CRISPR/Cas9-AGL6 Binary Vector Construct

Background

Seedlessness is a desired trait in elite cultivars intended for the fastidious consumers who find the seeds to impair the processing quality of the fruits. Seedlessness can be of advantage for processed tomato products because the energy invested in separating the seeds from the processed product can be saved. Thus parthenocarpy can be beneficial to seed companies as it assists in protecting their varieties. SlAGAMOUS-LIKE 6 (SlAGL6) is one of the transcription factor (TF) of MADS-box TF family (Smaczniak et al., 2012). Recently, the MADS-box gene AGL6 was shown to regulate parthenocarpy in tomato, and the loss function of SlAGAMOUS-LIKE 6 resulted in tomato facultative parthenocarpy (Klap et al. 2017). The present innovation named " CRISPR/Cas9-AGL6 binary vector construct" was created to generate parthenocarpy tomato fruits.

Technology Details

Parthenocarpy is the growth of ovary into a seedless fruit in the absence of pollination or/fertilization. AGAMOUS, DEFICIENCE and SRF (MADS) box gene, also caused seedless fruits (Ampomah-Dwamena et al. 2002). Recently, the MADS-box gene AGL6 was shown to regulate parthenocarpy in tomato, and the loss function of SlAGAMOUS-LIKE 6 resulted in tomato facultative parthenocarpy (Klap et al. 2017). SlAGL6 encodes for a MADS-box protein belonging to the type II lineage MIKCC, subfamily AGL6, of the MADS-box transcription factor family (Smaczniak et al., 2012). In tomato parthenocarpy fruits, SlAGL6acts as a key regulator of the transition between the state of ‘ovary arrest’ imposed towards anthesis and the fertilization triggered fruit set (Figure 1).