Genomic stability and long-term transgene expression in poplar

Impact of Intron and Retransformation on Transgene Expression in Leaf and Fruit Tissues of Field-Grown Pear Trees

Stable and high expression of introduced genes is a prerequisite for using transgenic trees. Transgene stacking enables combining several valuable traits, but repeated transformation increases the risk of unintended effects. This work studied the stability and intron-mediated enhancement of uidA gene expression in leaves and different anatomical parts of pear fruits during field trials over 14 years. The stability of reporter and herbicide resistance transgenes in retransformed pear plants, as well as possible unintended effects using high-throughput phenotyping tools, were also investigated. The activity of β-glucuronidase (GUS) varied depending on the year, but silencing did not occur. The uidA gene was expressed to a maximum in seeds, slightly less in the peel and peduncles, and much less in the pulp of pear fruits. The intron in the uidA gene stably increased expression in leaves and fruits by approximately twofold. Retransformants with the bar gene showed long-term herbicide resistance and exhibited no consistent changes in leaf size and shape. The transgenic pear was used as rootstock and scion, but grafted plants showed no transport of the GUS protein through the graft in the greenhouse and field. This longest field trial of transgenic fruit trees demonstrates stable expression under varying environmental conditions, the expression-enhancing effect of intron and the absence of unintended effects in single- and double-transformed woody plants.

Expression of Multiple Exogenous Insect Resistance and Salt Tolerance Genes in Populus nigra L

Four exogenous genes, Cry3A, Cry1Ac, mtlD, and BADH, were inserted into the p1870 vector to obtain multigenic transgenic Populus nigra L. with improved insect resistance and salt tolerance. During vector construction, different promoters were used for each gene, the AtADH 5'-UTR enhancer was added between the Cry1Ac promoter and the target gene, and the matrix attachment region (MAR, GenBank: U67919.1) structure was added at both ends of the vector. It was then successfully transferred into the genome of European black poplar by Agrobacterium-mediated leaf disk transformation, and a total of 28 transgenic lines were obtained by kanamycin screening. Five events with the highest insect resistance were selected based on preliminary tests: nos. 1, 7, 9, 12, and 17. PCR, real-time PCR, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to detect the expression of exogenous genes and to analyze the Bt protein toxin levels in transgenic lines from June to October. PCR results showed that all four genes were successfully introduced into the five selected lines. Fluorescence quantitative PCR showed no significant differences in the transcript abundance of the four exogenous genes between different lines. A Bt protein toxin assay showed that the Cry3A protein toxin content was significantly higher than the Cry1Ac protein toxin content by approximately three orders of magnitude. Levels of the two toxins were negatively correlated. Over the course of the growing season, Cry1Ac content raised and varied between 0.46 and 18.41 ng·g-1. Cry3A content decreased over the same time period and varied between 2642.75 and 15775.22 ng·g-1. Indoor insect feeding assay showed that the transgenic lines had high insect resistance, with mortality rates of 1-2-year-old Hyphantria cunea larvae reaching more than 80%, and those of Plagiodera versicolora larvae and nymphs reaching 100%. No. 17 and no. 12 lines had better insect resistance to Lepidoptera and Coleoptera pests. There was no clear improvement in salt tolerance of the transgenic lines, but comprehensive evaluation of 11 salt tolerance indicators showed that lines no. 17 and no. 7 had certain degrees of salt tolerance.