Abstract

Scab resistance is one of the most important goals of apple breeding, typically achieved by time-consuming and expensive conventional breeding techniques. Cisgenesis, which is the genetic modification of a recipient organism with genes from a crossable—sexually compatible—organism, is a promising tool for plant breeding to develop disease resistance in a rapid way. A cisgenic, scab-resistant line of the apple variety ‘Gala’ expressing the native apple scab resistance gene Rvi6 (formerly HcrVf2) under control of its own regulatory sequences has been recently developed. In this paper, we present the results from a phenotypic, molecular and biochemical evaluation of clonal replicates of this line (C11.1.53). The phenotype (shoot length, shoot diameter, internode length, number of leaves, leaf length and leaf width) of C11.1.53 was compared to that of the Gala parental background over a period of 108 days. Only a few statistically significant differences were detected, which are probably due to small differences in the quality of the budwood used for grafting rather than effects related to the presence of the cisgene. As the expression of a resistance gene can affect the downstream cascade of plant defence responses, a selection of apple defence-related genes was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. These genes are also known as major allergen genes in apple. Even if three out of ten apple allergen genes tested in the leaves differed in the cisgenic line compared to both Gala (background) and ‘Florina’ (the variety from which the Rvi6 gene was cloned), using 2D-PAGE, we were unable to find any significant difference in the expressed proteomes of the leaves of C11.1.53 compared to Gala. Results are discussed in the context of a possible use of cisgenic lines for fruit crop improvement.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.