Intragenic Vectors for Gene Transfer without Foreign DNA

Intragenic vectors are the functional equivalents of vector components used in genetic engineering. These are referred to as intragenic because they come from the genome of a specific crop species (or related species to which it can be hybridized). Unlike ‘foreign’ DNA, their use for transferring genes between plants of the same species are expected not to raise similar ethical concerns in the GM debate as transfer of genes from unrelated species.

Elite cultivars can be further improved with this vector system and by using tools of molecular biology and plant transformation, says Anthony Conner and his group in New Zealand and the Netherlands. By using intragenic vectors, linkage drag is avoided and the resulting plants may also be considered non-transgenic.

Conner and his group reviewed the progress toward the development and use of intragenic vectors and the implications of their use for the genetic improvement of crops. Intragenic vectors have been assembled by replacing the Agrobacterium T-DNA by plant-derived transfer DNA (P-DNA), or by constructing plant derived T-DNA regions by adjoining two or more fragments from the same species.

The paper published by the journal Euphytica can be accessed by subscribers at http://www.springerlink.com/content/98314q74w8338t48/.