Advancements in plant regeneration and genetic transformation of grapevine (Vitis spp.)

Grapevine (Vitis spp.) is one of the most economically important fruit crops worldwide, and there is considerable interest in improving its major agronomic and enological traits in response to ever-changing agricultural environments and consumer demands. Molecular genetic techniques in particular, associated with rapid technological advancements, provide an attractive alternative to conventional breeding approaches for developing new grapevine varieties with enhanced yield performance, quality, stress tolerance and disease resistance. To date, several grapevine varieties have been transformed with genes associated with diverse functions through biolistic bombardment and/or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, and transgenic grape lines have been obtained using established regeneration systems. Nevertheless, a wide range of factors, including genotype, explant source and culture medium, have been shown to affect the efficiency of plant regeneration. Moreover, the selection and use of acceptor materials, bacterial strain and cell density, selectable markers and selection methods also influence transformation efficiency. This paper provides an overview of recent advances in grapevine regeneration and genetic transformation and in-depth discussion of the major limiting factors, and discusses promising future strategies to develop robust plant regeneration and genetic transformation in grapevine.