Efficient plant regeneration from hairy root-derived protoplasts of Hyoscyamus muticus

Summary Successful plant regeneration was achieved for the first time from hairy root-derived protoplasts of Hyoscyamus muticus. High yields (7 × 10⁶ / g fresh weight) of protoplasts were isolated directly from the transformed roots of Hyoscyamus muticus using an enzyme mixture comprising 1 % macerozyme and 2 % cellulase in an osmoticum consisting of 0.2 M CaCl₂ and 0.6 M mannitol. Protoplasts were first cultured in liquid NT/PRO I medium and further on semi-solid NT/PRO II agar medium. The procedure permits highly efficient formation of colonies. The plating efficiency varied from 1–9 %. The small individual colonies regenerated easily into shoots and roots at frequencies of 18 % and 70 %, respectively. The time required for the development of small plantlets from protoplasts was 8–11 weeks. The regenerated plants contained rolB from Ri-T-DNA and exhibited an altered phenotype compared to the control plants.Abbreviations BAP benzylaminopurine - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction - fw fresh weight     

An unusual root tip formation in hairy root culture of Hyoscyamus muticus

Summary Hairy root cultures of Hyoscyamus muticus were established using Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC 15834. In one out of 8 clones established, an unusual root tip formation was observed after transfer of cultures from half-strength Murashige and Skoog (1962) to White's medium (1939). This phenomenon was associated with the production of a fine brownish cell suspension culture. Hairy root development resumed after transfer of the root tips from White to half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium. After plating the isolated brownish cells on hormone-free half-strength Murashige and Skoog or White solid medium, callus proliferation was observed, and then redifferentiation of hairy roots occurred. The polymerase chain reaction analysis of the H. muticus hairy root (clone Z2) revealed that only the tl region of the T-DNA was integrated. The growth and the production of five tropane alkaloids by this clone were examined.Abbreviations PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction - MS medium Murashige and Skoog Medium - 1/2 MS medium half-strength MS medium - WP medium Woody Plant medium - RC medium Root Culture medium - WH medium White medium - HPLC High Performance Liquid Chromatography - wt. weight     

Fertile somatic hybrid between sexually incompatible Hyoscyamus muticus and Hyoscyamus albus

Summary Somatic hybrid plants have been regenerated from fused protoplasts of a chlorophyll deficient mutant of H. muticus (2n=28) with wild type protoplasts of H. albus (2n=68). The inability of protoplasts of H. albus to regenerate was utilized in complementation with achlorophyllous, but regenerating, protoplasts of H. muticus for the selection of green somatic hybrid colonies and plants. The somatic hybrid plants showed intermediate morphological characters, and possessed 82–120 chromosomes, with a modal number of 96 which is also the amphidiploid complement of the two species. The isozyme patterns indicated the presence and expression of genes from both parents. The hybrid plants produced 33–78% viable pollen and set viable seeds upon selfing and backcrossing in a directional manner.     

Transformation of soybean via particle bombardment of embryogenic suspension culture tissue

Summary Embryogenic suspension culture tissue of soybean (Glycine max Merrill.) was bombarded with particles coated with plasmid DNAs encoding hygromycin resistance andβ-glucuronidase (GUS). One to two weeks after bombardment, embryogenic tissue was placed in a liquid proliferation medium containing hygromycin. Four to six weeks after bombardment, lobes of yellow-green, hygromycin-resistant tissue, which began as outgrowths on brown clumps of hygromycin-sensitive tissue, were isolated and cultured to give rise to clones of transgenic embryogenic material. In vivo GUS assays of hygromycin-resistant clones showed that the early outgrowths could be negative, sectored, or positive for GUS activity. Transgenic, fertile plants could be routinely produced from the proliferating transgenic embryogenic clones. Southern hybridization analyses confirmed stable transformation and indicated that both copy number and integration pattern of the introduced DNA varied among independently transformed clones. Hybridization analysis of DNA from progeny plants showed genetic linkage of multiple copies of introduced DNA. An average of three transgenic clones were obtained per bombardment making this procedure very suitable for transformation of soybean.     

