Kanamycin-induced growth suppression of fast-growing transgenic poplar carrying the nptII gene

Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 132, Lermontov Street, Irkutsk, 664033, Russia

^* Corresponding author: vpavlichenko@gmail.com

Abstract

In our study, a genetically modified poplar overexpressing gene encoding gibberellin-20-oxidase (AtGA20ox1) was analyzed for the adaptation of a protocol to maintain in vitro plants due to the overfilling of test tubes during fast-growing transgenic plants cultivation. It was demonstrated that these transgenic poplars were able to survive in media containing kanamycin, in contrast to the control plants, because neomycin phosphotransferase II was additionally expressed, facilitating the breakdown of kanamycin. The potential effects of kanamycin in nutrient media on the growth rate of these transgenic poplars were also investigated, despite their overall survivability. It was found that kanamycin at varying concentrations (25, 50, 75, and 100 mg L^-1) effectively suppressed the growth of these genetically modified poplars without affecting their mortality. Therefore, it was proposed that kanamycin be used as an effective tool for growth suppression in genetically modified plants utilizing the widely used selective nptII gene during micropropagation.