Optimisation of regeneration parameters improves transformation efficiency of recalcitrant tomato

Genetic transformation of tomato was first accomplished around 30 years ago. However, variability in transformation efficiency of distinct cultivars exists and to some extent remains a bottleneck for transgenic research. This study reports strategies to improve transformation efficiency in tomato and investigates regeneration capacity of transgenic plants under different selection regimes and hormonal applications. Tomato cv. Rio Grande was used as plant material and hygromycin and phosphinothricin (PPT) were used as selection agents. We found that cv. Rio Grande inherently produced a significant number of abnormal (“blind”) shoots lacking an apical meristem. Replacing cytokinin zeatin riboside with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) reduced the number of blind shoots although it slightly prolonged regeneration time. Survival rate of calli and shoots was very low using PPT as selection, whereas regeneration was achieved using hygromycin. Delayed application of hygromycin selection following co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens improved the overall callus and shoot production. In vivo GFP fluorescence was detected to investigate the development of transgenic tissues using different hygromycin selection regimes. Higher transformation frequency was achieved when explants were continuously exposed to selection agents immediately following the pre-selection stage. Reducing the selection period followed by a non-selection stage increased the number of shoots, but these shoots were mostly non-transgenic. Thus, although less stringent selection, as expected, encouraged regeneration of shoots from calli, it did not improve transformation efficiency. Omitting selection altogether greatly reduced the efficiency of transformation. It was concluded that BAP is more suitable for normal shoot development, and that delayed selection followed by continuous selection results in higher transformation frequency.

     

根癌农杆菌介导的黄瓜转基因研究进展

黄瓜Cucumis sativus是世界性的重要蔬菜作物。农杆菌介导的转基因技术是研究植物基因功能及品种改良的重要手段。为进一步加快黄瓜的转基因研究和育种进程,文中针对农杆菌介导的黄瓜遗传转化方法,从黄瓜再生能力的影响因素、遗传转化条件和过程中各类添加物质等方面,阐述了根癌农杆菌介导的黄瓜转基因研究进展及存在的问题,并对提高黄瓜遗传转化效率和安全筛选标记的应用等前景进行了展望,以期为黄瓜抗逆育种和果实品质改良等研究提供参考。     

番茄果实特异性启动子的克隆与遗传转化研究

为了实现外源基因在番茄果实中的高效和特异表达,克隆了番茄果实特异基因多聚半乳糖醛酸酶基因( Polygalacturonase,PG)的启动子.以中蔬四号番茄为材料,建立并优化了以子叶为外植体的番茄高效再生和遗传转化体系;以GUS为报告基因,构建PG:GUS植物表达载体,转化番茄.结果表明,在1.0 mg/L ZT的MS分化培养中,番茄子叶的发芽率最高,芽的诱导率高达91％,且发生畸态芽和褐化的外植体最少;通过抗生素浓度对农杆菌的抑制效果试验发现,当头孢霉素的浓度为200 mg/L时,抑制农杆菌的效果最好;成功克隆了番茄PG启动子,将PG启动子驱动的GUS基因转入番茄,对转基因后代果实的GUS染色表明,PG启动子驱动的外源基因在果实中特异表达.     

A highly efficient transformation protocol for Micro-Tom, a model cultivar for tomato functional genomics

We report a highly efficient protocol for the Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of a miniature dwarf tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), Micro-Tom, a model cultivar for tomato functional genomics. Cotyledon explants of tomato inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Rhizobium radiobacter) C58C1Rif(R) harboring the binary vector pIG121Hm generated a mass of chimeric non-transgenic and transgenic adventitious buds. Repeated shoot elongation from the mass of adventitious buds on selection media resulted in the production of multiple transgenic plants that originated from independent transformation events. The transformation efficiency exceeded 40% of the explants. This protocol could become a powerful tool for functional genomics in tomato.     

Wounding by bombardment yields highly efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.)

