Biotech Updates

Utilization of PVX-Cre Expression Vector in Potato

October 7, 2011

Trait genes are introduced into the plant genome together with a marker gene. After transgene selection and characterization, the marker gene becomes unimportant. To develop transgenic plants free from selectable marker, site-specific recombination is performed. Lilya Kopertekh of the Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI), Germany, together with other scientists used the transient Cre-lox system to remove the nptII marker gene from potato.

Cre-lox system involves introduction of Cre protein lox-target plants by PVX virus vector followed by plant regeneration. Through particle bombardment and a silencing suppressor protein, 20-27 percent of the regenerated plants were found to be marker-free. After comparing the recombination frequencies in this study and the other methods usually used to remove marker gene in potato, it is suggested that PVX-Cre mediated site-specific excisional recombination is a useful tool to generate potato plants without superfluous transgenic sequences.

Read the abstract at http://www.springerlink.com/content/25x42557083g61h0/.