Effect of nitrogen and sucrose on the primary and secondary metabolism of transformed root cultures of Hyoscyamus muticus

Abatract The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources on two well-established hairy root clones, LBA1S and C58A, of Hyoscyamus muticus strain Cairo, were investigated. Both clones exhibited completely different patterns with regards to their growth rate, hyoscyamine accumulation, and fatty acid contents. Clone C58A grew faster and yielded more biomass (17.4 g l^-1, in 21 days), but produced less hyoscyamine. The maximum hyoscyamine content (120 mg l^-1) in clone LBA1S was reached in 28 days. Neither of the clones could use lactose or fructose as the sole carbon source, nor ammonium as the sole nitrogen source. The growth in the medium containing glucose was significantly reduced compared to that containing sucrose. Clone LBA1S was sensitive to the changes in sucrose concentration and an increase in ammonium in the culture medium, whereas C58A tolerated these changes better but was more sensitive to the increase in total nitrogen. Lipid synthesis was active in the exponential growth phase, and the total fatty acid content varied from 5 to 34 mg g^-1 of dry root material. The major fatty acids were linoleic, palmitic and linolenic. There were considerable differences in the total amount of lipids and in their relative ratios when different nutrients were applied.Abbreviations DW dry weight - FA fatty acids - FFA free fatty acids - FW fresh weight     

Transformation of Fusarium oxysporum by particle bombardment and characterisation of the resulting transformants expressing a GFP transgene

Fusarium is the causative agent of a variety of economically significant vascular wilt diseases of vegetables, flowers and field crops. The completion of the first Fusarium genome and the availability of an EST database now provides a platform for both forward and reverse genetic approaches to ascribe gene function in this phytopathogen. To underpin these strategies effective gene transfer procedures will be required. Here we describe an efficient and robust procedure for Fusarium oxysporum transformation based on particle bombardment. We utilised this procedure to introduce a chimeric gene comprised of the Aspergillus nidulans Pgdp promoter fused to a GFP reporter gene. A transformation efficiency of 45 transformants per μg of plasmid DNA was routinely achieved. The Pgdp promoter directed strong cytoplasmic expression of the GFP marker in transformed F. oxysporum monitored via fluorescence and confocal microscopy. A pathogenicity assay undertaken on Arabidopsis seedlings with selected transformants revealed that virulence was retained following transformation. Moreover, in a similar fashion to wild-type F. oxysporum, these transformants activated three distinct Arabidopsis defence gene promoter::luciferase fusions, which defined specific defence gene subsets.     

Characterization of transgenic plants derived from hairy roots ofHyoscyamus muticus

Mature plants were regenerated via protoplasts fromAgrobacterium rhizogenes-transformed root cultures ofHyoscyamus muticus L., and chemical analyses were performed on 34 individual plants. The regenerated plants showed strong phenotypic differences from clone to clone as well as from the control plants. Polymerase chain reaction studies revealed that the plants exhibiting the strongest phenotypic alterations contained therol (A, B and C) genes, whereas the plants with fewer alterations had lost them. The plants produced hyoscyamine, scopolamine and a range of different calystegins, and considerable somaclonal variation was observed. Alkaloid production in the plants transgenic for therol genes was clearly reduced. The pattern of calystegins was similar within all the regenerated plants lackingrol genes. Among the plants withrol genes, the calystegin B₁ was not detectable. It seems clear that the presence ofrol genes is detrimental to the alkaloid accumulation in the transgenic plants in contrast to hairy root cultures.Abbreviation PCR Polymerase chain reaction     

Characteristics of growth and tropane alkaloid production in Hyoscyamus albus hairy roots transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4

Summary Hairy root culture of Hyoscyamus albus was established by transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4. The growth and production of five tropane alkaloids were investigated under various culture conditions. Among the four basal culture media tested, Woody Plant medium was the best for growth of the hairy roots, but a high amount of tropane alkaloids was obtained with Gamborg's B5 medium. Sucrose concentration in B5 medium had little effect on the growth, while 3% sucrose was suitable for the alkaloid production. Addition of KNO₃ to Woody Plant medium affected the growth, whereas the alkaloid content was not markedly improved. Supplement of some metal ions to B5 medium stimulated the alkaloid production. In particular, Cu²⁺ remarkably enhanced both the growth and the alkaloid yield. The hairy roots cultured under 16 h/day light survived for more than 32 days compared with those cultured in the dark.Abbreviations EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - MeOH methanol - MS medium Murashige and Skoog medium - WP medium McCown's Woody Plant medium - B5 medium Gamborg B5 medium - wt weight     

Stable transformation of cultured cells of the liverwortMarchantia polymorpha by particle bombardment

Suspension-cultured cells (A-18 line) of the liverwortMarchanta polymorpha were bombarded by a pneumatic particle gun with plasmid pCH harbouring the hygromycin phosphotransferase (HPT) gene (hpt) under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35 S promoter and the nopaline synthase polyadenylation region. Nine weeks after bombardments, 128 hygromycin-resistant calluses were obtained from an approximate total of 7×10⁶ cells. Ten cell lines chosen randomly were analysed further. Southern blot analysis showed that all of the ten lines contain thehpt gene in the genome, demonstrating that these lines are transformants. An HPT enzyme activity assay confirmed the expression of the gene in all of the transformant lines.     

