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Genetically modified apples resistant to scab containing only apple own DNA
Prof. Dr. Cesare Gessler, Dr. Giovanni Broggini, Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich
Dr. Andrea Patocchi, Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil (ACW)
Background
Cisgenesis
Apple scab is the most important fungal disease in apple
orchards. Its control requires frequent spray applications. Natural
resistance is known, but breeding is difficult because of selfincompatibility and the genetic drag of undesired traits. Use of
transgenics is questionable due to concerns of consumers and
stakeholders, since foreign genes and antibiotics/herbicides
resistances are introduced in cultivars. A possibly more
acceptable form of genetic engineering is cisgenesis.
is the genetic modification of a recipient plant with a natural
gene from a crossable—sexually compatible—plant. Such a gene
includes its introns and is flanked by its native promoter and
terminator in the sense orientation. Cisgenic plants can harbor
one or more cisgenes, but they do not contain any transgenes
(e.g. selectable marker genes).
(Schouten, H. J., Krens, F. A., Jacobsen, K., Jacobsen, E., 2006. Cisgenic plants are similar to traditionally
bred plants - International regulations for genetically modified organisms should be altered to exempt
cisgenesis. Embo Rep. 7, 750-753.)
HcrVf2
B
Apple scab susceptible
cultivar
M. floribunda 821
resistant cultivar
Vf-gene
Apple scab resistant
cisgenic Vf- cultivar
C
D
E
F
G
Cloned
Vf-gene
Genetic engineering
Project outline
Technology Development
ETH & Partners
Benefits & Unwanted
Side-effects
ACW
Implementation
ACW
Task 1: Proof of concept
Task 4: Apple scab resistance tests
Task 6: Stakeholder Surveys
Milestone: System to remove selection
markers from final product
Milestone: Identify apple scab
resistant lines
Milestone: Stakeholder concerns and
acceptance of cisgenic apples
assessed
Task 2: Produce cisgenic plants
Milestone: Cisgenic lines transformed
with HcrVf2
Task 5: Risk assessment of
unwanted side-effects in an apple
scab resistant cisgenic line
Task 7: Dissemination of sciencebased information on technology
Milestone: Quantify possible
aberration in a cisgenic line
Milestone: Stakeholders informed
about cisgenic technology by a neutral
partner
Task 3: Produce cisgenic plants
with multiple apple scab resistance
Milestone: Cisgenic lines transformed
with pyramided HcrVf2 and Vr2
Output
•“Clean-vector technology” to improve apple cultivars with no selectable marker genes in the final product. The technology will allow
introducing as many traits (genes or QTL regions) as available in the same cultivar, without changing its fruit quality.
•Generation and testing of cisgenic apples with durable resistance to scab.
•Assessment of public acceptance of cisgenic apples.