Highly efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) was obtained by first wounding stem explants via microprojectile bombardment. When this was followed by cocultivation with disarmed Agrobacterium in the dark, the transformation frequency-based on transient GUS expression-increased to over 10-fold that of explants wounded by other means and cocultivated under constant light. Two cycles of regeneration/selection on kanamycin were employed to generate stably transformed carnation plants and eliminate chimeras: first, plantlets were regenerated from inoculated stem explants and then leaves from these plantlets were used to generate transgenes in a second selection cycle of adventitious shoot regeneration. Agrobacterium strain AGLO, carrying the binary vector pCGN7001 containing uidA and nptII genes, was used in the stable transformation experiments. The combination of wounding via bombardment, cocultivation in the dark and two cycles of kanamycin selection yielded an overall transformation efficiency of 1–2 transgenes per 10 stem explants for the three carnation varieties analyzed. Histochemical and molecular analyses of marker genes in T₀ and T₁ generations confirmed the transgenic nature of the selected plants.     

Age-dependent transformation frequency in elite wheat varieties.

Wheat is a major world crop and as such is a primary target for improvement of agronomic characteristics via genetic engineering. Optimization of transformation is essential in order to overcome the relatively low transformation frequencies encountered with wheat. Transformation of elite wheat varieties is not always successful due to variability in regeneration and transformation frequencies between varieties. In this work, two elite wheat varieties with a relatively high embryogenic capacity were transformed by particle bombardment. A strong correlation between transformation frequency and the age of wheat donor plants was observed in both varieties. The mean transformation frequency rose from 0.7% to 5% when using immature embryos from old and young donor plants, respectively. This was observed in both varieties, the best bombardments achieving up to 7.3% frequency. Using explants at an optimal developmental stage from donor plants grown under environmentally-controlled conditions has improved the reproducibility of transformation efficiency of elite wheat varieties and leads to the production of apparently phenotypically normal, fertile, transgenic plants.     

A combination of overgrowth-control antibiotics improves Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation efficiency for cultivated tomato (L. esculentum)

Summary The transformation efficiency of cultivated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. UC82) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens was improved from 14% in a previous report to 25% in the present study. Several variables potentially involved in the improvement of transformation efficiency were evaluated, including enhancements in the regeneration system, antibiotics used for Agrobacterium-overgrowth control, and method of applying kanamycin for selection. The most important variable identified was the influence of overgrowth-control antibiotics on both the regeneration response and transformation efficiency. The best transformant recovery and Agrobacterium-overgrowth control was obtained using 250 mg l⁻¹ claforan and 250 mg l⁻¹ ticareillin as the overgrowth-control antibiotics in the media. Selfed T₁ progeny plants showed Mendelian inheritance ratios in 77% of the independently transformed lines according to phenotype expression [β-glucuronidase (GUS) assay results], and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction amplification of the transgene in progeny.     

Shoot regeneration from GUS-transformed tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) hairy root

To study the influence of genetic background on the transformation and regeneration of cultivated tomato plants, hairy root lines of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) were obtained by inoculating the hypocotyl explants of three tomato cultivars with the Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain DCAR-2, which harbors the pBI-121 binary vector. The Ri-T-DNA transformation into the plant DNA was confirmed by both of mikimopine and GUS assay analyses. The regeneration efficiency from hairy root explants was assessed. The data indicated that white embryonic calli were formed within two weeks in the presence of 2 mgl(-1) 2, 4-D plus 0.25 mgl(-1) kinetin. Adventitious shoots emerged from the embryonic callus in the presence of 1 mgl(-1) GA3 along with 0.5 mgl(-1) NAA. The regeneration frequency was higher in the cultivar UC-97, followed by Momotaro and then Edkawi. Molecular confirmation of the integration of the GUS gene into the hairy root-derived plants genomes was done via PCR using GUS-specific primers and also using Southern blotting analysis. Our data shows that regeneration is possible from hairy roots of the cultivated tomato and this system could be used to produce transgenic tomato plants expressing the genes present in Agrobacterium rhizogenes binary vectors.     

Assessment of simple marker-free genetic transformation techniques in alfalfa

Methods to avoid the presence of selectable marker genes (SMG) in transgenic plants are available but not implemented in many crop species. We assessed the efficiency of simple marker-free Agrobacterium-mediated transformation techniques in alfalfa: regeneration without selection, or marker-less, and co-transformation with two vectors, one containing the SMG and one containing a non-selected gene. To easily estimate the efficiency of marker-less transformation, the nptII and the GUS markers were used as non-selected genes. After Agrobacterium treatment, somatic embryos were regenerated without selection. The percentage of transgenic embryos was determined by a second cycle of regeneration using the embryos as starting material, in the presence of kanamycin, by PCR screening of T1 progenies, and by the GUS test. In two experiments, from 0 to 1.7% of the somatic embryos were transgenic. Co-transformation was performed with two vectors, one with the hemL SMG and one with the unselected nptII gene, each carried by a different culture of Agrobacterium. Only 15 putative co-transformed plants were regenerated from two experiments, with an average co-transformation percentage of 3.7. Southern blot hybridizations and/or T(1) progeny segregation were used to confirm transgene integration, and qPCR was also used to estimate the T-DNA copy number. In the T(1) progenies obtained by crossing with a non-transgenic pollinator, marker-free segregants were obtained. Both marker-free approaches showed very low efficiency.     

