Effects of plant growth regulators on callogenesis and embryogenesis in sarnav and desiree potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties

Somatic embryos play a pivotal role in the production of high-quality potatoes and seed breeding. This study focused on determining the concentrations of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) in the formation of callus tissue and callus induction. Our goal was to assess the efficiency of potato explants with the highest potential for somatic embryo production. To achieve this, we cultivated Sarnav and Desiree potato varieties under in vitro tissue culture conditions, utilizing the obtained tissue cultures for subsequent experiments. The MS nutrient media were enriched with NAA and BAP at ratios of 1.5: 1, 1: 1.5, and 1: 1 mg/L, along with NAA concentrations of 1.5, 1, or 2 mg/L. Somatic embryogenesis experiments were conducted using various MS nutrient media, enriched with BAP and GA3 at concentrations of 1: 0.5, 0.4: 0.1, 0.5: 0.2, and 0.1: 0.1 mg/L of plant growth regulators. During the course of the study, diverse callus formations were observed in both leaf and internodal stem explants. Among the nutrient media, the M2 medium enriched with 1: 1.5 mg/L of NAA and BAP yielded the highest callus formation rates: 92% for the Desiree variety and 100% for the Sarnav variety, specifically in internodal stem explants. Notably, the index of embryo formation in leaf explants selected for somatic embryogenesis within the SE4 medium was 70% for the Sarnav variety and 65% for the Desiree variety. The inclusion of BAP and GA3 at a ratio of 0.1: 0.1 mg/l in the SE4 nutrient medium resulted in somatic embryogenesis in 80% of calli for the Sarnav variety and 78% for the Desiree variety. These findings underscore the potential for regenerating plants through somatic embryogenesis in the Sarnav potato variety, a significant development with implications for genetic transformation studies involving this particular variety

Recent Developments in Fiber Genomics of Tetraploid Cotton Species

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) produces naturally soft, single-celled trichomes as fiber on the seed coat supplying the main source of natural raw material for the textile industry. It is economically considered as one of the most leading cash crops in the world and evolutionarily very important as a model system for detailed scientific investigations. Cotton production is going through a big transition stage such as losing the market share in competition with the synthetic fibers, high popularity of Bt and herbicide resistance genes in cotton cultivars, and the recent shift of fiber demands to meet the standard fiber quality due to change of textile technologies to produce high superior quality of fibers in the global market. Recently, next-generation sequencing technologies through high-throughput sequencing at greatly reduced costs provided opportunities to sequence the diploid and tetraploid cotton genomes. With the availability of large volume of literatures on molecular mapping, new genomic resources, characterization of cotton genomes, discoveries of many novel genes, regulatory elements including small and microRNAs and new genetic tools such as gene silencing or gene editing technique for genome manipulation, this report attempted to provide the readers a comprehensive review on the recent advances of cotton fiber genomics research

RNA Interference for Functional Genomics and Improvement of Cotton (Gossypium sp.)

RNA interference (RNAi), is a powerful new technology in the discovery of genetic sequence functions, and has become a valuable tool for functional genomics of cotton (Gossypium ssp.). The rapid adoption of RNAi has replaced previous antisense technology. RNAi has aided in the discovery of function and biological roles of many key cotton genes involved in fiber development, fertility and somatic embryogenesis, resistance to important biotic and abiotic stresses, and oil and seed quality improvements as well as the key agronomic traits including yield and maturity. Here, we have comparatively reviewed seminal research efforts in previously used antisense approaches and currently applied breakthrough RNAi studies in cotton, analyzing developed RNAi methodologies, achievements, limitations, and future needs in functional characterizations of cotton genes. We also highlighted needed efforts in the development of RNAi-based cotton cultivars, and their safety and risk assessment, small and large-scale field trials, and commercialisation

