Restoring adventitious shoot formation on chrysanthemum leaf explants following cocultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Explants from leaves of in vitro-grown chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvel.) cultivars regenerated adventitious shoots without an intermediate callus phase. Puncturing explants with a brush increased regenerations, but in combination with cocultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens it had an adverse effect on shoot formation. The negative effect of brushing and cocultivation could be overcome by preculturing explants for 8 days. Preculture altered the location of transformed sites but did not inhibit transformation. Regeneration following cocultivation with Agrobacterium is also encouraged if alternative regeneration protocols are used that do not require brushing.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - GUS -glucuronidase - IAA indoleacetic acid - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid     

Genetic transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana zygotic embryos and identification of critical parameters influencing transformation efficiency.

Summary An efficient procedure for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of zygotic embryos derived from three different Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes has been developed. This procedure yielded an average transformation rate of 76% for ecotype C24, and 15–20% for ecotypes Landsberg-erecta and Columbia. A critical step for optimal transformation was the preculture of embryos on a phytohormone-containing medium. Light and electron microscopical studies showed that, during preculture, procambium cells of embryos became highly susceptible to Agrobacterium infection. Transformed cells developed calli and regenerated shoots within 4–5 weeks of culture. A total of 1500 fertile transgenic plants were regenerated. In regenerated plants the presence of inserted DNA was verified by genomic Southern blot analysis, assays of enzymatic activities of reporter genes (neomycin phosphotransferase II and -glucuronidase) as well as by genetic segregation tests. R1 progenies of 45 randomly chosen transformed lines and 150 independent regenerants did not show any somaclonal variations as ascertained by both morphological and cytological criteria. Short duration (7–8 weeks), high efficiency, reproducibility and low frequency of somaclonal variation makes the zygotic embryo transformation particularly well-suited for T-DNA tagging mutagenesis.     

Calluses initiated from thin mature embryo fragments are suitable targets for wheat transformation as assessed by long-term GUS expression studies

Microprojectile- or Agrobacterium-mediated DNA delivery into calluses initiated from immature embryos has proven to be effective in transforming wheat. Yet, obtaining a large number of high quality immature embryos throughout the year is a laborious and delicate process. To circumvent these limitations, we propose an alternative technique applying the particle bombardment technology to calluses derived from fragmented mature embryos rather than immature tissues. The phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (bar) and -glucuronidase (gus) genes were used as selectable and screenable marker genes, respectively, to assess and optimise the performance of the proposed technique. Primary requirement for genetic transformation method development, the regeneration capacity of bombarded calluses was established. A preculture duration of 6 days was identified as optimal for DNA uptake and -glucuronidase (GUS) expression. The highest activity was recorded when calluses were selected. Long-term GUS expression studies (1–7weeks subsequent to bombardment), showed differentiated behaviours for tissues obtained from mature versus immature embryos. Notably, mature embryos exhibited the greatest number of cells stably expressing the reporter gene, thus providing an excellent source material for developing a stable transformation procedure.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated genetic transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perilla frutescens</Emphasis>

A reproducible plant regeneration and an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation protocol were developed for Perilla frutescens (perilla). The largest number of adventitious shoots were induced directly without an intervening callus phase from hypocotyl explants on MS medium supplemented with 3.0 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine (BA). The effects of preculture and extent of cocultivation were examined by assaying -glucuronidase (GUS) activity in explants infected with A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring the plasmid pIG121-Hm. The highest number of GUS-positive explants were obtained from hypocotyl explants cocultured for 3 days with Agrobacterium without precultivation. Transgenic perilla plants were regenerated and selected on MS basal medium supplemented with 3.0 mg/l BA, 125 mg/l kanamycin, and 500 mg/l carbenicillin. The transformants were confirmed by PCR of the neomycin phosphotransferase II gene and genomic Southern hybridization analysis of the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene. The frequency of transformation from hypocotyls was about 1.4%, and the transformants showed normal growth and sexual compatibility by producing progenies.     

