Selection of transgenic citrus plants based on glyphosate tolerance conferred by a citrus 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase variant.

We have defined the conditions for citrus transformations using glyphosate as selection agent. This protocol results in high transformation rate and low incidence of chimeric shoots. Glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world, specifically inhibits 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), an essential enzyme of the shikimate pathway. Various laboratory-generated or naturally evolved glyphosate-resistant EPSPS variants have been used to produce glyphosate-tolerant transgenic crops, enabling highly effective weed control in agriculture. In this study, we explored the potential of using a citrus EPSPS variant that mimics the previously reported Eleusine indica glyphosate-resistant TIPS (T102I + P106S) mutant for selection of transgenic citrus plants in the presence of glyphosate. We found that glyphosate did not suppress bud formation on 'Duncan' grapefruit seedling explants, but inhibited non-transgenic bud outgrowth to produce shoots in a concentration-dependent manner. At certain concentrations, glyphosate had dramatic effect on the transformation rate and the percentage of non-chimeric transgenic shoots in this newly developed selection system. Specifically, at 0, 10, 20, and 50 μM of glyphosate, the citrus TIPS EPSPS-based selection resulted in transformation rates of 4.02, 5.04, 14.46, and 40.78%, respectively, and 6.41, 23.96, 42.94, and 40.17% of non-chimeric transgenic shoots, respectively. These results indicate that the citrus TIPS EPSPS-glyphosate selection system is highly efficient and can be used as an alternative to antibiotic-based selection methods in citrus genetic transformation. Furthermore, the selection conditions defined in this study are expected to greatly facilitate the production of genetically modified, market-friendly citrus plants, such as cisgenic and intragenic plants.