Ensifer-Mediated Transformation (EMT): A Novel Technology Platform for Engineering Plant Genomes

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation (AMT) is the leading technique with which to genetically engineer novel crop varieties. Employing the soil phytopathogenic bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the application of AMT for commercial output has been restricted due to the complexity of the related IP landscape. Utilising another soil bacterium called Ensifer adhaerens, Ensifer-Mediated Transformation (EMT) has demonstrated to be an efficient non-Agrobacterium alternative for engineering plant genomes, with the successful transformation and generation of elite lines of Solanum tuberosum (var. Désirée) with late blight resistance (Wendt et al., 2012). Capitalising on this advancement, the sequencing and analysis of the E. adhaerens genome (strain OV14) has identified homologs to chromosomally-based A. tumefaciens genes that support T-DNA transfer within the genome of OV14 (Rudder et al., 2014). In addition to the genomic features discovered in E. adhaerens, collated results from a network of current EMT users has confirmed (via stable and/or transient assays) the efficacy of EMT on potato, rice, tobacco, safflower, cassava and oilseed rape; demonstrating the value of EMT as a viable alternative to the patent restrictive AMT. Current research is focussed on (i) modifying the E. adhaerens genome to improve transformation efficiency via genome editing (ii) evaluating the efficacy of EMT as a delivery system for TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 plant editing systems and (iii) broadening the host range of EMT across and within crop species.

Wendt et al., Transgenic research 21, no. 3 (2012): 567-578.

Rudder et al., BMC genomics 15, no. 1 (2014): 268.