Protoplast-based biotechnology methods for Vitis vinifera
Date
2020-12
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As a major fruit crop worldwide, grapevine production yields the raw materials for the table
grape, wine grape, raisin and grapeseed oil industries alike and mostly rely on commercial
varieties of the European grape, Vitis vinifera L. As with most widely planted crops, the
potential impacts of rapidly changing climatic conditions and associated biotic and abiotic
stressors demand a renewed focus on plant improvement strategies. One of the techniques
that has been prominent in the recent wave of novel crop improvement methods is that of
protoplast biotechnology. Grapevines exhibit recalcitrance towards several biotechnological
procedures, including protoplast methodologies. Although some successes have been
reported, the potential benefits of protoplast-based methods are far from routine in grapevine
science.
This study aims to contribute to an existing body of grapevine protoplast research, by
evaluating the standard methods of protoplast isolation from both Vitis embryogenic calli and
other grapevine explants as productive sources of viable protoplasts and test their usefulness
towards a number of applications.
Somatic embryogenic cultures from three Vitis vinifera cultivars, namely Chardonnay, Pinotage
and Muscat were established from immature influorescence-derived explants (anthers, ovaries
and whole flower). Genotype-specific variability was obvious in the ability to form callus and
specifically the extent of embryogenic callus recovery. Productive somatic embryogenic
cultures were recovered from all cultivars, as well as regenerated plantlets, confirming the
regeneration ability of the cultures. Chardonnay is known to respond well to culturing, which
was confirmed in this study, and therefore was used for protoplast isolations, optimisations and
application analysis.
Two established enzymatic methods of protoplast isolation were first compared to identify the
more superior of methods. The method using the higher concentration of enzymes (Cellulase
(2%), Macerozyme (1%), Pectolyase (0.05%)) was higher yielding with a good viability of
protoplasts recorded, and this method was then used to further evaluate and solve a number
of technical issues during the isolation procedure. Adaptations were introduced to reduce the
number of undigested cells remaining in the isolate after digestion, and to resolve aggregation
of protoplasts to each other and to cell debris. The inclusion of a pre-isolation step of coating
all plastics in Bovine Serum Albumin reduced protoplast aggregation but did not solve this
problem. The optimised method, with a 12-hour digestion period, yielded an average of 9.4x10
cells per 100 mg of somatic embryo calli. The protoplasts were characterised using fluorescent
microscopy to evaluate their integrity and viability, to assess the presence of cellulose in
remaining cell walls after isolation, as well as to confirm that the sub-cellular structures of the
protoplasts could be visualised using organelle-specific markers.
Two other grapevine explants were also tested for potential use as efficient and viable
protoplast sources, namely zygotic embryos, obtained from using embryo rescue techniques,
and meristematic bulks, formed from shoot growth tips manipulated to form meristematic bulks
in culture. An extension of the digestion period resulted in an increased yield of protoplasts
from zygotic embryos, whilst a pre-plasmolysis treatment of the meristematic bulks increased
the yield, but at a cost to the viability of the protoplasts. Our results showed that 1.36 times
more protoplasts could be isolated from meristematic bulks compared to zygotic embryos.
Despite explant-specific optimisations, 5 times and 3.7 times more protoplasts could be
isolated from SEC than from zygotic embryos and meristematic bulks respectively. One of the
advantages of meristematic bulks is the fact that it can be established relatively easily on
demand, unlike embryogenic cultures (somatic and zygotic) whose explants are highly
seasonal. The culturing of the protoplasts would need further time and experimentation and
was beyond the scope of this study. Preliminary analyses of protoplasts from somatic
embryogenic cultures and meristematic bulks, subjected to culturing confirmed that cell
divisions occurred and the appearance of microcalli was evident, but no embryos formed yet.
In line with the drive towards protoplast-based genome editing techniques in grapevine,
somatic embryogenic protoplasts were subjected to transfection with the YFP reporter gene.
Results showed positive transfection in protoplasts deriving from both Sultana and Garganega
cultivars, at a transfection efficiency of <18% in both. Stable transformation of Chardonnay
embryogenic calli using the GFP reporter gene was also conducted to be used as a resource
for subsequent protoplast isolation experiments and as a control system for future transgene
expressing protoplast systems. Multiple points of GFP expression were detected within the
calli, but these calli tend to rapidly necrotise under selection and grow very slowly. Further
transformations would be needed to secure the transgenic callus lines for future experiments.
This study also attempted to use flow cytometric techniques to characterise and sort protoplast
populations. The method was successful in characterising the protoplasts in solution and
differentiating a sub-population with “ideal” characteristics from potentially less optimal subpopulations.
However, when the sorted protoplasts were “harvested”, the recovery of viable
protoplasts was not possible, and this aspect therefore needs further optimisations.
