Exchange of Genetic Material Between Cells in Plant Tissue Grafts
Sandra Stegemann and
Ralph Bock*
Tissue grafting includes applications ranging from plant breeding
to animal organ transplantation. Donor and recipient are generally
believed to maintain their genetic integrity, in that the grafted
tissues are joined but their genetic materials do not mix. We
grafted tobacco plants from two transgenic lines carrying different
marker and reporter genes in different cellular compartments,
the nucleus and the plastid. Analysis of the graft sites revealed
the frequent occurrence of cells harboring both antibiotic resistances
and both fluorescent reporters. Our data demonstrate that plant
grafting can result in the exchange of genetic information via
either large DNA pieces or entire plastid genomes. This observation
of novel combinations of genetic material has implications for
grafting techniques and also provides a possible path for horizontal
gene transfer.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rbock{at}mpimp-golm.mpg.de
