氩离子注入介导麻黄基因组DNA转化获得产麻黄碱重组酵母菌

通过氩离子(Ar )注入介导蓝麻黄基因组DNA在异常汉逊酵母(Hansenula anomala)中随机转化,转化后的酵母菌经BTB指示性辅助筛选、斜面传代、液体培养、铜铬盐定性检识和RP-HPLC定量检测,获得了遗传稳定的以葡萄糖为碳源、NaNO3为氮源生物合成麻黄碱和(或)伪麻黄碱的重组酵母菌3株。液体培养72h,RP-HPLC测试胞外麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱的最高产量分别为11.87mg/L和4.11mg/L;胞内伪麻黄碱最高含量为294.86mg/g干细胞,胞内麻黄碱未检出。分析了Ar 注入介导蓝麻黄基因组DNA在酵母菌中的遗传转化效率,探讨了麻黄基因组DNA大分子的完整性对其在酵母菌中遗传转化的影响。     

转基因受体酵母菌的低能氩离子注入研究

通过不同剂量的低能Ar 注入酿酒酵母Ke-y,筛选出了一种较好的菌体保护液,获得了一系列Ar 注入参数。在该研究体系内,Ar 最佳注入剂量分别为9 0×1015 ions/cm2 或13 5×1015 ions/cm2(适于IBB Device 1 型离子注入机)和1 0×1016ions/cm2 或1 4×1016 ions/cm2(适于LZD1000型离子注入机),为离子束介导外源基因组DNA在酵母菌Ke-y中的遗传转化奠定了基础。     

抗除草剂转基因大豆后代遗传分析

分析了来源于农杆菌介导的4个独立的大豆转化系的后代遗传特性。分别采用种子切片GUS染色方法和除草剂涂抹以及喷洒方法检测gus报告基因和抗除草剂bar基因在后代的表达。其中3个转化系T1代gus基因和bar基因能够以孟德尔方式3：1连锁遗传,说明这2个基因整合在大豆基因组的同一位点。这3个转化系在T2代获得了纯合的转化系,并能够稳定遗传至T5代。有一个转化系在T1代GUS和抗除草剂检测都为阴性,但通过Southern杂交证明转基因存在于后代基因组,显示发生了转基因沉默。为了证明转基因沉默是转录水平还是转录后水平,T1代植物叶片接种大豆花叶病毒（SMV）并不能抑制转基因沉默,说明该转化系基因沉默可能不是发生在转录后水平。     

农杆菌介导的大麦Mlo反义基因转化小麦获得抗白粉病后代

从大麦‘斯特林’幼叶总RNA中分离Mlo基因cDNA完整编码区,反向连接到植物双元载体（pBI-121.2）35S启动子下游,通过农杆菌介导的苗端转化法获得两种小麦基因型（‘烟优2801’和‘烟优361’）的转基因小麦。T0代405株中有55株PCR检测阳性,平均转化率达到13.58%,T0和T1基因组DNA Southern杂交可以证明大麦Mlo基因片段已整合到小麦基因组中并可传递到后代。两种基因型的转基因小麦T0和T1植株在温室及大田中均表现出对白粉病抗性的提高。农杆菌介导的苗端转化法可以简单、快速、高效地获得转基因株系;排除体细胞变异对转基因植株的影响;克服基因型对农杆菌转化的限制,是小麦遗传转化的一种实用方法。     

苜蓿高含硫氨基酸蛋白转基因植株再生

通过农杆菌介导法将高含硫氨基酸蛋白基因转入苜蓿,成功地诱导转基因植株再生,转化植株生长和发育良好,苜蓿子叶外植体是较理想的转化受体。冷凉湿润的环境条件是苜蓿移栽成活率高所必需的。     

小麦花粉管通道及子房注射法转化Anti-TrxS基因

为了获得抗穗发芽转基因小麦材料,以13个小麦品种(品系)为受体材料,用花粉管通道及子房注射法进行了硫氧还蛋白反义基因(Anti-TrxS)的遗传转化。花粉管通道法共转化小花2036朵,收获T0代种子1616粒,结实率为79．4％,将T0代种子大田点播,获T1代苗1424株,出苗率为88．1％。对T1代株系叶片基因组DNA进行PCR检测,31个株系中有16个株系呈阳性反应。子房注射法共转化小花1206朵,收获种子89粒,结实率为7．4％,T1代共出苗41株,出苗率为46．1％,对郑新991T1代株系进行PCR检测,电泳结果呈阳性反应。     

