# Intragenic Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer mimics micro-translocations without foreign DNA

## TL;DR

Scientists used a plant's own DNA to transfer genes without foreign DNA, mimicking natural genetic changes.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates intragenic gene transfer in plants without foreign DNA, mimicking micro-translocations.

## Key findings

- Intragenic Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer was achieved using only Nicotiana tabacum DNA.
- A single T-DNA insertion on chromosome 5 was composed of DNA fragments from other chromosomes.
- The method mimics micro-translocations without introducing foreign DNA.

## Abstract

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Nicotiana tabacum, using an intragenic T-DNA region derived entirely from the N. tabacum genome, results in the equivalence of micro-translocations within genomes.

Intragenic Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer was achieved in Nicotiana tabacum using a T-DNA composed entirely of N. tabacum DNA, including T-DNA borders and the acetohydroxyacid synthase gene conferring resistance to sulfonylurea herbicides. Genomic analysis of a resulting plant, with single locus inheritance of herbicide resistance, identified a single insertion of the intragenic T-DNA on chromosome 5. The insertion event was composed of three N. tabacum DNA fragments from other chromosomes, as assembled on the T-DNA vector. This validates that intragenic transformation of plants can mimic micro-translocations within genomes, with the absence of foreign DNA.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00425-024-04329-x.