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Creating transgenic plants without having to use an Agrobacterium transfer (T-) DNA may soon be possible. In the May 2004 issue of Plant Physiology (Rommens, C., et al. Crop Improvement Through the Modification of the Plant's Own Genome), scientists from Simplot Plant Sciences in Boise, Idaho reported that a plant-derived, marker-free DNA fragment could likewise be used to produce genetically engineered plant cells.
Their methods, which may be read in detail at http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/
reprint/135/1/421.pdf, were used to produce hundreds of marker-free and backbone-free potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants displaying reduced expression of polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for the brown discoloration of potato tubers.
The modified plants represent the first example of genetically engineered plants that contain only native DNA.
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Achievement & Technology