转SAMS基因玉米自交系获得及抗旱性分析

以玉米自交系‘掖478’的茎尖为受体,采用农杆菌介导法将小麦抗旱SAMS基因转入玉米中,用PCR和RT-PCR法对转化玉米进行检测,并以18%PEG-6000模拟水分胁迫对T1代转基因玉米和非转基因玉米进行抗旱性分析。结果显示:(1)共转化518个玉米芽,得到453株转化苗。获得T0代阳性植株16株,转化率为3.53%,有14株自交结实,经RT-PCR检测,T1代转基因玉米有9个株系为稳定遗传阳性株系。(2)在同一水分胁迫时间下,转基因玉米的叶片相对含水量、叶绿素含量、脯氨酸含量和SOD活性均高于非转基因玉米,而转基因玉米叶片的电导率、MDA含量均低于非转基因玉米。在60 h水分胁迫处理下,转基因玉米叶片相对含水量、叶绿素含量、脯氨酸含量和SOD活性比非转基因玉米上升8.16%、20.02%、32.21%、22.77%,而转基因玉米叶片的电导率、MDA含量比非转基因玉米下降14.38%、29.41%。研究表明,通过导入SAMS基因,可以提高玉米的抗旱性。     

转柽柳晚期胚胎富集蛋白基因烟草T1代的耐盐性评价

目的:验证转柽柳晚期胚胎富集(LEA)蛋白基因烟草T1代的耐盐性。方法:采用盐胁迫方式,对转柽柳LEA蛋白基因烟草T1代的6个株系及非转基因对照烟草T1代进行不同浓度NaCl胁迫处理,分析了NaCl胁迫下转基因烟草的生长量、根系的发育及盐害程度。结果:各转基因烟草T1代组培苗在150mmol/L的NaCl培养基上根系生长良好,平均增重(鲜重)是非转基因对照的7.72倍,平均高生长是非转基因对照的3.51倍,盐害指数低于或等于50%;而非转基因对照烟草T1代组培苗生长缓慢,根系几乎不能生长发育,盐害指数达65%。结论:柽柳LEA蛋白基因的导入提高了T1代烟草的耐盐性。     

转基因玉米株系纯合系选育及其农艺性状表现

目的：以携带水稻矮缩病毒（RDV）运动蛋白缺陷型（MP-）基因的转基因玉米种子T0为试验材料,通过分子分析、抗病鉴定及农艺性状筛选得到转基因纯合株系。方法：首先对转化种子进行潮霉素抗性筛选,其后对各代转基因材料进行PCR检测、农艺性状调查和抗病鉴定。结果：从645粒T0转化种子得到抗潮霉素植株246株,即T1转基因植株。T1、T2、T3、T4代材料的PCR检测阳性率分别为56.9%、83.9%、94.6%和99.8%,证明RDVMP-基因已被导入玉米自交系中,且目的基因可以稳定遗传到转基因植株及其后代。田间人工接种抗病鉴定结果表明,经过连续筛选,转基因后代植株（系）的抗病性不断提高,T1、T2、T3和T4代中的高抗病材料分别占总材料数的8.9%、31.5%、70.7%和100%;所选纯合系连续2年的发病率均为0,抗病性比相应对照株系提高4级。农艺性状调查结果表明,转基因株系的株高比对照株系高15.0～33.4cm,穗位高提高13.4～20.2cm,;穗长增加2.0～3.8cm,穗粒数增加10.2～22.8粒。结论：根据分子检测、田间抗病鉴定及农艺性状鉴定结果,选育到96C0502、96C0507和96C0513等抗矮花叶病转基因玉米纯合株系。     