Production of nematocidal compounds by hairy root cultures of Tagetes patula L.

Summary Marigold (Tagetes patula L.) hairy roots induced by infection with Agrobacterium rhizogenes produced -terthienyl when grown in darkness, and an n-hexane extract of the roots showed nematocidal activity. Depending on the hairy root line used, the level of -terthienyl varied from 15 to 1268 g per g dry weight, a level that corresponded to 0.15 to 12.7-fold that in intact roots. Analysis by HPLC indicated that the nematocidal activity was due predominantly to -terthienyl. However, it is suggested that nematocidal compounds other than -terthienyl are present in hairy roots cultured in the dark for long periods or in the light.     

Transformation and regeneration of the self-incompatible species Nicotiana alata Link & Otto

A transformation and regeneration system has been developed for Nicotiana alata, a plant which is being intensively studied as a model of gametophytic self-incompatibility. Plantlets can be regenerated efficiently from seedling hypocotyls. Kanamycin-resistant, transformed plants have been obtained by cocultivation of regenerating hypocotyls with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 containing a binary vector. The transformation frequency was low with <1% of tissue explants regenerating transformed plants. The transformed plants contained from one to three copies of the introduced DNA. In most cases, the kanamycin resistance phenotype was transmitted to the offspring as a normal Mendelian factor. In one unusual case, none of the offspring inherited the kanamycin resistance of the transformed maternal parent. This plant may have been chimeric or the kanamycin resistance gene may have been inactivated.     

REVERSED VERTICAL MIGRATION OF PLANKTONIC CRUSTACEANS IN A EUTROPHIC LAKE OF HIGH pH

SUMMARY

Two studies of the diel vertical migration of zooplankton in the hyper-eutrophic Hartbeespoort Dam, revealed that both in summer when the lake was anaerobic below 15 m depth, and in winter, when homogeneous, aerobic conditions existed throughout the water column, a major portion of the zooplankton standing crop displayed a reversed migration tendency. The clado-cerans Daphnia pulex and D. longispina, and the copepod Thermo-cyclops oblongatus were the species involved. There was no evidence to sugest that interspecific interference, a phenomenon recently found to have caused reversed vertical migration in the rotifer Asplanchna priodonta, was responsible for the unusual movements recorded in the present study, since the species concerned were by far the total biomass and size dominants of the population.     

Gene transfer in plants of Brassica juncea using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation

An efficient system for gene transfer into plants of Brassica juncea var. India Mustard, mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. was developed through the manipulation of the culture medium and the use of the appropriate Agrobacterium strain. High frequency shoot regeneration (90–100%) was obtained from hypocotyl explants grown on medium containing 0.9% agarose, 3.3 mg/L AgNO₃ and 0.5–2 mg/L BA in combination with 0.01–0.05 mg/L 2,4-D or 0.1–1 mg/L NAA. Of all the Agrobacterium strains tested, A. tumefaciens A208-SE, carrying the disarmed Ti plasmid and a binary vector pROA93, was the most effective for B. juncea transformation. pROA93 carries the coding sequences of the NPTII and the GUS genes, both driven by a common CaMV 35S promoter in two divergent directions. Inoculated explants grown on the selection medium in the presence of 0.5 mg/L BA and 0.1 mg/L NAA gave rise to transgenic shoots at the highest frequency (9%). All R_o transgenic plants were phenotypically normal, but variation in expression patterns of the GUS gene occurred among the transgenic plants in an organ- and tissue-specific manner. Both the NPTII and the GUS genes were transmitted to the R₁ seed progeny and showed co-segregation.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - NPTII neomycin phosphotransferase type II - GUS -glucuronidase - CaMV cauliflower mosaic virus - MS Murashige and Skoog - X-Gluc 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-D--glucuronic acid - IBA indolebutyric acid - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate     

Optimizing the production of transformed pea (Pisum sativum L.) callus using disarmed Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains

For optimization of the transformation procedure with Pisum sativum L. stern explant callus was used to test the effect of disarmed Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains, cocultivation procedures (preconditioning of explants; use of Nicotiana tabacum L. nurse cultures), duration of cocultivation (2, 3 or 4 days), and agents for selection (kanamycin or hygromycin). The succinamopine strain EHA101(pBI1042) produced the highest percentage of transformed calli (77%) when used in conjunction with tobacco nurse culture during four days of cocultivation. Using this strain, kanamycin (76%) and hygromycin (77%) were equally effective selective agents, but for strain LBA4404(pBI1042) percentage of transformed calli was higher for hygromycin (63%) than for kanamycin (17%). The procedures and strains shown to be optimal for transformation of pea callus will now be complemented by a pea regeneration system.     

The origin of the dog revisited

Abstract

The most widely accepted hypothesis of the origin of the dog, Canis familiaris, is that the dog is a domesticated gray wolf, Canis lupus. This paper reviews the evidence for this conclusion, finds many unanswered questions and conceptual gaps in the wolf origin hypothesis, and explores the alternative hypothesis that the most likely ancestor of the domestic dog was a medium-size, generalist canid.     

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene expression in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) tissues

Summary Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) shoot apex, epicotyl, and root expiants were capable of expressing an intron-containing beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene after inoculation with the disarmed Agrobacterium strain GV2260:p35SGUSINT. Expression occurred at all wound sites on these expiants except at the end of the root expiants proximal to the cotyledonary node. GUS expression was detected using both histochemical and fluorescence assays and was stable for at least nine days after inoculation for epicotyl and root expiants, and for at least seventeen days for shoot apices. Non-inoculated controls, or controls inoculated with an Agrobacterium strain lacking the GUS gene, did not produce any background blue staining in the histochemical assay. Expression levels for all lentil expiants were substantially lower than for comparable flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) expiants which served as a positive control.     

Transient expression of β-glucuronidase in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and roots and Brassica napus stems using a pneumatic particle gun

Successful transient expression of -glucuronidase (GUS) in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and roots and Brassica napus stems was obtained after gene delivery with a pneumatic particle gun driven by compressed air. Effects of the pneumatic pressure used to accelerate the particles (accelerating pressure; 85 to 200 kg/cm²) and of preculture periods of plant tissues (0 to 6 days) on the efficiency of gene delivery were studied. In A. thaliana leaves, best results were obtained at 115 kg/cm² of accelerating pressure and 3 days of preculture. In A. thaliana roots, the optimum was at 200 kg/cm² of accelerating pressure and 3 days of preculture. These results indicate that both preculture period and accelerating pressure are vital factors that determine the efficiency of gene delivery by particle gun.     

Transformation of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) using a binary Agrobacterium tumefaciens vector

Summary Kanamycin resistant plants of Solarium melongena L. (eggplant) cv. Picentia were obtained following the cocultivation of leaf explants with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. A disarmed binary vector system containing the neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) gene as the selectable marker and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) as a reporter gene was utilized. In vitro grown plants were used as sources of explants to produce transgenic plants on selective medium containing 100 mg/l kanamycin. The transformation and expression of the foreign genes was confirmed by DNA hybridizations, leaf disc assays, and by measuring NPTII and CAT enzyme activities. This technique is simple, rapid, efficient, and transgenic eggplants of this commercial cultivar have been transferred to soil where they have flowered and set seed.Abbreviations CAT chloramphenicol acetyltransferase - MS Murashige and Skoog - NPTII neomycin phosphotransferase - NOS nopaline synthase - ZEA zeatin     

POPULATION STRUCTURE OF TWO LABEO SPECIES IN THE HENDRIK VERWOERD DAM AS DETERMINED BY GILL NET SAMPLING

SUMMARY

A series of seven gill nets was used to sample populations of two Labeo species in the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam. Selection curves were computed for these nets and were used to define size and age structure of the two populations; these populations differ markedly, in that the moggel Labeo umbratus has a greater proportion of mature fish, while Labeo capensis (the Orange River Labeo) showed a more normal size and age distribution. Bio-mass curves closely follow the size distribution, while the fecundity of both species is highest in the larger size groups. These data were used to speculate on a fish exploitation strategy for the dam.     

