Callus production from different types of Agave explants aiming at genetic transformation of plants

• Grant number: 24/17039-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira
• Grantee: Julia Ellen Briotto Lima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The production of biomass for the bioethanol industry currently faces two challenges: competition with food production and declining crop productivity in the context of climate change. In this perspective, the use of plants such as Agave emerges as a viable alternative for biofuel production, as these plants are well adapted to arid climates and uncultivable areas, such as the Brazilian northeastern hinterland, and are already exploited for sisal fiber production (a process that utilizes only 4% of the plants). However, despite this significant potential, few genetic improvement studies have been conducted, mainly due to their monocarpic nature and genotype dependency. In this sense, approaches like genetic transformation become promising for producing improved plants, as they not only bypass the long selection process for improved cultivars but also enable the introduction of relevant agronomic traits.An important step in producing transgenic plants is the generation of initial explants. One method for producing these explants is through callus formation (callogenesis) from undifferentiated plant tissues in response to injuries or specific cultivation conditions. Different types of explants can be used to generate callus for genetic transformation experiments. Therefore, understanding the pathways of morphogenesis and tissue differentiation in callus formation in Agave plants is a crucial initial step in genetic transformation studies.Thus, this project aims to develop and validate a callogenesis protocol from various initial explants of Agave, such as leaves, bulbils, and seeds, subsequently targeting genetic transformation of Agave via embryogenesis, with the goal of obtaining transgenic Agave plants.Recently, our research group was the first to produce transgenic Agave sisalana resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, according to the literature. This innovative advancement in agricultural biotechnology is protected by a patent application with INPI, obtained in August 2024. This scientific initiation project fully supports our current studies, contributing to the generation of initial material (callus) and the refinement of methodologies essential for the development of future studies.