A conditional negative selection for Arabidopsis expressing a bacterial cytosine deaminase gene

Tissue-specific inactivation by cytosine deaminase/uracil phosphoribosyl transferase as a tool to study plant biology

Recent advances in the study of plant developmental and physiological responses have benefited from tissue-specific approaches, revealing the role of some cell types in these processes. Such approaches have relied on the inactivation of target cells using either toxic compounds or deleterious genes; however, both tissue-specific and truly inducible tools are lacking in order to precisely target a developmental window or specific growth response. We engineered the yeast fluorocytosine deaminase (FCY1) gene by creating a fusion with the bacterial uracil phosphoribosyl transferase (UPP) gene. The recombinant protein converts the precursor 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) into 5-fluorouracyl, a drug used in the treatment of a range of cancers, which triggers DNA and RNA damage. We expressed the FCY-UPP gene construct in specific cell types using enhancer trap lines and promoters, demonstrating that this marker acts in a cell-autonomous manner. We also showed that it can inactivate slow developmental processes like lateral root formation by targeting pericycle cells. It also revealed a role for the lateral root cap and the epidermis in controlling root growth, a faster response. The 5-FC precursor acts systemically, as demonstrated by its ability to inhibit stomatal movements when supplied to the roots in combination with a guard cell-specific promoter. Finally, we demonstrate that the tissular inactivation is reversible, and can therefore be used to synchronize plant responses or to determine cell type-specific functions during different developmental stages. This tool will greatly enhance our capacity to understand the respective role of each cell type in plant physiology and development.

A bacterial gene codA encoding cytosine deaminase is an effective conditional negative selectable marker in Glycine max

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Research describes the practical application of the codA negative selection marker in Soybean. Conditions are given for codA selection at both the shooting and rooting stages of regeneration. Conditional negative selection is a powerful technique whereby the absence of a gene product allows survival in otherwise lethal conditions. In plants, the Escherichia coli gene codA has been employed as a negative selection marker. Our research demonstrates that codA can be used as a negative selection marker in soybean, Glycine max. Like most plants, soybean does not contain cytosine deaminase activity and we show here that wild-type seedlings are not affected by inclusion of 5-FC in growth media. In contrast, transgenic G. max plants expressing codA and grown in the presence of more than 200 μg/mL 5-FC exhibit reductions in hypocotyl and taproot lengths, and severe suppression of lateral root development. We also demonstrate a novel negative selection-rooting assay in which codA-expressing aerial tissues or shoot cuttings are inhibited for root formation in media containing 5-FC. Taken together these techniques allow screening during either the regeneration or rooting phase of tissue culture.

The codA gene as a negative selection marker in Citrus

The use of positive selectable marker genes is widespread in plant genetic transformation allowing transgenic cells to grow while repressing non-transgenic cells. Negative selectable markers, on the contrary, allow the repression or ablation of transgenic cells. The codA gene of Escherichia coli encodes cytosine deaminase that hydrolyzes 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) into the cytotoxic compound 5 fluorouracil. We tested the transgenic expression of the bacterial codA gene in citrus as a conditional negative selection marker, with the goal of selecting against plant tissues in which a transgenic cassette has not been successfully removed. We developed transgenic citrus lines containing the selection cassette, codA::nptII, driven by double enhanced CaMV35S promoter, verified by Southern blot analysis, RT-PCR, DsRed expression and subjected these transgenic lines to a 5-FC sensitivity assay. We found that, while non-transgenic citrus were unaffected by the presence of 5-FC, all of the transformed lines displayed symptoms of toxicity, indicating that the codA gene could be used as a negative selectable marker in Citrus, for post-transformation detection of the removal of undesired sequences.

Cytosine deaminase as a negative selectable marker for the microalgal chloroplast: a strategy for the isolation of nuclear mutations that affect chloroplast gene expression

Negative selectable markers are useful tools for forward-genetic screens aimed at identifying trans-acting factors that are required for expression of specific genes. Transgenic lines harbouring the marker fused to a gene element, such as a promoter, may be mutagenized to isolate loss-of-function mutants able to survive under selection. Such a strategy allows the molecular dissection of factors that are essential for expression of the gene. Expression of individual chloroplast genes in plants and algae typically requires one or more nuclear-encoded factors that act at the post-transcriptional level, often through interaction with the 5' UTR of the mRNA. To study such nuclear control further, we have developed the Escherichia coli cytosine deaminase gene codA as a conditional negative selectable marker for use in the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We show that a codon-optimized variant of codA with three amino acid substitutions confers sensitivity to 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) when expressed in the chloroplast under the control of endogenous promoter/5' UTR elements from the photosynthetic genes psaA or petA. UV mutagenesis of the psaA transgenic line allowed recovery of 5-FC-resistant, photosynthetically deficient lines harbouring mutations in the nuclear gene for the factor TAA1 that is required for psaA translation. Similarly, the petA line was used to isolate mutants of the petA mRNA stability factor MCA1 and the translation factor TCA1. The codA marker may be used to identify critical residues in known nuclear factors and to aid the discovery of additional factors required for expression of chloroplast genes.

