Somaclonal Variation

Tech ID: 21.678

Key Features

• Use of Tenofovir to reduce somaclonal variation in plant tissue culture
• Inhibition of unwanted genetic variation arising from Long Terminal Repeat Transposable Elements (LTR-TEs) through the use of reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Description

Marco Catoni and colleagues at the University of Birmingham and the University of Cambridge have discovered that the use of reverse transcriptase inhibitors, such as Tenofovir, in plant propagation and plant tissue culture reduces LTR-TE mobilisation and somaclonal variation.

The inventors have demonstrated that the use of Tenofovir as reverse transcriptase inhibitor abolishes somaclonal variation making plant propagation more predictable and uniform by eliminating unintentional genetic and epigenetic alterations.

For further detailed information please download the non-confidential summary pdf.

Patents

Patent applications pending.

References

Brestovitsky A et al (2023).  Specific suppression of long terminal repeat retrotransposon mobilization in plants.  Plant Physiol; 191(4): 2245-2255. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac605