Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

Applications of Somaclonal Variation

Abstract

While recombinant DNA techniques offer promise for modification of crops, the relative paucity of knowledge of plant genetics and biochemistry has delayed development of recombinant DNA–based products using higher plants. However, somaclonal variation offers an opportunity to uncover the natural variability in plants and to use this genetic variability for new product development. In this paper we describe this technology, the nature of the genetic variation thus far uncovered, and some current and future applications of somaclonal variation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Micke, A. and Donini, B. 1982. Use of induced mutations for the improvement of seed propagated crops, p. 2–9. In: Induced variability in plant breeding, Proc. intern. Symp. of Section on Mutation and Polyploidy of the European Assoc. for Research on Plant Breeding, EUCAR PIA, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1981. Pudoc, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Skirvin, R.M. and Janick, J. 1976. Tissue culture-induced variation in scented Pelargonium spp. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 101:281–290.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lorz, H. and Scowcroft, W.R. 1983. Variability among plants and their progeny regenerated from protoplasts of Su/su heterozygotes of Nicotiana tabacum. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 66:67–75.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Evans, D.A. and Sharp, W.R. 1983. Single gene mutations in tomato plants regenerated from tissue culture. Science 221:949–951.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Edallo, S., Zuccinalli, C., Perenzin, M., and Salamini, F. 1981. Chromosomal variation and frequency of spontaneous mutation associated with in vitro culture and plant regeneration in maize. Maydica 26:29–56.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Prat, D. 1983. Genetic variability induced in Nicotiana sylvestris by protoplast culture. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 64:223–230.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fukui, K. 1983. Sequential occurrence of mutations in a growing rice callus. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 65:225–230.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Sun, Z.X., Zhao, C.Z., Zheng, K.L., Qi, X.F. and Fu, Y.P. 1983. Somaclonal genetics of rice, Oryza sativa L. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 67:67–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Larkin, P.J., Ryan, S.A., Brettell, R.I.S. and Scowcroft, W.R. 1984. Heritable somaclonal variation in wheat. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 67:443–455.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gengenbach, B.G., Green, C.E., and Donovan, C.M. 1977. Inheritance of selected pathotoxin resistance in maize plants regenerated from cell cultures. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 74:5113–5117.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kemble, R.J., Brettell, R.I.S., and Flavell, R.B. 1982. Mitochondrial DNA analyses of fertile and sterile maize plants from tissue culture with the Texas male sterile cytoplasm. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 62:213–217.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kemble, R.J. and Shepard, J.F. 1984. Cytoplasmic DNA variation in a potato protoclonal population. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 69:211–216.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Bendich, A.J. and Gauriloff, L.P. 1984. Morphometric analysis of cucurbit mitochondria: the relationship between chondriome volume and DNA content. Protoplasma 119:1–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. D'Amato, F. 1977. Cytogenetics of differentiation in tissue and cell culture, p. 343–357. In: Applied and fundamental aspects of plant cell, tissue and organ culture. J. Reinert and Y. P. S. Bajaj, (eds.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  15. D'Amato, F. 1978. Chromosome number variation in cultured cells and regenerated plants, p. 287–295. In: Frontiers of plant tissue culture, T. A. Thorpe (ed.). IAPTC/University of Calgary, Calgary.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Shepard, J.F. 1982. The regeneration of potato plants from leaf-cell protoplasts. Sci. Amer. 246:154–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ahloowalia, B.S. 1976. Chromosomal changes in para-sexually produced ryegrass, p. 115–122. In: Current chromosome research. K. Jones and P. E. Brandham (eds.). Elsevier Press, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  18. McCoy, T.J., Phillips, R.L., and Rines, H.W. 1982. Cytogenetic analysis of plants regenerated from oat (Avena sativa) tissue culture: high frequency of partial chromosome loss. Can. J. Genet. Cytol. 24:37–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Scowcroft, W.R. and Larkin, P.J. 1982. Somaclonal variation: A new option for plant improvement, p. 159–178. In: Plant improvement and somatic cell genetics. I. K. Vasil, W. R. Scowcroft, and K. J. Frey (eds.). Academic Press, New York.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  20. Orton, T.J. 1983. Spontaneous electrophoretic and chromosomal variability in callus cultures and regenerated plants of celery. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 67:17–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ahloowalia, B.S. 1978. Novel ryegrass genotypes regenerated from embryo-callus culture, p. 162. Abstracts, Fourth International Association Plant Tissue Culture Meeting, Calgary, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Dulieu, H. and Barbier, M. 1982. High frequencies of genetic variant plants regenerated from cotyledons of tobacco, p. 211–229. In: Variability in plants regenerated from tissue culture, L. Earle and Y. Demarly (eds.). Praegar Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Brettell, R.I.S., Dennis, E.S., Scowcroft, W.R. and Peacock, W.J. 1986. Molecular analysis of a somaclonal variant of maize alcohol dehydrogenase. Mol. Gen. Genet. 202:235–239.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Landsmann, J. and Uhrig, H. 1985. Somaclonal variation in Solanum tuberosum detected at the molecular level. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 71:500–505.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Cullis, C.A. and Charlton, L. 1981. The induction of ribosomal DNA changes in flax. Plant Sci. Lett. 20:213–217.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Brettell, R.I.S., Pallotta, M.A., Gustafson, J.P., and Appels, R. 1986. Variation at the Nor loci in triticale derived from tissue culture. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 71:637–643.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Evans, D.A., Flick, C.E., Kut, S.A., and Reed, S.M. 1982. Comparison of Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana nesophila hybrids produced by ovule culture and protoplast fusion. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 62:193–198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Evans, D.A., Bravo, J.E., Kut, S.A., and Flick, C.E. 1983. Genetic behavior of somatic hybrids in the genus Nicotiana: N. otophora + N. tabacum and N. sylvestris + N. tabacum. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 65:93–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Belliard, G., Vedel, F., and Pelletier, G. 1979. Mitochondrial recombination in cytoplasmic hybrids of Nicotiana tabacum by protoplast fusion. Nature 281:401–403.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Medgyesy, P., Fejes, E. and Maliga, P. 1985. Interspecific chloroplast recombination in a Nicotiana somatic hybrid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 82:6960–6964.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Flick, C.E., Bravo, J.E., Evans, D.A. 1983. Organelle segregation following plant protoplast fusion. Trends in Biotechnology 1:90–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Roth, E.J. and Lark, K.G. 1984. Isopropyl-N(3-chlorophenyl) carbamate (CIPC), induced chromosome loss in soybean: a new tool for plant somatic cell genetics. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 68:421–431.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Ling, D.H., Vidhyaseharan, P., Borromeo, E.S., Zapata, F.J. and Mew, T.W. 1985. In vitro screening of rice germplasm for resistance to brown spot disease using phytotoxin. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 71:133–135.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Chaleff, R.S. and Parsons, M.F. 1978. Direct selection in vitro for herbicide-resistance mutants of Nicotiana tabacum. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 75:5104–5107.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Connor, A.J., and Meredith, C.P. 1985. Large-scale selection of aluminum-resistant mutants from plant cell culture: expression and inheritance in seedlings. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 71:159–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Chaleff, R.S. 1983. Isolation of agronomically useful mutants from plant cell cultures. Science 219:676–682.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Hain, R., Stabel, P., Czernilofsky, A.P., Steinbiss, H.H., Herrara-Estrella, L., and Schell, J. 1985. Uptake integration, expression and genetic transmission of a selectable chimaeric gene by plant protoplasts. Molec. Gen. Genet. 199:161–168.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Banerjee-Chattpadhyay, S., Schwemmin, A.M. and Schwemmin, D.J. 1985. A study of karyotypes and their alterations in cultured and Agrobacterium transformed roots of Lycopersicon peruvianum Mill. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 71:1258–1262.

    Google Scholar 

  39. George, L. and Rao, P.S. 1983. Yellow seeded variants in in vitro regenerants of mustard (Brassica juncea coss var. RAI-5). Plant Sci. Lett. 30:327–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Evans, D.A., Sharp, W.R., and Medina-Filho, H.P. 1984. Somaclonal and gametoclonal variation. Amer. Jour. Bot. 71:759–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Groose, R.W. and Bingham, E.T. 1984. Variation in plants regenerated from tissue culture of tetraploid alfalfa heterozygous for several traits. Crop Sci. 24:655–658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Evans, D., Sharp, W. Applications of Somaclonal Variation. Nat Biotechnol 4, 528–532 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0686-528

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0686-528

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing