Overexpression of a heterologous sam gene encoding S-adenosylmethionine synthetase in flax (Linum usitatissimum) cells: Consequences on methylation of lignin precursors and pectins

The Arabidopsis thaliana sam1 gene encoding S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (EC 2.5.1.6) was transferred to flax ( Linum usitatissimum ) cells via Agrobacterium tumefaciens . This enzyme catalyses the conversion of methionine to S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the major methyl group donor in living cells. The aim of this work was to study the consequences of an increased SAM-synthetase (SAM-S) activity in transgenic cell lines on both the production of mono- and dimethoxylated lignin monomers and the degree of methylesterification of pectins. Hypocotyls were cocultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 (pGV2260) harbouring the pO35SSAM binary vector carrying the sam1 gene under the control of the 35S promoter and the nptII gene for selection of putative transformed cells. Most of the transgenic cell lines exhibited a significant (up to 3.2-fold) increase in SAM-S activity compared to the controls. The results showed that for the cell lines analysed this transformation had no effect on caffeic acid O -methyltransferase (COMT, EC 2.1.1.68) in vitro activity, degree of methoxylation of lignin precursors or lignin deposition, pectin methyltransferase (PMT, EC 2.1.1) in vitro activity, but led to an increase of pectin methylesterification in friable and fast-growing transgenic cell lines.     

Genetic transformation of Ginkgo biloba by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

A reproducible protocol has been established for the transformation of Ginkgo biloba by Agrobacterium tumefaciens . Embryos were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 (pGV2260) carrying the binary vector pTHW136, which contained the gus reporter gene and the nptII selectable gene, encoding the enzymes β -glucuronidase (GUS) and neomycin phophotransferase II, respectively. Transient GUS activity has been used to screen the effects of different factors on the transfer of DNA into embryos (age of embryos, infection method, composition of co-cultivation medium). Then, experimental conditions have been defined to obtain transgenic kanamycin-resistant G. biloba calluses expressing GUS activity. The highest rate of transformation (45%) was reached using 1.5-month-old embryos co-cultivated on a medium lacking mineral elements. The integration of gus and nptII genes in calluses was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis and Southern blot analysis.     

Gene Manipulation of a Heavy Metal Hyperaccumulator Species Thlaspi caerulescens L. via Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation

Thlaspi caerulescens L. is well known as a Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator. The genetic manipulation of T. caerulescens through transgenic technology can modify plant features for use in phytoremediation. Here, we describe the efficient transformation of T. caerulescens using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring a binary vector pBI121 with the nptII gene as a selectable marker, the gus gene as a reporter and a foreign catalase gene. Based on the optimal concentration of growth regulators, the shoot cluster regeneration system via callus phase provided the basis of the genetic transformation in T. caerulescens. The key variables in transformation were examined, such as co-cultivation period and bacterial suspension density. Optimizing factors for T-DNA delivery resulted in kanamycin-resistant transgenic shoots with transformation efficiency more than 20%, proven by histochemical GUS assay and PCR analysis. Southern analysis of nptII and RT-PCR of catalase gene demonstrated that the foreign genes were integrated in the genome of transformed plantlets. Moreover, the activity of catalase enzyme in transgenic plants was obviously higher than in wild-type plants. This method offers new prospects for the genetic engineering of this important hyperaccumulator species.     

Chitinase gene transformation through Agrobacteriumand its explanation in soybean in order to induce resistance to root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani

Chitinase gene (chi) of bean which has been cloned in recombinant binary plasmid vector, pBI121 with 35s promoter of Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), were used for transformation of soybean using strain LBA4404 of Agrobacterium. The plasmid contained nptII gene that is a resistant gene to kanomycin as selector marker and Gus gene as reporter. Cotyledon explants of Williams and Clark cultivars were inoculated by Agrobacterium suspension with pBI121 and were cultured in regeneration medium. After complete regeneration of explants to seedling in B5 medium amended with kanomycin, polymerase chain reaction analysis were conducted to ensure conjugation of nptII, Gus, CHN genes in transformants seedling of soybean. Results showed that some lines of soybean contained Gus and CHN genes. More ever, chitinase activity in leaf extract of transformed soybean lines was significantly more than untransformed soybean, exception one sample. Bioassay of chitinase activity of transgenic lines on in vitro condition prevented mycelial growth of Rhizoctonia solani in comparison with untransformed control leaf extract.     

Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation of cell suspension cultures of barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cvs. Igri and Dissa) cell suspension cultures, which had been initiated from immature embryo-derived (IED) and microspore-derived (MSD) callus, were co-cultivated with various Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains. The T-DNA vectors contained visually-detectable marker genes (C1/Lc orgusA-intron), as reporters of transient T-DNA transfer, and also drug resistance genes (hph or bar) to facilitate selection of stably transformed cell lines. A set of normal binary vectors in a super-virulent Agrobacterium strain [EHA101(pBECKS)] and also a super-binary vector [LBA4404(pTOK233)] were used in this study. Cells of the suspension cultures which received T-DNA were able to proliferate under selection regimes and a number of hygromycin- or phosphinothricin-resistant barley callus lines were isolated which expressed a co-transferred gusA gene. To ensure homogeneity of the cell lines, prolonged tissue culture regimes were used but these resulted in a loss of the capacity to regenerate plants from the transgenic callus lines. The frequency of recovery of transformed callus lines ranged from 0.3% to 2.9%. Southern blot analyses of the transformed callus lines confirmed the presence of the marker genes and demonstrated them to be associated with DNA which was distinct from that of the original Agrobacterium plasmid. Furthermore, independent transgenic lines showed diverse patterns of hybridising bands. These data suggest that the T-DNA fragment was stably maintained through integration into the genomes of the barley cell lines. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic transformation of tobacco NT1 cells with Agrobacterium tumefaciens

This protocol is used to produce stably transformed tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) NT1 cell lines, using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated DNA delivery of a binary vector containing a gene encoding hepatitis B surface antigen and a gene encoding the kanamycin selection marker. The NT1 cultures, at the appropriate stage of growth, are inoculated with A. tumefaciens containing the binary vector. A 3-day cocultivation period follows, after which the cultures are rinsed and placed on solid selective medium. Transformed colonies ('calli') appear in approximately 4 weeks; they are subcultured until adequate material is obtained for analysis of antigen production. 'Elite' lines are selected based on antigen expression and growth characteristics. The time required for the procedure from preparation of the plant cell materials to callus development is approximately 5 weeks. Growth of selected calli to sufficient quantities for antigen screening may require 4-6 weeks beyond the initial selection. Creation of the plasmid constructs, transformation of the A. tumefaciens line, and ELISA and Bradford assays to assess protein production require additional time.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of sea urchin embryos

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of higher plants is a well-known and powerful tool for transgene delivery to plant cells. In the present work, we studied whether Agrobacterium can transfer genetic information to animal (sea urchin) embryos. Sea urchin embryos were co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens strains carrying binary vectors containing the nptII marker gene and agrobacterial rolC and rolB oncogenes. Bacterial plasmid T-DNA-sea urchin DNA junction sites were identified in the genome of these embryos, thus indicating successful transformation. The nptII and both rol genes were expressed in the transformed embryos. The processes of transgene integration and transgene expression were suppressed when Agrobacteria contained mutated virA, virB or virG genes, suggesting that Agrobacterium transforms sea urchin cells by a mechanism similar to that which mediates T-DNA transfer to plants. Some of the embryos co-cultivated with Agrobacterium developed teratoma-like structures. The ability of Agrobacterium strains to trigger formation of teratoma-like structures was diminished when they contained the mutated vir genes. In summary, our results demonstrate that Agrobacterium is able to transform animal (sea urchin) embryonic cells, thus indicating a potential of this natural system for gene delivery to animal hosts. We also discuss the possibility of horizontal gene transfer from Agrobacterium to marine invertebrates.     

Regeneration of transgenic shape Vitis vinifera L. Sultana plants: genotypic and phenotypic analysis

Different approaches to producing transgenic grapevines based on regeneration via embryogenesis were investigated. Embryogenic callus was initiated from anther tissue of Vitis vinifera cv. Sultana and three embryogenic culture types (embryogenic callus, tissue type I; proliferating embryos, tissue type II; and a suspension) were established. The three culture types were incolucaled with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbouring a binary vector which contained a uidA reporter gene and either a hpt or nptII selectable marker gene or the cultures were bombarded with microprojectiles carrying a uidA/nptII binary vector. Transgenic plants were produced only from Agrobacterium transformation experiments. Transformed embryos were selected with kanamycin or hygromycin antibiotics and recovered with the highest efficiency from inoculated type I cultures. Southern analysis of genomic DNA extracted from ten transgenic plants showed that the number of T-DNA insertions in the genome ranged from 1 to at least 4. Evidence for methylation of the T-DNA at cytosine and adenine residues in transgenic plants was found by Southern analysis of DNA digested with two isoschizomer pairs of restriction endonucleases. No evidence for genotype alterations or somatic meiosis was found when DNA from 80 somatic embryos and seven plants regenerated from embryogenic culture were analysed at six sequence-tagged sites which are heterozygous in cv. Sultana. Expression of the uidA gene in in vitro grown leaves of transgenic plants was most often high and uniform but GUS staining was occasionally observed to be low and/or patchy. Transgenic plants and all plants regenerated from embryogenic culture produced red veined, lobed leaves which are uncharacteristic of the accepted ampelographic phenotype of Sultana. It is suggested that this phenotype may represent a juvenile growth stage.     

Obtaining of transgenic French bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) resistant to the herbicide pursuit by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation

The transgenic plants of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) resistant herbicide Pursuit and kanamycin have been obtained. The genetic transformation was carried out with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 containing binary vector carrying mutant ahas/als and selective nptII genes. Integration of the transgenes into plant genome was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.     

Stable expression of promoterless bar gene in transgenic rape plants

Phosphinothricin resistant plants of two rapeseed (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera DC.) spring industrial cultivars were obtained by Agrobacterium tumefaciens leaf disk transformation. Vector constructions contained the promoterless coding sequence of phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (bar) gene located between two inverted lox-sites (elements of Cre/lox recombination system of P1 phage) and selective neomycinphosphotransferase II gene (nptII). Integration of the alien genes was confirmed by the PCR analyses. Stable and linked inheritance of foreign genes in T1 and T2 progeny was shown.     

Stable genetic transformation of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Vigna mungo</Emphasis> L. Hepper via<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Agrobacterium tumefaciens</Emphasis>

Vigna mungo is one of the large-seeded grain legumes that has not yet been transformed. We report here for the first time the production of morphologically normal and fertile transgenic plants from cotyledonary-node explants inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying binary vector pCAMBIA2301, the latter of which contains a neomycin phosphotransferase ( nptII) gene and a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene ( uidA) interrupted with an intron. The transformed green shoots, selected and rooted on medium containing kanamycin, tested positive for nptII and uidA genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. These shoots were established in soil and grown to maturity to collect the seeds. Mechanical wounding of the explants prior to inoculation with Agrobacterium, time lag in regeneration due to removal of the cotyledons from explants and a second round of selection at the rooting stage were found to be critical for transformation. Analysis of T(0) plants showed the expression and integration of uidA into the plant genome. GUS activity in leaves, roots, flowers, anthers and pollen grains was detected by histochemical assay. PCR analysis of T(1) progeny revealed a Mendelian transgene inheritance pattern. The transformation frequency was 1%, and 6-8 weeks were required for the generation of transgenics.     

Regeneration of transgenic cassava plants (Manihot esculenta Crantz) through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of embryogenic suspension cultures

A protocol was developed for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of embryogenic suspension cultures of cassava. The bacterial strain ABI containing the binary vector pMON977 with the nptII gene as selectable marker and an intron-interrupted uidA gene (encoding β-glucuronidase) as visible marker was used for the experiments. Selection of transformed tissue with paromomycin resulted in the establishment of antibiotic-resistant, β-glucuronidase-expressing lines of friable embryogenic callus, from which embryos and subsequently plants were regenerated. Southern blot analysis demonstrated stable integration of the uidA gene into the cassava genome in five lines of transformed embryogenic suspension cultures and in two plant lines.     

Stable transformation and long-term maintenance of transgenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taxus</Emphasis> cell suspension cultures

A cell line of Taxus cuspidata has been transformed with wild-type Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC strain 15834 containing binary vector pCAMBIA1301 and, separately, with A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 containing binary vector pCAMBIA1305.2. Additionally, a cell line of T. chinensis has been transformed with wild-type A. rhizogenes ATCC strain 25818 containing binary vector pCAMBIA1301. The two transgenic T. cuspidata cell lines have been maintained in culture for more than 20 months, and the transgenic T. chinensis cell line for more than 9 months, with no loss of reporter gene expression or antibiotic resistance. The introduced genes had no discernable effect on growth or Taxol production in the transgenic cell lines when compared to the parent control. The methods for transforming non-embryogenic Taxus suspension cultures are described.     

青蒿转杜松烯合成酶基因发根系的培养

将已克隆的棉花杜松烯合成酶的ｃＤＮＡ（ｃａｄＣ１４）插入到植物表达载体ｐＢＩ１２１中,构建含ＣａＭＶ３５Ｓ启动子驱动下的杜松烯合成酶基因的植物表达载体ｐＢＩＣ１４。用含ｐＢＩＣ１４质粒的发根农杆菌（Ａｇｒｏｂａｃｔｅｒｉｕｍｒｈｉｚｏｇｅｎｅｓ）１５８３４感染青蒿（ＡｒｔｅｍｉｓｉａａｎｎｕａＬ．）叶片并诱导发根,共建立１２１个生长迅速的发根系。经浓度为２０ｍｇ／Ｌ的Ｋａｎ筛选,获得１２个抗Ｋａｎ阳性根系。ＰＣＲ和Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎｂｌｏｔｉｎｇ分析表明,外源杜松烯合成酶基因已整合到青蒿基因组中,其转基因频率为３％。ＲＴＰＣＲ分析表明,外源杜松烯合成酶基因在Ｃ３７根系中,在转录水平上已有表达。     

Transformation of suspension cultures of bromegrass (Bromus inermis) by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) is an extremely cold hardy perennial grass and its cell culture is an excellent system for studying mechanisms of cold hardiness induced by low temperature or abscisic acid (ABA). Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of non-embryogenic bromegrass cultures was attempted. Agrobacterium strain EHA105 carrying a binary vector that contained the neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT II), beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) genes were co-cultivated for 3 days with bromegrass cells at the late exponential or early stationary growth phase (7–9 days after subculture). These conditions gave optimal transformation efficiency. Putative transformants were identified by selection for geneticin resistance and by examining the calluses using fluorescence microscopy. This allows the elimination of escapes and selection of cells that express the target genes. PCR and Southern blot analyses confirmed the integration of the GUS and GFP genes into the genome of transformed bromegrass cell lines. Transformants with various levels of GUS expression were obtained with a high frequency following Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer and visual selection by GFP. The successful transformation method described allows reverse genetics approaches for analyzing cold hardiness genes isolated from bromegrass cells.     

Agrobacterium rhizogenes and A. tumefaciens co-transformation to obtain grapevine hairy roots producing the coat protein of grapevine chrome mosaic nepovirus

Hairy root cultures of grapevine were obtained from plantlets co-inoculated by virulent Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains and disarmed A. tumefaciens strains harbouring the binary vectors pKHG4 and pKVHG 2+. These plasmids contain the nptII, hpt and gus genes and differ for the presence of the gene encoding for the grapevine chrome mosaic virus coat protein. For the cultivar ‘Gravesac’, 72% of the excised root tips initiated hairy root cultures on growth regulator-free media. According to the nature of the strains used in co-inoculation, co-transformation frequencies of the hairy root clones ranged from 4 to 16%. Co-transformed roots showed resistance to kanamycin and hygromycin but responses varied from clone to clone. Fluorometric GUS expression and GCMV coat protein production showed a large variability among hairy root clones co-transformed by pKHVG2+. Though the presence of gus, nptII and GCMV coat protein genes was checked by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting, it was difficult to establish a clear relationship between expression of the different transgenes. The regeneration of plants was not achieved, but the possibility to graft in vitro transgenic roots to non transformed shoot systems could permit rapid testing of the resistance induced by nepovirus coat protein in roots of cultivars that are recalcitrant to A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

High Efficiency of Genetic Transformation of Rice Using Agrobacterium Mediated Procedure

Four japonica varieties and two indica varieties were used for the genetic transformation of rice （Oryza sativa L.） by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith et Townsend) Conn EHA101 harboring binary vector containing GUS gene and selectable marker gene of NPTⅡ and HPT. Calli derived from mature and immature embryos of rice were infected and cocultured with Agrobacterium at logarithmic phase. The highest transformation frequency was 55.1% (indica) and 85.2% (japonica) respectively according to the estimation of hygromycin resistant calli produced. The ratio of transgenic plants regenerated from the calli of indica and japonica varieties was 37.8% and 69.0% respectively. The putative transformed plants were confirmed by GUS assay, PCR analysis and Southern blotting. The segregation of foreign genes in T1 progeny corresponded to the Mendelian ratio. This transformation procedure of rice will provide an efficient model for the transformation of monocots.     

Agrobacterium mediated transformation of Vigna sesquipedalis Koern (asparagus bean)

Agrobacterium mediated transformation of Vigna sesquipedalis was achieved using cotyledonary node explants prepared from 5 days old seedlings germinated on B5 basal medium, and transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA101, carrying the phosphinothricin-N-acetyltransferase gene and neomycin-3-phosphotransferase-II gene as selectable markers and GUS gene as a screenable marker. Gene transfer was achieved by inoculation of cotyledonary node explants with a bacterial suspension and a further cocultivation with Agrobacterium suspension for 3 days on B5 basal medium. Only 10% of the explants were transformed with EHA101 and exhibited transient expression of GUS genes, while 2% of shoots exhibited stable integration of genes and developed into plants. Transgenic character of tissues was confirmed by GUS assay and Southern analysis. Histological analysis of GUS gene expression directly after cocultivation revealed a high competence of subepidermal cell layers of cotyledonary node and associated cotyledons for transformation with Agrobacterium.