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Maximizing the expression of transgenic traits into elite alfalfa germplasm using a supertransgene configuration in heterozygous conditions

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Abstract

Key message

A novel process for the production of transgenic alfalfa varieties.

Abstract

Numerous species of legumes, including alfalfa, are critical factors for agroecosystems due to their ability to grow without nitrogen fertilizers derived from non-renewable fossil fuels, their contribution of organic nitrogen to the soil, and their increased nutritional value. Alfalfa is the main source of vegetable proteins in meat and milk production systems worldwide. Despite the economic and ecological importance of this autotetraploid and allogamous forage crop, little progress has been made in the incorporation of transgenic traits into commercial alfalfa. This is mainly due to the unusually strong transgene silencing and complex reproductive behavior of alfalfa, which limit the production of events with high transgene expression and the introgression of selected events within heterogeneous synthetic populations, respectively. In this report, we describe a novel procedure, called supertransgene process, where a glufosinate-tolerant alfalfa variety was developed using a single event containing the BAR transgene associated with an inversion. This approach can be used to maximize the expression of transgenic traits into elite alfalfa germplasm and to reduce the cost of production of transgenic alfalfa cultivars, contributing to the public improvement of this legume forage and other polyploid and outcrossing crop species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank IGEAF-CICVyA and EEA Manfredi for their technical support.

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Author notes

  1. Cintia Jozefkowicz and Romina Frare contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cintia Jozefkowicz, Romina Frare, Romina Fox, Nicolas Ayub & Gabriela Soto

  2. Instituto de Genética “Ewald Favret” (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cintia Jozefkowicz, Romina Frare, Romina Fox, Elba Pagano, Nicolas Ayub & Gabriela Soto

  3. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi (INTA), Córdoba, Argentina

    Ariel Odorizzi, Valeria Arolfo & Daniel Basigalup

Authors
  1. Cintia Jozefkowicz
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  2. Romina Frare
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  3. Romina Fox
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  4. Ariel Odorizzi
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  5. Valeria Arolfo
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  6. Elba Pagano
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  7. Daniel Basigalup
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  8. Nicolas Ayub
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  9. Gabriela Soto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriela Soto.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by Ian D Godwin.

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Jozefkowicz, C., Frare, R., Fox, R. et al. Maximizing the expression of transgenic traits into elite alfalfa germplasm using a supertransgene configuration in heterozygous conditions. Theor Appl Genet 131, 1111–1123 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-018-3062-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-018-3062-1

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