Abstract: Mannose can be converted into mannose 6-phosphate in cells and further converted into fructose 6-phosphate in transgenic cells if phosphomannose isomerase（PMI）gene（manA）is introduced as a selection marker. The transformed cells can grow normally on the media with mannose as main carbon source while the non-transformed cells are inhibited to grow. As a positive selection, Mannose / PMI system has been applied to important food crops and important economic crops. The plants selected by mannose can be analyzed through a variety of methods, including simple CPR test and convenient strip test. Mannose selection system is a safe and efficient platform suitable for commercial applications. In this review, advances in mannose selection system with its mode of action, selection characteristics, methods of transgenic plants analysis, advantages and disadvantages in transformation, as well as its applications in transgenic corn production and breeding stacks were summarized. Successful examples to use Mannose / PMI selection system in corn to generate multiple single trait events for insect resistances and high temperature resistant amylase, which have been breeding-stacked with other corn traits selected by different selection systems to provide broad spectrum of herbicide resistance and insect resistance for higher commercial value were presented.

Key words: Phosphomannose isomerase , Selection marker , Safety analysis , Transgenic plant assay, Pmi（manA）