Improved shoot regeneration protocol for hairy roots of the legume Astragalus sinicus

An improved protocol for shoot regeneration from hairy roots transformed by Agrobacterium rhizogenes of the legume species Astragalus sinicus (Chinese milk vetch) has been developed. The A. rhizogenes strain DC-AR2 harboring the binary vector pBI121 which carries the uidAgene encoding -glucuronidase activity and the kanamycin resistance gene nptII, was used to transform cut ends of plantlet hypocotyls. Transformed hairy roots were selected on medium containing 75 g ml^–1 kanamycin, and transformation was monitored by detection of the opine mikimopine, histochemical -glucuronidase activity, the polymerase chain reaction, and Southern blot analysis. The cytokinins benzylaminopurine, kinetin, and thidiazuron suppressed the growth of 8-month and 3-year-old hairy roots, but were necessary for adventitious shoot formation that could occur with some lines. Putative somatic embryos developed from transformed roots on medium with 7.5-10.0 mg l^–1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Light did not affect shoot regeneration from transformed hairy roots. This transformation and shoot regeneration system should be useful for testing gene expression quickly and be amenable to studies of shoot morphogenesis and interactions with rol gene expression.     

Stable transformation of Sorghum bicolor protoplasts with chimeric neomycin phosphotransferase II and β-glucuronidase genes

Summary Parameters influencing the stable transformation of Sorghum bicolor protoplasts with a chimeric neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPT II) gene by electroporation were investigated. The mean number of kanamycin-resistant calli produced increased in direct proportion to the concentration of DNA used for transformation. Linearization of the plasmid doubled the mean number of kanamycin-resistant calli produced, while the addition of carrier DNA had no effect. The copy number (1–4) of integrated genes was low compared with that frequently reported for PEG-mediated transformation. Two strategies for transforming protoplasts with a nonselectable, -glucuronidase (GUS) gene were compared. One utilized a plasmid containing a CaMV 35S-NPT II gene covalently linked to a CaMV 35S-GUS gene, and the other strategy utilized the two genes on separate plasmids. DNA from all 77 kanamycin-resistant calli analyzed contained restriction fragments hybridizing to the NPT II probe; approximately 70% of the clones from all transformation treatments contained a 1.7-kb EcoRI/HindIII restriction fragment corresponding to the full-length gene. Of the kanamycin-resistant calli, 38–63% (depending on the transformation treatment) contained GUS-hybridizing fragments, and 8–19% contained the full-length gene. The addition of NPT II and GUS genes on a single plasmid or on separate plasmids did not appear to lead to an appreciable difference in the frequency of cointegration of these genes, although an increased proportion of the plasmid bearing the nonselectable (GUS) gene appeared to favor its cointegration.     

Genetic transformation of alfalfa somatic embryos and their clonal propagation through repetitive somatic embryogenesis

Genetically transformed alfalfa (Medicago sativa L., cv. Zajearska 83) plantlets were obtained by inoculating somatic embryos with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains A281/pGA472 and LBA4404/pBI121. Single somatic embryos, 5–7 mm long, were released from a repetitively embryogenic culture, wounded, and cocultivated with the bacteria. The agar-solidified culture medium contained mineral salts, vitamins, 40 g l^–1 sucrose, 1 g l^–1 yeast extract and 0.05 mg l^–1 BA. Five clones, transformed with A281/pGA472, and 4 clones transformed with LBA4404/pBI121, were selected for proliferation by repetitive somatic embryogenesis, on media containing 100 mg l^–1 of kanamycin. The transformation of kanamycin-resistant clones was confirmed by assaying the activity of neomycin phosphotransferase II and/or -glucuronidase enzymes, and by the Southern blot analysis. It is suggested that the transformation/regeneration system based on somatic embryogenesis may be suitable for establishing transgenic alfalfa lines. The relatively low frequency of embryo transformation is compensated for by abundant proliferation in secondary somatic embryogenesis.Abbreviations BA 6-benzyladenine - GUS -glucuronidase - Km kanamycin - NPTII neomycin phosphotransferase II - X-gluc 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl--glucuronic acid - BM basal medium     

