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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Griffin, Georgia » Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #359874
Research Project: Conservation, Characterization, Evaluation, and Distribution of Grain, Oilseed, Vegetable, Subtropical and Tropical Legume, and Warm Season Grass Genetic Resources and Associated Information

Location: Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit

Title: Transgenesis in nature: T-DNA from Agrobacterium is present in sweetpotato and its wild relatives

Author
item GHEYSEN, GODELEIVE - Ghent University
item QUISPE, DORA - Ghent University
item Jarret, Robert - Bob
item YANG, JUN - University Of Macau
item KREUZE, JAN - International Potato Center

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2018
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) is a potential creative force in genome evolution. Examples of HGT from bacteria to plants include Agrobacterium rhizogenes and representatives of the genera Nicotiana and Linaria. Nevertheless, such findings were not associated with domesticated edible crops until our discovery of IbT-DNA1 and IbT-DNA2 from Agrobacterium spp. in the cultivated sweetpotato genome. IbT-DNA1, containing genes for auxin biosynthesis (TR-T-DNA like), is inserted in the third intron of an F-box gene. IbT-DNA2, containing RolB/C genes (TL-T-DNA like) is inserted between the 7 and 9th exon (exon 8 is lost), of the mitochondrial substrate carrier family protein UcpB. IbT-DNA1 was detected in all tested cultivated sweetpotatoes and in some wild relatives belonging to Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam (4x), Ipomoea triloba, Ipomoea cordatotriloba and Ipomoea tenuissima. IbT-DNA2 occurs in about 3/4 of the cultivated sweetpotatoes and in some wild relatives belonging to Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam (4x) and Ipomoea trifida. We are presently confirming if the insertion sites are the same in the different species or if different HGT-events have happened. The analysis of these T-DNAs could shed light on the evolutionary relationship between the cultivated sweetpotato and its wild ancestors. It also puts the GMO-discussion on DNA transfer across species borders in a new perspective.