Work

Establish methods to improve the efficiency of tissue-free genetic transformation of medicinal plants through mechanical damage

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Medicinal plants are widely used in various fields, such as medicine, fragrance production, cosmetics and food. However, only a small number of medicinal plants can be genetically modified, making it difficult to improve these plants through genetic engineering. A tissue culture-free method was established to transform three medicinal plants: Cynanchi stauntonii, Artemisia argyi, and Chrysanthemum morifolium. In this method, mechanical damage and Agrobacterium rhizogenes species were found to significantly enhance infection efficiency. The results showed that A. rhizogenes strain A4 achieved the highest induction rates in C. stauntonii, while strain MSU440 demonstrated superior transformation efficiency in both A. argyi and C. morifolium. Additionally, scraping off the basal epidermis with a blade to create mechanical damage significantly enhanced infection efficiency in the three medicinal plants. Through A. rhizogenes strain selection and infection method optimization, C. stauntonii, A. argyi, and C. morifolium achieved the highest transformation efficiencies of 51.7%, 9.3%, and 16.7%, respectively. This gene transformation technology overcomes the technical problems of low efficiency, long experiment period and high cost, and provides a valuable tool for genetic research and precise breeding of medicinal plants.

Source: Medicinal Plant Biology

DOI: 10.48130/mpb-0025-0023