Open AccessA novel dominant selectable system for the selection of transgenic plants under in vitro and greenhouse conditions based on phosphite metabolism
Author(s) -
LópezArredondo Damar L.,
HerreraEstrella Luis
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12063
Subject(s) - selectable marker , biology , transgene , transformation (genetics) , genetically modified crops , gene , greenhouse , arabidopsis , microbiology and biotechnology , shoot , germination , botany , computational biology , genetics , mutant
Summary Antibiotic and herbicide resistance genes are currently the most frequently used selectable marker genes for plant research and crop development. However, the use of antibiotics and herbicides must be carefully controlled because the degree of susceptibility to these compounds varies widely among plant species and because they can also affect plant regeneration. Therefore, new selectable marker systems that are effective for a broad range of plant species are still needed. Here, we report a simple and inexpensive system based on providing transgenic plant cells the capacity to convert a nonmetabolizable compound (phosphite, P hi) into an essential nutrient for cell growth (phosphate) trough the expression of a bacterial gene encoding a phosphite oxidoreductase ( PTXD ). This system is effective for the selection of Arabidopsis transgenic plants by germinating T 0 seeds directly on media supplemented with P hi and to select transgenic tobacco shoots from cocultivated leaf disc explants using nutrient media supplemented with P hi as both a source of phosphorus and selective agent. Because the ptx D / P hi system also allows the establishment of large‐scale screening systems under greenhouse conditions completely eliminating false transformation events, it should facilitate the development of novel plant transformation methods.