Periodic Reporting for period 4 - GENEVOSYN (Reshuffling genes and genomes: from experimental evolution to synthetic biology in plants)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-04-01 al 2021-03-31
GENEVOSYN had three highly ambitious objectives: (i) the development of chloroplasts as platform for synthetic biology applications in plants, (ii) the development of technologies for mitochondrial genome engineering, and (iii) the exploration of the potential of recently discovered horizontal genome transfer processes for the creation of novel crop species.
To develop a technology for mitochondrial genome engineering in plants, large sets of vectors for mitochondrial transformation were constructed. Large-scale mitochondrial transformation and selection experiments with all vectors have been conducted and analysis of candidate lines is underway. In addition, we recently achieved a breakthrough in mitochondrial genome engineering by developing of a new technology for site-directed mutagenesis of the plant mitochondrial genome. Mutant plants have been isolated and comprehensively characterized genetically and biochemically (publication in preparation).
Exploiting our recent discovery that entire genomes can be horizontally transferred between plant species across graft junctions, we aim to create novel (synthetic) crop species as well as new ornamental and medicinal plants. To facilitate horizontal genome transfer between species in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), we have developed transgenic lines with different selectable marker genes for nearly 20 different species. Large-scale grafting experiments and selection for horizontal genome transfer have been performed, and several candidate events have been isolated. In parallel, we elucidated the cellular mechanisms underlying horizontal genome transfer.
With the development of a transformation technology for plant mitochondria, we expect to pave the way to studying all aspects of mitochondrial gene expression and physiology in vivo, and open up entirely new possibilities in plant biotechnology by (i) engineering novel biochemical pathways into mitochondria, (ii) using the mitochondrion as expression factory for recombinant proteins, and (iii) engineering traits that are determined by mitochondrial genes (e.g. cytoplasmic male sterility, an extremely important trait in plant breeding). An important milestone has been achieved with the successful development of a technology for site-directed mutagenesis of the plant mitochondrial genome.
With the production of new plant species by horizontal genome transfer, we provide a novel approach towards the generation of new crop plants as well as medicinal and ornamental plants. This work opens up exciting opportunities in plant breeding, by making synthetic plants with novel properties (e.g. improved growth, stress tolerance and disease resistance). An added benefit from this work has been the development of transformation technologies for a large number of species in the nightshade family. In addition to these practical applications, work on the underlying cellular mechanisms has uncovered a pathway of organelle movement from cell to cell and provided a mechanistic framework for horizontal genome transfer.