Assessment of genetically modified potato lines resistant to potato virus Y using compositional analysis and molecular markers.

Transgenic potato lines expressing the coat protein gene for potato virus Y (CP-PVY) were evaluated in field trials under artificial infection with the potato virus Y. Nine different transgenic potato lines of the Desiree cultivar and non-transgenic controls were screened with 11 different RAPD primers and five AFLP primer pairs for the identification of genomic changes associated with the transformation process. Results of field trials provided evidence both for the expression of the resistance trait and for the occurrence of limited but consistent morphological, physiological and yield variation, as compared with control plants regenerated from dedifferentiated culture without transformation (control). Four of the nine transgenic potato lines of the Desiree cultivar showed consistent resistance to potato virus Y. Most transgenic plants showed genomic homogeneity among controls and verified minor genomic changes within the transgenic lines. The results obtained in this study confirm those achieved in similar studies in other plant species regarding the abundance and use of molecular markers in identifying transgenic potato lines harboring the resistant gene. Another aim of this study was to estimate the substantial equivalence of genetically modified (GM) potato Desiree lines compared to that of conventional non-transgenic potato Desiree cultivars (control group) through determination of nutritional composition parameters such as: protein, ash, fiber, fat, moisture, amino acids profile, All tested chemical parameters showed that there were no significant differences between the results obtained from the tested samples and those of the control sample. From these results, it can be concluded that GM potato Desiree lines (PVY 4, PVY5, PVY23 and PVY31) harboring the Cp-PVY gene are equivalent in its effect as the non-GM potato Desiree cultivar.