Successful expression in pollen of various plant species of in vitro synthesized mRNA introduced by particle bombardment

Gold particles coated with -glucuronidase (GUS) mRNA with a 5 cap structure that had been synthesized in vitro were introduced, by use of a pneumatic particle gun, into pollen grains of lily (Lilium longiflorum), freesia (Freesia refracta) and tulip (Tulipa gesneriana). A fluorometric assay for the GUS activity indicated that in vitro synthesized GUS mRNA introduced into these pollen cells by particle bombardment was successfully expressed. GUS activity in extracts of the bombarded lily pollen became detectable fluorometrically within 30 min after bombardment, peaked at 6 h, then gradually decreased. This activity changed as a function of the developmental stage of the pollen cell of lily.     

Fertile transgenic barley by particle bombardment of immature embryos

Transgenic, fertile barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) from the Finnish elite cultivar Kymppi was obtained by particle bombardment of immature embryos. Immature embryos were bombarded to the embryonic axis side and grown to plants without selection. Neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) activity was screened in small plantlets. One out of a total of 227 plants expressed the transferred nptII gene. This plant has until now produced 98 fertile spikes (T₀), and four of the 90 T₀ spikes analyzed to date contained the nptII gene. These shoots were further analyzed and they expressed the transferred gene. From green grains, embryos were isolated and grown to plantlets (T₁). The four transgenic shoots of Toivo (the T₀ plant) produced 25 plantlets as T₁ progeny. Altogether fifteen of these T₁ plants carried the transferred nptII gene as detected with the PCR technique, fourteen of which expressed the nptII gene. The integration and inheritance of the transferred nptII gene was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization. Although present as several copies, the transferred gene was inherited as a single Mendelian locus into the T₂ progeny.     

Transgenic roots produced by introducing Ri-rol genes into cucumber cotyledons by particle bombardment

Transformed roots ofCucumis sativus were obtained from cotyledon tissues that had been bombarded with gold particles coated with plasmid pE7.4 using a pneumatic particle gun. This plasmid containsrolA, rolB, rolC genes and ORF 13 of the 7.4 kbEco RI fragment of T-DNA of pRi 1724 isolated fromAgrobacterium rhizogenes MAF 03-01724. The nature of the tissue and the composition of the culture media used greatly influenced the recovery of transformed roots. The transgenic nature of the derived roots was confirmed by the vigorous. highly-branched growth seen on a phytohormone-free medium. The stable integration ofrol genes into the cucumber genome was confirmed by Southern blot analysis.     

Stable transformation of the food yam Dioscorea alata L. by particle bombardment

Summary A biolistic particle gun was used to deliver genetic material into intact yam cells. Cultured suspension cells of D. alata were bombarded with microprojectiles coated with pBI221.2 DNA and histochemical assays were carried out to show transient GUS expression in bombarded cells. Stably transformed D. alata cells were recovered from cultured cells after bombardment with microprojectiles coated with pRT99gus harbouring both the nptII and uidA genes. Bombarded cells were selected on a medium containing geneticin (G418). Two months after bombardment, calli resistant to G418 were assayed for GUS expression. There was a 100% correlation between resistance to G418 and GUS expression. From these calli, four cell lines were established and GUS activity in each line was determined fluorometrically. The use of a specific GUS inhibitor showed that the GUS activity was due to the introduced uidA gene rather than to any intrinsic GUS-like activity originating from the plant. Incorporation of the introduced DNA into the plant genomic DNA was confirmed by Southern analysis.Abbreviations GUS -glucuronidase - MU 4-Methylumbelliferone - MUG 4-Methylumbelliferyl--D-glucuronide - PVP Polyvinylpyrrolidone - SDS Sodium dodecyl sulphate - TAE Tris-acetate-EDTA buffer - X-Gluc 5-Bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl--D-glucuronide     