Target genes utilized for drought tolerance enhancement in maize

Among the most widely grown cereal crops is maize, which is a staple food for millions of people worldwide. It is primarily used for human consumption in various forms, animal feed, and industrial applications. In many countries like Mexico, Africa, and South America, it is the main source of calories in their daily diet, making it crucial for food security. Many nations worldwide are more at risk of drought as global warming continues to accelerate. One of the major hurdles to food production in the twenty-first century and a serious threat to our present and future food security is a water crisis. Crop failure due to water scarcity can put millions of lives at risk. Along with traditional breeding, transgenic approaches are an essential tool in modern plant breeding. They allow the introduction of beneficial genes from other organisms or within the same organism to improve plant characteristics. This review focuses on specific genes that are stably expressed and tested for drought tolerance in maize. Several genes have been identified as potential targets for improving drought tolerance in maize. Although mechanisms of target genes overlap to some extent, we attempted to divide the selected research articles according to the mechanism of the targeted gene into categories and reviewed them

Improvement of callogenesis and somatic embryogenesis by selecting optimal hormonal balance in Sarnav and Desiree potato varieties

Callus formation and somatic embryogenesis in potato varieties are effective ways to obtain an entire plant from a single cell. The implementation of embryogenesis is widely used in improving plant materials and creating new biotechnological varieties. In our research, the optimum level of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzyl aminopurine (BAP) was determined in the formation of callus tissue in the local Sarnav potato variety, and the Desiree variety taken as a control. Leaf and stem explants were used in the processes of callus tissue formation and somatic embryogenesis of both varieties. We tried various plant growth regulators for callus formation and somatic embryogenesis in different ratios. The 1 mg/L NAA and 1.5 mg/L BAP were established as the best option for callus formation resulting in 92 and 100% development of callus in internodes of Desiree and Sarnav varieties, respectively. The 0.1 mg/L BAP and 0.1 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA3) resulted in almost 80% development of somatic embryogenesis in both varieties and were found as the most optimum option. These results showed that regenerated plants can be obtained from the Sarnav potato variety by somatic embryogenesis. This method can be applied to the Sarnav variety for genetic transformation studies

Data_Sheet_2_Tomato-made edible COVID-19 vaccine TOMAVAC induces neutralizing IgGs in the blood sera of mice and humans.docx

Plant-based edible vaccines that provide two-layered protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outweigh the currently used parenteral types of vaccines, which predominantly cause a systemic immune response. Here, we engineered and selected a transgenic tomato genotype (TOMAVAC) that stably synthesized an antigenic S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2. Two-course spaced force-feeding of mice with ≈5.4 μg/ml TOMAVAC increased up to 16-fold the synthesis of RBD-specific NAbs in blood serum and the significant induction of S-IgA in intestinal lavage fluid. In a surrogate virus neutralization test, TOMAVAC-induced NAbs had 15–25% viral neutralizing activity. The results suggested early evidence of the immunogenicity and protectivity of TOMAVAC against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Furthermore, we observed a positive trend of statistically significant 1.2-fold (average of +42.28 BAU/ml) weekly increase in NAbs in the volunteers' serum relative to the initial day. No severe side effects were observed, preliminarily supporting the safety of TOMAVAC. With the completion of future large-scale studies, higher-generation TOMAVAC should be a cost-effective, ecologically friendly, and widely applicable novel-generation COVID-19 vaccine, providing two-layered protection against SARS-CoV-2.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Tomato-made edible COVID-19 vaccine TOMAVAC induces neutralizing IgGs in the blood sera of mice and humans.docx

Plant-based edible vaccines that provide two-layered protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outweigh the currently used parenteral types of vaccines, which predominantly cause a systemic immune response. Here, we engineered and selected a transgenic tomato genotype (TOMAVAC) that stably synthesized an antigenic S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2. Two-course spaced force-feeding of mice with ≈5.4 μg/ml TOMAVAC increased up to 16-fold the synthesis of RBD-specific NAbs in blood serum and the significant induction of S-IgA in intestinal lavage fluid. In a surrogate virus neutralization test, TOMAVAC-induced NAbs had 15–25% viral neutralizing activity. The results suggested early evidence of the immunogenicity and protectivity of TOMAVAC against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Furthermore, we observed a positive trend of statistically significant 1.2-fold (average of +42.28 BAU/ml) weekly increase in NAbs in the volunteers' serum relative to the initial day. No severe side effects were observed, preliminarily supporting the safety of TOMAVAC. With the completion of future large-scale studies, higher-generation TOMAVAC should be a cost-effective, ecologically friendly, and widely applicable novel-generation COVID-19 vaccine, providing two-layered protection against SARS-CoV-2.</p