根癌农杆菌介导的水稻高效转化系统的建立

比较了影响根癌农杆菌转化水稻的各种因素后,建立了农杆菌介导的水稻高效转基因实验体系。按该体系,水稻品种中花11号预培养4d的幼胚经农杆菌EHA105／pCAMBIA1301感染后,具有GUS基因瞬间表达的幼胚比例在50％以上,最高可达90％;按产生潮霉素抗性愈伤和转基因植株的比例计算,转化率分别达到87．6％和64．6％。转基因植株总DNA的Southern杂交分析表明T－DNA上的外源基因已整合进了水稻基因组,且在大多数转基因植株中表现为单拷贝插入;遗传分析证明T1代的表型分离符合孟德尔法则。此转化系统的建立为高效地将有用的外源DNA导入水稻植株奠定了基础。     

Detection of changes in DNA methylation induced by low-energy ion implantation in Arabidopsis thaliana

This study evaluated changes in DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown from seeds implanted with low-energy N(+) and Ar(+) ions. Methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) testing revealed altered DNA methylation patterns after ion implantation at doses of 1 × 10(14) to 1 × 10(16) ions/cm(2). Comparison of the MSAP electrophoretic profiles revealed nine types of polymorphisms in ion-implanted seedlings relative to control seedlings, among which four represented methylation events, three represented demethylation events, and the methylation status of two was uncertain. The diversity of plant DNA methylation was increased by low-energy ion implantation. At the same time, total genomic DNA methylation levels at CCGG sites were unchanged by ion implantation. Moreover, a comparison of polymorphisms seen in N(+) ion-implanted, Ar(+) ion-implanted, and control DNA demonstrated that the species of incident ion influenced the resulting DNA methylation pattern. Sequencing of eight isolated fragments that showed different changing patterns in implanted plants allowed their mapping onto variable regions on one or more of the five Arabidopsis chromosomes; these segments included protein-coding genes, transposon and repeat DNA sequence. A further sodium bisulfite sequencing of three fragments also displayed alterations in methylation among either different types or doses of incident ions. Possible causes for the changes in methylation are discussed.     

Transformation of LRP gene into Brassica napus mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens to enhance lysine content in seeds

Lysine rich protein (LRP) gene derived from the seed of Psophocarpus tetragonolobus was transformed into Brassica napus, employing cotyledon petiole as explants and by using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404. Transformation efficiency was found to be closely related with phytohormone concentration, infection incubation, and co-cultured time. A medium containing 4 mg/l 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) and 0.3 mg/l naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was used for plant regeneration. With infection incubation of A. tumefaciens (OD600 = 0.4) for 20 min and co-culture of infected cotyledon petiole for 3 days, the highest transformation efficiency of 8.5% was obtained. To confirm LRP gene expression, PCR and Southern blot analysis were performed on leaf-isolated DNA from regenerated plants resistant to kanamycin. All transgenic plants of the generation T0 formed fertile seeds, which were sowed for the inheritance study of generational T1 and amino acid analysis. It was found that the lysine content of seeds from T1 generation increased by 16.7% compared with non-transgenic lines.     

Use of green fluorescent protein for detection of transformed shoots and homozygous offspring

 Using tobacco as a model system, the data obtained demonstrated that the green fluorescent protein (GFP) can be used as a visual selection marker for transformed tissues. Based on differences in the intensity of GFP fluorescence, homozygous and hemizygous states could be easily visualized in seeds and seedlings of the T1 generation. These results were confirmed by genetic analysis. Optimized conditions for GFP analysis of stable transformants are presented. Received: 9 February 1999 / Revision received: 26 April 1999 / Accepted: 19 May 1999     

Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium,Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes on alfalfa seeds by the combination treatment of vacuumed hydrogen peroxide vapour and vacuumed dry heat

We evaluated the combined effects of vacuumed hydrogen peroxide vapour (VHPV) and vacuum-sealed dry heat (vacuum heat, VH) to inactivate food-borne pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes) on alfalfa seeds. Alfalfa seeds inoculated with food-borne pathogens were sequentially treated initially with 1·0 ml of 0 or 30% VHPV for 1 min and later with dry heat (DH) or VH for 2 h, and the rate of seed germination was evaluated. The combination treatment decreased the populations of three food-borne pathogens below the limit of detection (1·0 log CFU per gram) on alfalfa seeds without decreasing germinability. The sequential treatment using VHPV and VH greatly reduced the total treatment time needed to inactivate pathogens on alfalfa seeds by more than 5 log CFU per gram. These results demonstrate that a combination of VHPV and VH has potentially employed as a new method for pasteurization of alfalfa seeds without affecting their germinability.     