Enhanced insect resistance in Thai rice varieties generated by particle bombardment

We used particle bombardment to transform two elite Thai rice varieties, Khao Dawk Mali 105 (KDML105) and Supanburi 60 (SP60), with the snowdrop lectin gene gna (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin). This gene confers resistance to sap-sucking insects such as the brown planthopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens), which is one of the most damaging pests of rice. Traditionally, KDML105 and SP60 have been regarded as recalcitrant to transformation, and this is the first account of successful gene transfer to these varieties. By molecular analysis, we confirmed the recovery of over thirty gna-transgenic lines. GNA protein expression was characterised by western blot analysis, and we achieved expression levels of up to 0.25% total soluble protein. GNA-producing R₁ transgenic plants were significantly more resistant to BPH than control plants (P<0.0001), with 37% and 42% reduction in nymphal survival for constitutive and phloem-specific expression, respectively. Transferring the gna gene to these superior rice varieties thus represents a major step forward for crop improvement in Thailand, and should help to reduce the damage caused by rice pests, and hence increase yields for this vital domestic and export market.     

Ploidy dependence of chromosomal variation in callus cultures ofHyoscyamus muticus L.

Summary Remarkable variation for chromosome number was observed in both diploid (2x) and autotetraploid (4x) callus cultures continuously examined for 12 months at monthly subsculture intervals. Initially, the subcultures exhibited predominantly the genomic level of the starting material which subsequently and gradually developed into heterogenous populations of euploid and aneuploid cells imparting the subcultures a aneusomatic status. The comparison of chromosomal instability recorded in 2x vs. 4x callus cultures revealed that with time both types of calli stabilized at a chromosome number around the 4x level. However, the chromosomal examination of the adventitious roots emerging from the disorganized calli revealed the euploid (both 2x and 4x) chromosome levels suggesting the occurrence of amorphogenetic sieve.This paper is dedicated to Professor A. K.Sharma of Calcutta University on his 65th birthday by his former student U. C. L. and grandstudent S. S. (CIMAP Publication no. 739).     

Embryogenesis and plant regeneration from callus cultures derived from unpollinated ovaries of Hyoscyamus muticus L.

Unpollinated ovaries of Hyoscyamus muticus L. (commonly known as Egyptian henbane) were cultured on Murashige and Skoog and Bourgin and Nitsch media supplemented with various growth hormones to study the organogenesis, embryogenesis and regeneration of plantlets. Embryogenesis was reported for callus grown on both media containing 0.05 mg/l α-naphthaleneacetic acid and 0.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine. Differentiation of roots and shoots from the calli also occurred in these media. Albinism or chlorophyll deficiency and variation in ploidy level were observed among the ovary-derived plantlets. Received: 7 April 1997 / Revised received: 2 August 1997 / Accepted: 2 September 1997     

Transformation of maize using microprojectile bombardment: An update and perspective

Summary Using microprojectile bombardment of maize suspension cultures and bialaphos selection, transformed embryogenic calli have been recovered in numerous independent experiments. Fertile transgenic plants have been regenerated from several transformed callus lines. Stable inheritance and expression ofbar and functional activity of the enzyme phosphinothricin acetyl transferase were observed in three subsequent generations of transformed plants. Evidence to date indicates that the transformation process and the presence of the foreign gene per se do not detrimentally influence either plant vigor or fertility. This represents a practical method for introducing foreign genes into maize, which may be applicable to other monocot species. Presented in the Session-in-Depth Genetic Transformation and Genetic Analysis Using Microprojectile Bombardment at the Annual Meeting of the Tissue Culture Association, Houston, Texas, June 10–13, 1990.     

Transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lyophyllum decastes</Emphasis> by particle bombardment

The basidiomycete Lyophyllum decastes was transformed by means of particle bombardment. We isolated five transformants under twelve conditions differing in the two parameters of target distance and helium pressure. The transformation frequency was one transformant/μg DNA. In the transformants, plasmid DNAs were integrated into the genomic DNA and stably maintained. This is the first report on transformation of L. decastes by particle bombardment.     

High frequency stable transformation ofArabidopsis thaliana by particle bombardment

Root explants ofArabidopsis thaliana ecotype C24 were bombarded with the plasmid pCH harboring the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hpt). A selection condition with post-bombardment culture of 3 days followed by culture with 20 mgl⁻¹ hygromycin gave the highest yield of transformants. More than 44% of explant clumps formed transformant shoots.