Transformation of Recalcitrant Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Cultivars is Facilitated by Wounding with Carborundum

Transformation of the recalcitrant melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars Kιrka?aç 637 and Noi Yarok was accomplished by wounding cotyledon explants by vortexing with carborundum prior to inoculation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The addition of silver nitrate to the regeneration‐selection medium reduced the transformation efficiency, as the percentage of the explants forming putative transgenic calli and bud‐like protuberances was decreased and no transgenic shoots were produced. Chimeric transgenic plants were obtained after the regeneration of putatively transformed callus, bud‐like protuberances, buds and shoots on selective medium with kanamycin. The treatments producing the most buds or shoots from explants after 30–40 days of cultivation were the most successful for the production of transgenic plants. Only treatments where explants were vortexed with carborundum produced transgenic melon shoots of either cultivar. Subculture every 18–20 days on fresh regeneration‐selection medium containing 50 mg/L kanamycin after either a relatively high (100 mg/L) or low level (50 mg/L) of kanamycin in the first regeneration‐selection medium was necessary for the successful transformation of cultivar Kιrka?aç 637. These techniques are now being used in breeding programs for the production of melon lines bearing resistances to zucchini yellow mosaic virus and cucumber mosaic virus, important viruses limiting agricultural production.     

Use of phosphomannose isomerase-based selection system for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated transformation of tomato and potato

Two selection systems for Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of tomato and potato were compared. In the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Moneymaker), the highest transformation rate, 4.2 %, of cotyledon explants on mannose-selection medium was obtained when mannose/sucrose concentration in the regeneration medium was 5/15 g dm⁻³. The best transformation efficacy with the commonly used concentration of 100 mg dm⁻³ kanamycin as a selection agent was 9 %. In the potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Bintje), the highest transformation frequency was 53.3 % when mannose concentration in the regeneration medium was 5 g dm⁻³ during the first 3 weeks after transformation and 10 g dm⁻³ afterwards. The optimum concentration of sucrose was 20 g dm⁻³. The transformation efficiency using kanamycin as a selection agent at a concentration 100 mg dm⁻³ was 33.3 % with potato. Our results demonstrate that the transformation efficiency using mannose selection is 1.6-fold higher for potato and about 2 times lower for tomato comparing with the ordinary protocol using kanamycin.     

带内含子卡那霉素抗性基因双元载体构建及烟草转化

农杆菌介导法是植物基因转化的常用方法,然而由于筛选培养基中常用的抗生素头孢霉素和羧苄青霉素具有类植物激素活性,影响外植体的再生和转化频率。将一个植物的内含子插入卡那霉素抗性基因编码区的N端,合成了一个带内含子的卡那霉素抗性基因。构建带该基因的植物双元表达栽体pYP1202并转化烟草,受侵外植体在含卡那霉素50～200mg/L的选择培养基中抗性芽分化频率不受卡那霉素浓度影响,然而具有GUS活性的转化子占分化芽的比例却随着卡那霉素浓度的增加而升高。当培养基中加入500mg/L羧苄青霉素后受侵外植体产生的抗性芽频率比单一的卡那霉素筛选提高近1倍,高达91.4％,然而具GUS活性的转化子占抗性芽的比例仅有26.7％,在200m/L的卡那霉素筛选下,比例升至93.3％。用带内含子卡那霉素抗性基因构建的植物表达载体转化植物可以减少假抗性芽的产生。     

Polyamine Accumulation in Transgenic Tomato Enhances the Tolerance to High Temperature Stress