Former diversity of Ephedra (Gnetales): evidence from Early Cretaceous seeds from Portugal and North America

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The extant species of the seed plant group Gnetales (Ephedra, Gnetum and Welwitschia) have been considered a remnant of a much greater, now extinct, diversity due to the pronounced differences in form and ecology among the genera. Until recently, this hypothesis has not been supported by evidence from the fossil record. This paper adds to the expanding information on Gnetales from the Early Cretaceous and describes coalified seeds from Barremian-Albian localities in Portugal and USA. METHODS: The fossils were extracted from sediment samples by sieving in water. Adhering mineral matrix was removed by chemical treatment. Seeds were investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Morphology and anatomy of the seeds were documented and compared with those of extant species. KEY RESULTS: The fossils share characters with extant Ephedra, for example papillae on the inner surface of the seed envelope and in situ polyplicate pollen grains that shed the exine during germination. They differ from extant Ephedra seeds in morphological and anatomical details as well as in their smaller size. Two new species of Ephedra are described together with one species assigned to a new genus of Gnetales. Other Ephedra-like seeds, for which pollen and critical morphological details are currently unknown, are also present in the samples. CONCLUSIONS: These Cretaceous seeds document that key reproductive characters and pollen germination processes have remained unchanged within Ephedra for about 120 million years or more. There is sufficient variety in details of morphology to suggest that a diversity of Ephedra and Ephedra-like species were present in the Early Cretaceous flora. Their presence in Portugal and eastern North America indicates that they were widespread on the Laurasian continent. The fossil seeds are similar to seeds of Erdtmanithecales and this supports the previously suggested relationship between Erdtmanithecales and Gnetales.     

Development of a simple and efficient method for transformation of buckwheat plants (Fagopyrum esculentum) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Apical meristems of seedlings of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum var. Shinano No. 1) were pricked with a needle and inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (LBA4404, pBI121). The inoculated seedlings were grown to maturation and allowed to pollinate randomly to set the seeds (T1 plants). The transformation efficiency of the T1 plants was estimated by germination in the presence of geneticin (20 microg/ml) and by detection of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene with PCR, indicating that 36% and 70% of the T1 plants were transformed, respectively. Four plants taking on a mutated morphology were selected from T1 plants which were transformed with the method using A. tumefaciens harboring a modified pBI121 for plasmid rescue. Southern blot analysis of plasmids rescued from the 4 T1 plants demonstrated that each plasmid contained a different flanking DNA of the buckwheat genome, an evidence that T-DNA was integrated in different sites of the genomic DNA among the 4 T1 plants.     

Increased yield of heterologous viral glycoprotein in the seeds of homozygous transgenic tobacco plants cultivated underground.

The use of transgenic plants in the production of recombinant proteins for human therapy, including subunit vaccines, is being investigated to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these emerging biopharmaceutical products. We have previously shown that synthesis of recombinant glycoprotein B (gB) of human cytomegalovirus can be targeted to seeds of transgenic tobacco when directed by the rice glutelin 3 promoter, with gB retaining critical features of immunological reactivity (E.S. Tackaberry et al. 1999. Vaccine, 17: 3020-3029). Here, we report development of second generation transgenic plant lines (T1) homozygous for the transgene. Twenty progeny plants from two lines (A23T(1)-2 and A24T(1)-3) were grown underground in an environmentally contained mine shaft. Based on yields of gB in their seeds, the A23T(1)-2 line was then selected for scale-up in the same facility. Analyses of mature seeds by ELISA showedthat gB specific activity in A23T(1)-2 seeds was over 30-fold greater than the best T0 plants from the same transformation series, representing 1.07% total seed protein. These data demonstrate stable inheritance, an absence of transgene inactivation, and enhanced levels of gB expression in a homozygous second generation plant line. They also provide evidence for the suitability of using this environmentally secure facility to grow transgenic plants producing therapeutic biopharmaceuticals.