Marker Genes for in Vitro Selection of Transgenic Plants

Marker Genes for in Vitro Selection of Transgenic Plants

The use of a marker gene in a transformation process aims to give a selective advantage to the transformed cells, allowing them to grow faster and better, and to kill the non-transformed cells. In general, the selective gene is introduced into plant genome along with the genes of interest. In some cases, the marker gene can be the gene of interest that will confer an agronomic characteristic, such as herbicide resistance. In this review we list and discuss the use of the most common selective marker genes on plant transformation and the effects of their respective selective agents. These genes could be divided in categories according their mode of action: genes that confer resistance to antibiotics and herbicides; and genes for positive selection. The contention of the marker gene flow through chloroplast transformation is further discussed. Moreover, strategies to recover marker-free transgenic plants, involving multi-auto-transformation (MAT), co-transformation, site specific recombination and intragenomic relocation of transgenes through transposable elements, are also reviewed.