Australian and Japanese researchers have demonstrated the application of RNAi technology for gene replacement in plants, developing the world's only blue rose.

The CSIRO-developed RNAi technology was a key technology used under license by Florigene Ltd, a Melbourne-based biotechnology company and part of the Japanese Suntory group of companies to develop the rose.

Breeders have attempted to make true blue roses over many years, but none have successfully bred roses with blue pigment.

In its first commercial application in plants, the CSIRO-developed RNAi technology was used to remove the gene encoding the enzyme dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) in roses.

DFR works to create intermediates that are subsequently made into red or blue pigments, but rose DFR does not appear optimal for production of blue pigments.

CSIRO's RNAi technology was used to knock out the activity of the rose DFR gene and then a DFR gene from iris, which makes a lot of blue pigment, replaced it to produce a blue rose.

Gene replacement is considered a rare event in plants, with researchers only able to either add genes as in the case of insect resistant cotton, or knock out the activity of an existing gene such as in the development of
canola from rapeseed.

To be able to turn that around is significant in plant biotechnology, providing researchers with a reliable mechanism to explore improvements in economically significant plants that may have otherwise taken years.
Gene replacement in plants is such a rare event that it is almost impossible to achieve, CSIRO's RNAi technology now makes it possible.

Fact sheet:
- http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=faq&id=bluerose
- http://www.csiro.au/proprietaryDocuments/PI_info_bluerose.pdf

Feature article: http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=blank&id=BlueRose

Suntory Limited, jointly with Florigene Ltd., has successfully developed the world's first biotechnology-driven "blue rose".

Roses have been grown for a long time - 5,000 years or more. It is said that the varieties developed to more than 25,000 species and a wide variety of colours exists including red, white, pink and yellow. For a long time, breeders have been trying to develop blue roses, which have long been synonym for the impossible.In an effort to achieve this breeders have been crossing rose varieties grown all around the world. As a result, there are so-called 'blue' roses already on the market. However, blue roses, derived from the presence of blue pigment, have not yet come into being. It has been revealed that this is a result of the fact that in rose petals genes encoding the enzyme that is necessary to create the blue pigment, "Delphinidin", are not functional (the enzyme is known as flavonoid 3'5'-hydroxylase).

SUNTORY has focused on this finding and, in 1990, in cooperation with an Australian bio-venture company "Calgene Pacific (now: Florigene Ltd.) started the joint development of biotechnology-driven "blue roses". Since then we have been pursuing our research attempting to develop "blue roses" by retrieving the genes necessary to create blue pigments from other plants such as petunia and implanting these into roses. The world's first "blue carnations" were born in this development process in 1995 and, in Japan, they were named "Moondust" where they have been marketed since 1997

For the first time in the world, SUNTORY has succeeded in creating blue pigment in roses by implanting the gene that leads to the synthesis of blue pigment from pansy. Unlike the roses created by using conventional breeding technologies, the roses developed by us have almost 100%* Delphinidin in their petals, which has allowed these new and very different blue roses to become a reality. Although traditional roses have only red pigments, by using the blue roses we have developed as a starting point, it is expected that roses with the ability to create a blue pigment will soon lead more variety in rose flower colour.

The SUNTORY GROUP will continue our research and development to make blue roses "clearer". The roses have been evaluated and approved based on the "Act concerning Maintenance of Diversity of Organisms regulated by Use of Genetically-Modified Organisms" (http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shinkou/seimei/main.htm) and we will consider merchandising after production, distribution, and sales structures have been properly established. The SUNTORY GROUP was established in 1899 and since then has been aggressively developing new businesses maintaining its "spirit of challenge". In this vein SUNTORY opened the way for the successful marketing of well-known marks of "whisky", "draft beer", and not being confined to producing alcoholic beverages, has also expanded into the soft drink business, the flower business, the health food business, cultural and sports activities. In addition business sphere has been expanded to Europe, Asia and North America. We will continue our global business and efforts to create innovative products showing our "spirit of challenge".

Florigene. Ltd. was established as an Australian bio-venture company in 1986. It develops new varieties of plants by using biotechnology. It is a world's leading company in the research of flower colour. SUNTORY LIMITED took over the company's shares in December, 2003.

Suntory Limited (Head Office:Osaka City, Japan / President:Nobutada Saji), jointly with Florigene Ltd. (Victoria, Australia / President:Toshihiko Ashikari - SUNTORY holds 98.5% of Florigene's shares)