ISHS Acta Horticulturae 738: International Symposium on Biotechnology of Temperate Fruit Crops and Tropical Species
FEASIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVE SELECTION METHODS FOR TRANSGENIC APPLE AND PEAR USING THE DETOXIFICATION GENE VR-ERE |
| Authors: | E. Chevreau, J.P. Taglioni, C. Cesbron, F. Dupuis, S. Sourice, I. Berry, A. Bersegeay, J. Descombin, K. Loridon |
| Keywords: | aldehyde reductase, eutypine, Malus × domestica, Pyrus communis |
| Abstract:
Eutypine is a toxin produced by Eutypa lata, the causal agent of eutypa dieback of grapevines. An eutypine detoxifying gene (Vr-ERE) encoding an NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase converts eutypine into the corresponding alcohol, eutypinol, a non-toxic form of the toxin. A variety of phytotoxic compounds containing an aldehyde group can act as substrates for this enzyme, therefore opening the possibility to use Vr-ERE as an alternative selection system for plant transformation. Our preliminary experiments with apple and pear have demonstrated the following: 1) among the various substrates of VR-ERE, benzaldehyde (BD), a naturally occurring compound, is able to inhibit adventitious bud regeneration from apple as well as pear in vitro leaves, at concentrations ranging from 1 to 1.5 mM; 2) constitutive expression of Vr-ERE in transgenic ‘Greensleeves’ apple does not provoke any abnormal phenotype after one year of growth in greenhouse, but aldehyde reductase activity is reduced in all transgenic clones; 3) production of transgenic pear using BD instead of kanamycin as selection pressure is feasible, but the efficiency of the selection pressure seems low. In conclusion, the efficiency of Vr-ERE as a selective gene to produce apple and pear transgenic plants is not yet proven and further research is needed. | |
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