This study was intended towards method validation, optimisations, as well as establishing
resources and workflows to make protoplasting successful in our environment. Towards those
aims, the study was successful and also expanded the current body of work on grapevine
protoplasting by introducing results on two additional explants towards protoplast generation
and potentially regeneration, as well as providing promising evidence that cell sorting of
protoplasts could be a valuable addition in protoplasting workflows to characterise the
populations, but hopefully also ultimately recover only the desired fractions. It is clear that the
biggest challenge remains to make regeneration of protoplasts a routine technique to realise
the full potential of protoplasts in grapevine biology and biotechnology.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As 'n belangrike vrugtegewas wêreldwyd, lewer die produksie van wingerdstokke die grondstowwe vir die tafeldruif, wyndruif, rosyntjie en druiwesaadoliebedrywe en vertrou hulle meestal op kommersiële variëteite van die Europese druif, Vitis vinifera L. Soos met die meeste aangeplante gewasse, vereis die potensiële gevolge van vinnig veranderende klimaatstoestande en gepaardgaande biotiese en abiotiese stressors dat daar opnuut gefokus word op strategieë vir die verbetering van dié plante. Een van die tegnieke wat uitgestaan het was in die onlangse vlaag nuwe gewasverbeteringsmetodes, is die protoplast-biotegnologie. Wingerdstok vertoon weerbarstigheid teen verskillende biotegnologiese prosedures, insluitend protoplastmetodologieë. Alhoewel sommige suksesse aangemeld is, is die potensiële voordele van protoplast-gebaseerde metodes nog lank nie 'n gegewe in die wingerdwetenskap nie. Hierdie studie het ten doel om die geldigheid van die metodes, optimalisering, asook om hulpbronne en werkstrome te vestig om protoplasting van somatiese embriogene calli suksesvol in ons omgewing te maak. Met die oog op hierdie doelwitte was die studie suksesvol en is die huidige werk aan wingerdproteoplasting ook uitgebrei deur resultate op twee addisionele eksplante (Mersitematiese bulte en sigotiese embrio's) in die rigting van protoplastgenerering en potensieel regenerasie in te stel, sowel as belowende bewyse dat die sortering van protoplastselle 'n waardevolle toevoeging kan wees tot die werkvloei wat die populasies kenmerk, maar kan hopelik uiteindelik net die gewenste deeltjies herstel. Dit is duidelik dat die grootste uitdaging steeds is om regenerasie van protoplaste 'n roetine-tegniek te maak om die volle potensiaal van protoplaste in wingerdbiologie en biotegnologie te verwesenlik.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As 'n belangrike vrugtegewas wêreldwyd, lewer die produksie van wingerdstokke die grondstowwe vir die tafeldruif, wyndruif, rosyntjie en druiwesaadoliebedrywe en vertrou hulle meestal op kommersiële variëteite van die Europese druif, Vitis vinifera L. Soos met die meeste aangeplante gewasse, vereis die potensiële gevolge van vinnig veranderende klimaatstoestande en gepaardgaande biotiese en abiotiese stressors dat daar opnuut gefokus word op strategieë vir die verbetering van dié plante. Een van die tegnieke wat uitgestaan het was in die onlangse vlaag nuwe gewasverbeteringsmetodes, is die protoplast-biotegnologie. Wingerdstok vertoon weerbarstigheid teen verskillende biotegnologiese prosedures, insluitend protoplastmetodologieë. Alhoewel sommige suksesse aangemeld is, is die potensiële voordele van protoplast-gebaseerde metodes nog lank nie 'n gegewe in die wingerdwetenskap nie. Hierdie studie het ten doel om die geldigheid van die metodes, optimalisering, asook om hulpbronne en werkstrome te vestig om protoplasting van somatiese embriogene calli suksesvol in ons omgewing te maak. Met die oog op hierdie doelwitte was die studie suksesvol en is die huidige werk aan wingerdproteoplasting ook uitgebrei deur resultate op twee addisionele eksplante (Mersitematiese bulte en sigotiese embrio's) in die rigting van protoplastgenerering en potensieel regenerasie in te stel, sowel as belowende bewyse dat die sortering van protoplastselle 'n waardevolle toevoeging kan wees tot die werkvloei wat die populasies kenmerk, maar kan hopelik uiteindelik net die gewenste deeltjies herstel. Dit is duidelik dat die grootste uitdaging steeds is om regenerasie van protoplaste 'n roetine-tegniek te maak om die volle potensiaal van protoplaste in wingerdbiologie en biotegnologie te verwesenlik.
Description
Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Grapevine production, Wine grape, Vitis vinifera -- Genetic engineering, Protoplasts, Grapevines -- Biotechnology, UCTD