Polyamines play an important role in plant response to abiotic stress. S-adenosyl-I-methionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) is one of the key regulatory enzymes in the biosynthesis of polyamines. In order to better understand the effect of regulation of polyamine biosynthesis on the tolerance of high-temperature stress in tomato, SAMDC Cdna isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was introduced into tomato genome by means of Agrobacterium tumefaciens through leaf disc transformation. Transgene and expression was confirmed by Southern and Northern blot analyses, respectively. Transgenic plants expressing yeast SAMDC produced 1.7- to 2.4-fold higher levels of spermidine and spermine than wild-type plants under high temperature stress, and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity and the protection of membrane lipid peroxidation was also observed. This subsequently improved the efficiency of CO2 assimilation and protected the plants from high temperature stress, which indicated that the transgenic tomato presented an enhanced tolerance to high temperature stress (38℃) compared with wild-type plants, Our results demonstrated clearly that increasing polyamine biosynthesis in plants may be a means of creating high temperature-tolerant germplasm.     

Enhanced resistance against bacterial wilt in transgenic tomato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lycopersicon esculentum</Emphasis>) lines expressing the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xa21</Emphasis> gene

To enhance bacterial wilt resistance in tomato plants and simplify the protocol of Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated gene transfer, parameters affecting transformation efficiency in tomato have been optimized. A. tumefaciens strain EHA101, harboring a recombinant binary expression vector pTCL5 containing the Xa21 gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter was used for transformation. Five cultivars of tomato (Rio Grande, Roma, Pusa Ruby Pant Bahr and Avinash) were tested for transformation. Transformation efficiency was highly dependent on preculture of the explants with acetosyringone, acetosyringone in co-cultivation media, shoot regeneration medium and pre-selection after co-cultivation without selective agent. One week of pre-selection following selection along with 400 μM acetosyringone resulted in 92.3% transient GUS expression efficiency in Rio Grande followed by 90.3% in Avinash. The presence and integration of the Xa21 gene in putative transgenic plants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot analyses with 4.5–42.12% PCR-positive shoots were obtained for Xa21 and hygromycin genes, respectively. Transgenic plants of the all lines showed resistance to bacterial wilt. T₁ plants (resulting from self-pollination of transgenic plants) tested against Pseudomonas solanacearum inoculation in glasshouse, showed Mendelian segregation.     

Agrobacterium-mediated large-scale transformation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using glyphosate selection

An Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system with glyphosate selection has been developed for the large-scale production of transgenic plants. The system uses 4-day precultured immature embryos as explants. A total of 30 vectors containing the 5-enol-pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase gene from Agrobacterium strain CP4 (aroA:CP4), which confers resistance to glyphosate, were introduced into wheat using this system. The aroA:CP4 gene served two roles in this study-selectable marker and gene of interest. More than 3,000 transgenic events were produced with an average transformation efficiency of 4.4%. The entire process from isolation of immature embryos to production of transgenic plantlets was 50-80 days. Transgenic events were evaluated over several generations based on genetic, agronomic and molecular criteria. Forty-six percent of the transgenic events fit a 3:1 segregation ratio. Molecular analysis confirmed that four of six lead transgenic events selected from Agrobacterium transformation contained a single insert and a single copy of the transgene. Stable expression of theAROA:CP4 gene was confirmed by ELISA through nine generations. A comparison of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to a particle bombardment system demonstrated that the Agrobacterium system is reproducible, has a higher transformation efficiency with glyphosate selection and produces higher quality transgenic events in wheat. One of the lead events from this study, no. 33391, has been identified as a Roundup Ready wheat commercial candidate.     

Thidiazuron: an efficient plant growth regulator for enhancing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated transformation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petunia hybrida</Emphasis>

Efficient shoot regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation systems were developed for Petunia hybrida cv. Mitchell. Leaf explants of petunia were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different concentrations of thidiazuron (TDZ) without auxin. The highest frequency of shoot regeneration (52.1%) and mean number of shoots per explant (4.1) were obtained on medium containing 2 mg l^?1 TDZ. Leaf explants inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA101/pIG121Hm harboring ß-glucuronidase (uidA) and hygromycin resistance genes developed putative transformant shoots. The highest frequency of shoot regeneration (22.5%) and mean number of transformant shoots per explant (2.4) were obtained on a selection medium consisting of the above described regeneration medium and containing 25 mg l^?1 hygromycin as the selection agent. Approximately 95% of putative transformant shoots expressed the uidA gene following histochemical ß-glucuronidase (GUS) assay. These were confirmed to be transgenic by PCR analysis and Southern blot hybridization.     

