Development of non-transgenic glyphosate tolerant wheat by TILLING

PLoS One. 2021 Sep 15;16(9):e0245802. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245802. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl-glycine) is the world's most widely used broad spectrum, post-emergence herbicide. It inhibits the chloroplast-targeted enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS; EC 2.5.1.19), a component of the plant and microorganism-specific shikimate pathway and a key catalyst in the production of aromatic amino acids. Variants of EPSPS that are not inhibited by glyphosate due to particular amino acid alterations in the active site of the enzyme are known. Some of these variants have been identified in weed species that have developed resistance to glyphosate because of the strong selective pressure of continuous, heavy glyphosate use. We have used TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes), a non-transgenic, target-selected, reverse genetics, mutation breeding technique, and conventional genetic crosses, to identify and combine, through two rounds of mutagenesis, wheat lines having both T102I and P106S (so-called TIPS enzyme) mutations in both the A and the D sub-genome homoeologous copies of the wheat EPSPS gene. The combined effects of the T102I and P106S mutations are known from previous work in multiple species to minimize the binding of the herbicide while maintaining the affinity of the catalytic site for its native substrates. These novel wheat lines exhibit substantial tolerance to commercially relevant levels of glyphosate.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3-Phosphoshikimate 1-Carboxyvinyltransferase
  • Glycine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Glyphosate
  • Mutation
  • Triticum*

Substances

  • 3-Phosphoshikimate 1-Carboxyvinyltransferase
  • Glycine

Grants and funding

The funder, Arcadia Biosciences, provided support in the form of salaries for authors: C.P.M, W.J.A., D.F., A.H., D.L., Z.L., J.C.M., A.J.S., M.N.S, J. von B. and C.M., but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.