Optimized Genetic Transformation Method Facilitates Gene Functional Analysis and Genome Editing in the Asteraceae Model Plant Senecio vulgaris.

Senecio vulgaris belongs to the Asteraceae and serves as an important model for studying ecological adaptation, evolutionary processes, and capitulum development. However, our understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms of capitulum development has been hindered by low transformation efficiency and the lack of reliable genome editing tools. Here, we report an optimized Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and genome editing method for S. vulgaris using leaf explants, with selection carried out for 6 weeks. Approximately 88% of kanamycin-resistant shoots exhibited normal morphology, and more than 80% of transformants showed strong GFP expression, which was confirmed by Southern blot. Furthermore, we used this method to successfully silence the SnAPETALA1-6, a MADS-box gene associated with inflorescence development, and to edit the phytoene desaturase gene (SvPDS) in S. vulgaris. Taken together, these improved methods overcome earlier technical barriers, enabling in-depth investigation of the molecular evolutionary processes that underpin flower-head formation in Senecio and other Asteraceae.