A mutated cytosine deaminase gene, codA (D314A), as an efficient negative selection marker for gene targeting in rice

Gene targeting (GT) is a powerful tool manipulating a gene of interest in a given genome specifically and precisely. To achieve efficient GT in higher plants, both positive and negative selection markers are required. In particular, a strong negative selection system is needed for enrichment of cells to eliminate those cells in which random integration of the introduced DNA has occurred in GT experiments. Currently, non-conditional negative selection marker genes are used for GT experiments in rice plants, and no conditional negative selection system is available. In this study, we describe the development of an efficient conditional negative selection system in rice plants using Escherichia coli cytosine deaminase (codA). We found that a mutant codA gene, codA(D314A), acts more efficiently than the wild-type codA for negative selection in rice plants. The codA(D314A) marker was further used as a negative selection marker for GT experiments in rice. Our conditional negative selection system effectively eliminated the cells in which random integration event(s) occurred; the enrichment factor was approximately 100-fold. This enrichment factor was similar to that found when Corynebacterium diphtheriae toxin fragment A was used. Our results suggest the codA(D314A) marker gene as a promising negative selection marker for GT of rice.

Advances in selectable marker genes for plant transformation

Plant transformation systems for creating transgenics require separate process for introducing cloned DNA into living plant cells. Identification or selection of those cells that have integrated DNA into appropriate plant genome is a vital step to regenerate fully developed plants from the transformed cells. Selectable marker genes are pivotal for the development of plant transformation technologies because marker genes allow researchers to identify or isolate the cells that are expressing the cloned DNA, to monitor and select the transformed progeny. As only a very small portion of cells are transformed in most experiments, the chances of recovering transgenic lines without selection are usually low. Since the selectable marker gene is expected to function in a range of cell types it is usually constructed as a chimeric gene using regulatory sequences that ensure constitutive expression throughout the plant. Advent of recombinant DNA technology and progress in plant molecular biology had led to a desire to introduce several genes into single transgenic plant line, necessitating the development of various types of selectable markers. This review article describes the developments made in the recent past on plant transformation systems using different selection methods adding a note on their importance as marker genes in transgenic crop plants.

Prnp knockdown in transgenic mice using RNA interference

RNA interference has become a widely used approach to perform gene knockdown experiments in cell cultures and more recently transgenic animals. A designed miRNA targeting the prion protein mRNA was built and expressed using the human PRNP promoter. Its efficiency was confirmed in transfected cells and it was used to generate several transgenic mouse lines. Although expressed at low levels, it was found to downregulate the endogenous mouse Prnp gene expression to an extent that appears to be directly related with the transgene expression level and that could reach up to 80% inhibition. This result highlights the potential and limitations of the RNA interference approach when applied to disease resistance.

Marker-free transgenic plants through genetically programmed auto-excision

We present here a vector system to obtain homozygous marker-free transgenic plants without the need of extra handling and within the same time frame as compared to transformation methods in which the marker is not removed. By introducing a germline-specific auto-excision vector containing a cre recombinase gene under the control of a germline-specific promoter, transgenic plants become genetically programmed to lose the marker when its presence is no longer required (i.e. after the initial selection of primary transformants). Using promoters with different germline functionality, two modules of this genetic program were developed. In the first module, the promoter, placed upstream of the cre gene, confers CRE functionality in both the male and the female germline or in the common germline (e.g. floral meristem cells). In the second module, a promoter conferring single germline-specific CRE functionality was introduced upstream of the cre gene. Promoter sequences used in this work are derived from the APETALA1 and SOLO DANCERS genes from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Columbia-0 conferring common germline and single germline functionality, respectively. Introduction of the genetic program did not reduce transformation efficiency. Marker-free homozygous progeny plants were efficiently obtained, regardless of which promoter was used. In addition, simplification of complex transgene loci was observed.

Negative selection systems for transgenic barley (Hordeum vulgare L.): comparison of bacterial codA- and cytochrome P450 gene-mediated selection

Efficient negative selection systems are increasingly needed for numerous applications in plant biology. In recent years various counter-selectable genes have been tested in six dicotyledonous species, whereas there are no data available for the use of negative selection markers in monocotyledonous species. In this study, we compared the applicability and reliability of two different conditional negative selection systems in transgenic barley. The bacterial codA gene encoding cytosine deaminase, which converts the non-toxic 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) into the toxic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), was used for in vitro selection of germinating seedlings. Development of codA-expressing seedlings was strongly inhibited by germinating the seeds in the presence of 5-FC. For selecting plants in the greenhouse, a bacterial cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase gene, the product of which catalyses the dealkylation of a sulfonylurea compound, R7402, into its cytotoxic metabolite, was used. T1 plants expressing the selectable marker gene showed striking morphological differences from the non-transgenic plants. In experiments with both negative selectable markers, the presence or absence of the transgene, as predicted from the physiological appearance of the plants under selection, was confirmed by PCR analysis. We demonstrate that both marker genes provide tight negative selection; however, the use of the P450 gene is more amenable to large-scale screening under greenhouse or field conditions.