Large-scale forward genetics reveals genetically separable components of plant cell proliferative capacity
- 1Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena, member of European University of Technology EUT+
Abstract
Plant cell cultures underpin regeneration, transformation and emerging applications in biotechnology and plant cell agriculture, yet the genetic determinants of proliferative performance remain poorly characterized. Here, we combined large-scale forward genetics with automated image-based phenotyping to quantify 27,648 calli representing 2,880 Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA insertion lines. Of these, 2,456 lines produced calli smaller than the WT population mean, whereas only 190 produced larger calli, revealing a strongly asymmetric phenotypic distribution. Enhanced callus growth was not consistently associated with increased vegetative growth, indicating that these traits can be genetically uncoupled. Validation of selected high-growth mutants in suspension culture identified lines with enhanced biomass accumulation, while serial propagation revealed independent variation in sustained proliferative capacity. Thus, callus growth, whole-plant growth, short-term suspension biomass accumulation and sustained proliferation represent distinct, not necessarily coupled components of proliferative performance. These findings establish a scalable framework for identifying genetic determinants relevant to the development of improved plant cell production lines.
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BibTeX
@misc{verdunavarro2026largescale,
title = {{Large-scale forward genetics reveals genetically separable components of plant cell proliferative capacity}},
author = {F. Verdu-Navarro and A. Espin-Veracruz and J. Weiss and J. Kacprzyk and P. J. Navarro and D. Parras and D. Borraz-Moron and E. Salas and M. Egea-Cortines},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.30.762808},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.30.762808v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Large-scale forward genetics reveals genetically separable components of plant cell proliferative capacity
AU - F. Verdu-Navarro
AU - A. Espin-Veracruz
AU - J. Weiss
AU - J. Kacprzyk
AU - P. J. Navarro
AU - D. Parras
AU - D. Borraz-Moron
AU - E. Salas
AU - M. Egea-Cortines
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.30.762808
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.30.762808v1
AB - Plant cell cultures underpin regeneration, transformation and emerging applications in biotechnology and plant cell agriculture, yet the genetic determinants of proliferative performance remain poorly characterized. Here, we combined large-scale forward genetics with automated image-based phenotyping to quantify 27,648 calli representing 2,880 Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA insertion lines. Of these, 2,456 lines produced calli smaller than the WT population mean, whereas only 190 produced larger calli, revealing a strongly asymmetric phenotypic distribution. Enhanced callus growth was not consistently associated with increased vegetative growth, indicating that these traits can be genetically uncoupled. Validation of selected high-growth mutants in suspension culture identified lines with enhanced biomass accumulation, while serial propagation revealed independent variation in sustained proliferative capacity. Thus, callus growth, whole-plant growth, short-term suspension biomass accumulation and sustained proliferation represent distinct, not necessarily coupled components of proliferative performance. These findings establish a scalable framework for identifying genetic determinants relevant to the development of improved plant cell production lines.
ER -