TRTech-PGR: PlantTransform: Boosting Agrobacterium-mediated transformation efficiency in the orphan crop tef (Eragrostis tef) for trait improvement

TRTech-PGR：PlantTransform：提高孤儿作物 tef（画眉草 tef）中农杆菌介导的转化效率，以改善性状

• 批准号: 2327906
• 负责人: Ayalew Osena
• 金额: $ 81.8万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina Greensboro
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2028-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2327906&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: TRTech; PGR; PlantTransform; Boosting; Agrobacterium

Plant genetic transformation plays a key role in understanding the genetic basis of complex traits. Transformation methods have been developed for model plants and some major crops such as rice and corn, which are usually poor in essential nutrients. In contrast, genetic transformation for underutilized or orphan crops such as tef (Eragrostis tef), which are gluten-free and rich in nutrients (minerals, vitamins, amino acids) and beneficial phytochemicals, is at a very infant stage due to limited genome information and lack of attention from scientists and funding agencies. This has tremendously delayed trait improvement in such crops. Therefore, there is a need to develop an efficient transformation method for tef genotypes varying in desirable traits including seed size and color, mineral content, iron bioavailability, and days to maturity. Moreover, transformation method has not been developed for the Indian lovegrass (E. pilosa), which is a wild progenitor of E. tef, and has several desirable traits including adaptation to wider environmental conditions, early maturity, and lodging tolerance, and is a potential source of traits for tef improvement. The major goal of this project is to develop transformation tools for diverse genotypes of E. tef and E. pilosa. This project will also offer training opportunities for University of North Carolina–Greensboro minority students, a postdoctoral researcher, and a visiting scientist from Ethiopia where tef is the most important staple crop. Furthermore, this project will support a tef genetic transformation workshop to be organized at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.Recently, the use of maize embryogenic regulator genes Baby boom (Bbm) and wushel (Wus2) has shown great promise for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of recalcitrant monocots including tef. Differences in transformation efficiency have also been observed between some tef varieties. However, the methods remain to be optimized. The specific objectives are: 1) to develop an efficient genetic transformation technique for tef, and 2) to develop transformation method for E. pilosa. Several Agrobacterium strains recently developed for recalcitrant monocots such as the thymine auxotrophic strains and engineered virulent strains, different tef genotypes varying in desirable traits and target tissues (leaf sheath and embryogenic calli), and varying tissue culture conditions will be tested to develop an efficient transformation method for tef and its wild relative Indian love grass. Resources generated from this project will be freely shared with the scientific community in the form of publications, protocols, workshops, presentations and websites.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

植物遗传转化在理解复杂性状的遗传基础方面发挥着关键作用，已经针对模式植物和一些主要作物（如水稻和玉米）开发了转化方法，而这些作物通常缺乏必需营养素。诸如画眉草 (Eragrostis tef) 等孤儿作物不含麸质，富含营养物质（矿物质、维生素、氨基酸）和有益的植物化学物质，但由于基因组信息有限以及缺乏科学家和资金的关注，目前还处于非常初级的阶段这极大地延迟了此类作物的性状改良，因此需要开发一种针对具有不同期望性状（包括种子大小和颜色、矿物质含量、铁生物利用度和成熟天数）的tef基因型的有效转化方法。尚未针对印度爱情草 (E. pilosa) 开发，印度爱情草是 E. tef 的野生祖先，具有多种理想的性状，包括适应更广泛的环境条件、早熟和抗倒伏性，是性状的潜在来源该项目的主要目标是开发针对 E. tef 和 E. pilosa 不同基因型的转化工具。该项目还将为北卡罗来纳大学格林斯伯勒分校的少数族裔学生、一名博士后研究员和一名研究人员提供培训机会。来自埃塞俄比亚的访问科学家，tef是该国最重要的主粮作物。此外，该项目还将支持在埃塞俄比亚农业研究所举办的tef遗传转化研讨会。最近，玉米胚胎发生调节基因的使用出现了婴儿潮。 (Bbm) 和 Wushel (Wus2) 在农杆菌介导的顽固性单子叶植物转化方面表现出了巨大的前景，在一些 tef 品种之间也观察到了转化效率的差异，但这些方法仍有待优化。 1) 开发一种高效的 tef 遗传转化技术，2) 开发最近开发的几种土壤杆菌菌株的转化方法。将测试顽固性单子叶植物，例如胸腺嘧啶营养缺陷菌株和工程毒力菌株，不同的tef基因型在所需性状和靶组织（叶鞘和胚性愈伤组织）方面有所不同，以及不同的组织培养条件，以开发一种有效的tef及其野生转化方法该项目产生的资源将以出版物、协议、研讨会、演示文稿和网站的形式与科学界自由共享。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并具有通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。