established proof of concept for key target traits, the number of noncommercial permits has dropped sharply in recent years.…”

Section: Field Releasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current status and environmental impact of transgenic forest trees

Frankenhuyzen¹,

Beardmore²

2004

Can. J. For. Res.

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Advances in technology for in vitro propagation and genetic transformation have accelerated the development of genetically engineered trees during the past 15 years. At least 33 species of transformed forest trees have been successfully regenerated to date. Targeted traits include herbicide tolerance, pest resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, modified fiber quality and quantity, and altered growth and reproductive development. Commercial potential has been demonstrated in the field for a few traits, in particular herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, and altered lignin content. Now that commercial implementation is feasible, at least for the few genotypes that can be efficiently transformed and propagated, environmental concerns have become the main obstacle to public acceptance and regulatory approval. Ecological risks associated with commercial release range from transgene escape and introgression into wild gene pools to the impact of transgene products on other organisms and ecosystem processes. Evaluation of those risks is confounded by the long life span of trees, and by limitations of extrapolating results from small-scale studies to larger-scale plantations. Issues that are central to safe deployment can only be addressed by permitting medium-to large-scale release of transgenic trees over a full rotation. Current regulations restricting field releases of all transgenes in both time and space need to be replaced with regulations that recognize different levels of risk (as determined by the origin of the transgene, its impact on reproductive fitness, and nontarget impacts) and assign a commensurate level of confinement. The next step in determining acceptability of transgene technology for forest tree improvement is the unconfined release of constructs that pose little risk in terms of gene escape and nontarget impacts, such as lignin-altered poplar or pine, to permit evaluation of ecological risks and environmental or agronomic benefits at relevant scales. 1180Résumé : Depuis 15 ans, les développements technologiques liés à la multiplication in vitro et la transformation géné-tique ont permis d'accélérer la mise au point d'arbres génétiquement modifiés. À ce jour, les scientifiques ont pu produire des arbres forestiers modifiés avec au moins 33 d'espèces. Les caractères cibles comprennent la tolérance aux herbicides, la résistance aux ravageurs, la tolérance aux stress abiotiques, la modification de la quantité et de la qualité des fibres, l'altération de la croissance et le développement des fonctions reproductrices. Le potentiel commercial a été démontré au champ pour quelques-uns de ces caractères, en particulier la résistance aux herbicides, la résistance aux insectes et l'altération du contenu en lignine. Alors que la commercialisation apparaît réalisable, du moins pour les quelques génotypes qui peuvent être modifiés et multipliés de façon efficace, les inquiétudes pour l'environnement sont devenues l'obstacle principal à l'approbation régulatrice et à l'acceptation populaire. Les risques écologiq...

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Stability of Herbicide Resistance and GUS Expression in Transgenic Hybrid Poplars (Populus sp.) During Four Years of Field Trials and Vegetative Propagation

Cited by 22 publications

References 10 publications

Genetic containment of forest plantations

Genetic containment of forest plantations

Effects of transgenic rootstocks on growth and development of non-transgenic scion cultivars in apple

Current status and environmental impact of transgenic forest trees

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