The state-of-the-art of grapevine biotechnology and new breeding technologies (NBTS)

Abstract

Context of the review:The manipulation of the genetic basis controlling grapevine adaptation and phenotypic plasticity can be performed either by classical genetics or biotechnologies. In the last 15 years, considerable knowledge has accumulated about the grapevine genome as well as the mechanisms involved in the interaction of the vine with the environment, pests and diseases. Despite the difficulties associated with genetic mapping in this species (allele diversity, chimerism, long generation intervals…), several major QTLs (quantitative trait loci) controlling important vegetative or reproductive traits have been identified. Considering the huge genotypic and phenotypic diversities existing in Vitis, breeding offers a substantial range of options to improve the performances of cultivars. However, even if marker-assisted selection was largely developed to shorten breeding programs, the selection of improved cultivars, whether for agronomic traits or disease tolerances, is still long and uncertain. Moreover, breeding by crossing does not preserve cultivar genetic background, when the wine industry and market are still based on varietal wines. Significance of the review: In grapevine, pioneering biotechnologies were set up in the 1960s to propagate and/or clean the material from micro-organisms. In the 1990s, the basis of genetic engineering was primary established through biolistic or Agrobacterium with several derived technologies refined in the last 10 years. The latest advance is represented by a group of technologies based on genome editing which allows a much more precise modification of the genome. These technologies, so-called NBTs (new breeding technologies), which theoretically do not deconstruct the phenotype of existing cultivars, could be potentially better accepted by the wine industry and consumers than previous GMO (genetically modified organism) approaches. This paper reviews the current state-ofthe-art of the biotechnologies available for grapevine genome manipulation and future prospects for genetic improvement.

The microvine, a model for studies in grapevine physiology and genetics

“…obtain adult plants so that the fruit phenotypes linked to the ectopic expression of candidate genes can be studied (Vidal et al, 2010;Dalla Costa et al, 2019). As in macrovines (Torregrosa et al, 2002), not all microvine genotypes proved suitable for transformation experiments (Chaib et al, 2010).…”

Grapevine Shoot Tip Cryopreservation and Cryotherapy: Secure Storage of Disease-Free Plants

“…In addition, they can be a source of clean plants for other purposes, including as source plant material for cryopreservation. However, in vitro genebanks are also labor intensive, plus they have risks of microbial contamination and genetic or somaclonal variation [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

New Technologies and Strategies for Grapevine Breeding Through Genetic Transformation

“…On the other hand, Scorza et al (1995) carried out the first transformation of seedless table grapes using this technique. Nowadays, this technique is a useful transient expression tool for functional analysis in various plant materials, such as, cell suspension culture, leaf sections, and somatic embryos (Vidal et al, 2010;Jelly et al, 2014;Dalla Costa et al, 2019). A biolistic protocol based on the transient genetic transformation of "Cabernet Sauvignon" cell suspensions was developed by Torregrosa et al (2002) to analyze the effect of anaerobiosis on the regulation of the expression of the VvAdh gene in response to anaerobiosis.…”

“…In recent years, new breeding technologies (NBT), such as gene editing via CRISPR-Cas9, have emerged as innovative genetic improvement tools for various crops of agronomic importance ( Dalla Costa et al, 2017 , 2019 ). The key elements in this system are Cas nucleases and CRISPR RNAs.…”