Plants Under Study at Editing and Transgenesis platform

Our platform focuses on Mediterranean plants of agronomic interest and on the model organism Arabidopsis. Some of these species are considered recalcitrant to genetic transformation or in vitro regeneration, and we are working to overcome these barriers.

The plants studied on an ongoing basis at the platform are:

Tomato

Genetic transformation and gene targeting (targeted mutagenesis using conventional CRISPR/Cas9 or base editing) are routinely performed on tomatoes at our platform. Notable recent achievements resulting from this work include the inactivation or targeted modification of plant susceptibility factors to viruses  (Kuroiwa et al., 2022 ; Kuroiwa et al., 2024), as well as the development of a method enabling targeted editing without transgene integration (Veillet et al., 2019).

Currently, the platform allows the development of numerous research projects such as DIVEDIT and GARDENS.

Work is still in progress to improve the precision and efficiency of modifications performed in genome by prime editing or other new tools. This activity was supported by the GENIUS  project (2012–2020) and is currently supported by the  TYPEX project (2023–2028).

Melon

Our work focuses primarily on validating genes that confer resistance to diseases and pests. While regeneration from explants has been successfully mastered, the transformation rate via Agrobacterium tumefaciens remains unpredictable, and the insertion is often unstable in the progeny of transformed plants. In this context, obtaining genetically transformed plants remains challenging, so we are working to optimize gene-editing processes by separating the transformation steps involving gene-targeting guides and CAS9, then combining them in F1 hybrids. This strategy has already been validated for the editing of a series of NLR genes grouped into a cluster.

Les prunus

Breeding within the Prunus genus (which includes plum, peach, and apricot trees among others) can help accelerate its improvement, particularly by introducing traits that confer resistance to pathogens (such as Sharka disease). In collaboration with the Chilean laboratory INIA La Platina  as part of the PEPR SVA TYPEX  project, we have optimized a protocol for regeneration and transformation using Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and we are currently testing the editing of target genes.

Chili Peppers

We are exploring several approaches to develop an effective and reproducible protocol for chili pepper transformation, including testing different methods for transgene delivery into cells and the expression of key genes involved in cell differentiation mechanisms related to regeneration.

Arabidopsis

This model plant is very useful for validating strategies early on or conducting preliminary tests before applying them to crop plants, which would require more time and effort. Its transformation—which is very rapid, simplified, and efficient—is routinely performed.