Genetic transformation of plastids of different Solanaceae species using tobacco cells as organelle hosts.

The plastid genome of angiosperms represents an attractive target for genetic manipulations. However plastid transformation of higher plants, especially of agriculturally valuable crops is an extremely difficult problem. Transformation protocols developed for tobacco 15 years ago failed to produce similar results with more than a handful of other species so far. We have analyzed plastid transformability of remote cytoplasmic hybrids (cybrids) that combine nuclei of tobacco, an easily transformable species, and plastids of some other, recalcitrant Solanaceae species. Here, we demonstrate that the plastids of five species of Solanaceae family, representing two subfamilies and three tribes, can be easily transformed if the plastids of these species are transferred into a cell of a transformable species (tobacco). The results can be considered to be an alternative approach to the development of plastid transformation technologies for recalcitrant species using a transformable intermediary ("clipboard") host.