Biotech Updates

Use of Neomycin Phosphotransferase Gene as Marker in Cassava Transformation

December 16, 2011

Development of biotech cassava is often hampered by the limitations in selecting transgenic tissues and regeneration of transgenic plantlets. In a previous study, Michael Niklaus and colleagues at ETH Zurich, Switzerland developed a cassava transformation protocol using hygromycin phosphotransferase II (hptII) gene as selection marker and the aminoglycoside hygromycin at optimal concentrations to maximize the regeneration of transgenic plantlets.

They expanded their protocol in another study using neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene as selection marker. A number of aminoglycosides that match the gene were tested and optimal concentrations for cassava transformation were identified. The new selectable marker showed the same efficiency as hptII, thus it can be used to engineer GM cassava lines.

For more details about the study read the article at http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/gmcrops/article/18866/#