Differentiation of cells producing polypeptide hormones (ACTH,MSH, LPH, α- and β-endorphin,GH and PRL) in the fetal porcine anterior pituitary

Summary The aim of the present study on the fetal porcine pituitary was (1) to detect by means of the immunoperoxidase technique the earliest stages of cells producing polypeptide hormones: -MSH, ACTH, -LPH, - and -endorphin, growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL), (2) to study the development of the synthesis and the storage of these hormones during fetal life, and (3) to detect whether several hormones can be located in one and the same cell.The corticotropic cells were revealed as the earliest functional elements of the fetal anterior pituitary. Our results indicate clearly that ACTH, -MSH, -LPH, - and -endorphin appear at 34 days in the same regular, round or ovoid cells; no differences in the time of their appearance could be observed. The ACTH-cells, irregular or angular in shape and endowed with cytoplasmic processes such as described in the adult pituitary, were not seen until day 50. The first GH-cells were detected between 40 to 45 days of fetal life. From day 45 to 90, the GH-cells greatly increased in number and in staining intensity of their progressively extending cytoplasmic area, but they displayed the same regular and round shape. The PRL-cells were the last cell type to appear in the fetal pituitary. The first PRL-cells, small in size and round or ovoid in shape with a high nucleus/cytoplasm ratio, were detected at day 70. At day 80, the PRL-cells increased in size and staining intensity. They displayed an irregular elongated or stellated shape and cytoplasmic processes resembling those characteristic of the adult pituitary. These data suggest that in the fetal porcine pituitary: (1) ACTH, -LPH and related peptides are synthesized and stored in the same cells, and (2) PRL and GH appear in individual cellular elements.     

Transformation of Solanum integrifolium poir via Agrobacterium tumefaciens: Plant regeneration and progeny analysis

Summary The wild species Solanum integrifolium represents a source of pest and disease resistance genes for breeding strategies of the cultivated species Solanum melongena. Somatic hybridization via protoplast fusion between the two species may provide a valuable tool for transferring polygenic traits into the cultivated species. The availability of S.integrifolium cells carrying dominant selectable markers would facilitate the heterokaryon rescue. An appropriate methodology for in vitro culture and plant regeneration from leaf explants of S.integrifolium is reported. Efficient leaf-disk transformation via co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens led to the regeneration of transformed plants carrying the reporter genes GUS and NPT-II. Transformed individuals were obtained through selection on kanamycin-containing medium. Stable genetic transformation was assessed by histochemical and enzymatic assays for GUS and NPT-II activity, by the ability of leaf disks to initiate callus on Km-containing medium, Southern blot analyses of the regenerated plants, and genetic analysis of their progenies. Selfed-seed progeny of individual transformed plants segregated seedlings capable to root and grow in selective condition, while untransformed progeny did not. Genetic analyses of progeny behaviour showed that the reporter gene NPT-II segregated as single as well as two independent Mendelian factors. In two cases an excess of kanamycin-sensitive seedlings was obtained, not fitting into any genetic hypothesis.Abbreviations MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium - NOS nopaline synthase - NPT-II neomycin phosphotransferase - GUS beta-glucuronidase - LB Luria and Bertani medium - KIN 6-furfurylaminopurine - BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - 2iP N⁶-(2-isopentyl)adenine - ZEA zeatin - TDZ Thidiazuron