转苏云金杆菌毒蛋白基因玉米植株的获得及其抗虫性分析

玉米( Zea mays L.)转化成功与否与基因型密切相关.在转化过程中,除少数模式品种能够形成再生频率较高且易转化的Ⅱ型愈伤组织外,大多数栽培品种往往只能够形成再生频率较低且不易转化的Ⅰ型愈伤组织.因此探索Ⅰ型愈伤组织的诱导及其转化条件,提高转化效率,对直接改良玉米优良自交系具有重要意义.应用基因枪转化技术将苏云金杆菌( Bacillus thuringiensis ) cry1Ac3基因导入玉米优良自交系E28及340的Ⅰ型胚性愈伤组织中,经过膦丝菌素(PPT)或潮霉素(HygB)筛选,获得了再生植株.经PCR检测、Southern blot分析及Bt毒蛋白ELISA检测证实,外源基因已整合到玉米基因组中,并已获得表达.抗虫性分析结果表明,部分转基因玉米植株对玉米螟虫有较强的抗性.还比较了PPT和HygB两种筛选剂的筛选效果,表明PPT筛选的抗性愈伤组织的再生频率要高于HygB筛选的再生频率.     

Transgenic caraway, Carum carvi L.: a model species for metabolic engineering

Regeneration in caraway was obtained via two different routes. Hypocotyls showed delayed shoot formation after a callus phase and at relatively low frequencies. In contrast, high-frequency, direct regeneration occurred when cotyledonary node explants were used. Transient expression of β-glucuronidase was monitored after inoculation of both explant types with Agrobacterium tumefaciens AGL0(pMOG410). Gene transfer was more efficient when using cotyledonary node explants. This explant type also proved to be the best for stable transformation resulting in transgenic plants. Several parameters determining regeneration and transformation efficiency were tested. The percentage of explants giving one to numerous transgenic plants could be as high as 13%. This system for the rapid production of many transgenic caraway plants opens up possibilities for studying metabolic engineering with this crop. Received: 8 October 1996 / Revision received: 2 January 1997 / Accepted: 2 February 1997     

Genetic transformation of Robinia pseudoacacia by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Transgenic Robinia pseudoacacia plants were obtained by Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated gene transfer. Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 harbouring a binary vector that contained the chimeric neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) and beta-glucuronidase (GUS) genes was co-cultivated with hypocotyl segments of in vitro raised seedlings of Robinia. Parameters important for high efficiency regeneration and transformation rates included type of explant, pre-conditioning of explants and appropriate length of co-cultivation period with Agrobacterium. A transformation frequency 16.67% was obtained by 48 hr of pre-conditioning followed by 48 hr of co-cultivation. Transformed tissue was selected by the ability to grow on kanamycin containing medium. Successful regeneration was followed after histochemical GUS assay for the detection of transgenic tissue. This transformation procedure has the potential to expand the range of genetic variation in Robinia.     

水稻双元细菌人工染色体载体系统转化体系的建立

普通双元载体己被广泛碰用于农杆菌介导的植物转化,但这类载体通常只能转移5～20kb的外源DNA片段;而双元细菌人工染色体（BIBAC）载休可以弥补普通双元裁体的不足,通过它已在烟草、番茄等双子叶植物中实现了大片段DNA（150kb）的转移。BIBAC载体在单子叶植物转化中的应用尚未见报道。面于单、双子叶植物间以及大、小片段转化间的转化体系存在明显差异,常规的农杆菌介导的水稻转化体系不能适应BIBAC系统转化的要求。因此,建立适于BIBAC系统的水稻转化体系是十分必要的。通过比较不同的受体材料,不同的预培养、其培养条件,不同的去除农杆菌及选择阳性愈伤的方式等对转化效率的影响,建矿了适合水稻BIBAC系统的转化体系。该体系的技术要点包括：以水稻品种H1493为转化受体：以含毒性辅助质粒pCH32的LBA4404菌株（HP4404）为侵染菌株;预培养的培养拱pH5．6：以N6A代替AAM悬浮农杆菌：侵染菌液浓度为OD600=1．0;共培养温度为24℃;采用过渡（Resting）培养除去农杆菌;采用二步法进行选择等。基于PCR检测、Southern印迹分析的结果表明,BIBAC载体所携带的插入片段及标记基因已整合到转化植株的基因组中。这个体系的建立为在水稻中利用BIBAC系统进行大片段DNA转化奠定基础。