Phenotypic instability of transgenic tobacco plants and their progenies expressing Arabidopsis thafiana small GTP-binding protein genes

Chimeric genes consisting of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, a CDNA encoding a small GTP-binding protein from Arabidopsis thaliana (ara-2 or ara-4) and the terminator of the nopaline synthase gene were cloned into a binary vector. Tobacco leaf tissues were transformed with this plasmid via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants possessing either ara-2 or ara-4 occasionally showed morphological abnormalities in leaves and other organs. However, such alterations were not always associated with co-transferred characters, such as kanamycin tolerance, and they arose in no more than 10% of the transgenic plants. Such phenomena were also observed in the progenies of the primary transgenic plants. Despite such unusual inheritance of the phenotypic abnormalities, GTP-binding activity of the inserted ara gene products was detected in all plants tested.     

Overexpression of the Escherichia coli catalase gene, katE, enhances tolerance to salinity stress in the transgenic indica rice cultivar, BR5

Salinity stress is a major limiting factor in cereal productivity. Many studies report improvements in salt tolerance using model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana or standard varieties of rice, e.g., the japonica rice cultivar Nipponbare. However, there are few reports on the enhancement of salt tolerance in local rice cultivars. In this work, we used the indica rice (Oryza sativa) cultivar BR5, which is a local cultivar in Bangladesh. To improve salt tolerance in BR5, we introduced the Escherichia coli catalase gene, katE. We integrated the katE gene into BR5 plants using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated method. The introduced katE gene was actively expressed in the transgenic BR5 rice plants, and catalase activity in T₁ and T₂ transgenic rice was approximately 150% higher than in nontransgenic plants. Under NaCl stress conditions, the transgenic rice plants exhibited high tolerance compared with nontransgenic rice plants. T₂ transgenic plants survived in a 200 mM NaCl solution for 2 weeks, whereas nontransgenic plants were scorched after 4 days soaking in the same NaCl solution. Our results indicate that the katE gene can confer salt tolerance to BR5 rice plants. Enhancement of salt tolerance in a local rice cultivar, such as BR5, will provide a powerful and useful tool for overcoming food shortage problems.     

转CiCHS基因拟南芥的黄酮代谢及抗氧化能力分析

该研究克隆了中间锦鸡儿的查尔酮合成酶基因(CiCHS)并转入野生型拟南芥和tt4突变体,用qRT-PCR检测了转基因拟南芥中内源AtCHS基因的表达量,用分光光度法分析了转基因拟南芥的总黄酮、丙二醛含量及DPPH自由基清除能力,用HPLC法检测了转基因拟南芥的柚皮苷含量。结果显示:(1)转基因拟南芥中,内源AtCHS基因的表达量约为野生型的十分之一,总黄酮含量明显高于野生型;HPLC测得转基因株系中柚皮苷含量高于野生型;紫外照射处理前后转基因拟南芥中丙二醛积累量明显少于野生型。(2)转基因株系提取物对DPPH自由基清除能力显著高于野生型。(3)CiCHS基因互补拟南芥tt4突变体,转基因株系的种皮呈现浅棕色。研究表明,中间锦鸡儿CiCHS基因异源表达后生成了柚皮苷,使转基因植物的抗氧化性增强,部分恢复了tt4突变体的种皮颜色。     

Genetic transformation and regeneration of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg) transgenic plants with a constitutive version of an anti-oxidative stress superoxide dismutase gene

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation and the regeneration of transgenic plants was achieved in Hevea brasiliensis. Immature anther-derived calli were used to develop transgenic plants. These calli were co-cultured with A. tumefaciens harboring a plasmid vector containing the H. brasiliensis superoxide dismutase gene (HbSOD) under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. The -glucuronidase gene (uidA) was used for screening and the neomycin phosphotransferase gene (nptII) was used for selection of the transformed calli. Factors such as co-cultivation time, co-cultivation media and kanamycin concentration were assessed to establish optimal conditions for the selection of transformed callus lines. Transformed calli surviving on medium containing 300 mg l^-1 kanamycin showed a strong GUS-positive reaction. Somatic embryos were then regenerated from these transgenic calli on MS2 medium containing 2.0 mg l^-1 spermine and 0.1 mg l^-1 abscisic acid. Mature embryos were germinated and developed into plantlets on MS4 medium supplemented with 0.2 mg l^-1 gibberellic acid, 0.2 mg l^-1 kinetin (KIN) and 0.1 mg l^-1 indole-3-acetic acid. A transformation frequency of 4% was achieved. The morphology of the transgenic plants was similar to that of untransformed plants. Histochemical GUS assay revealed the expression of the uidA gene in embryos as well as leaves of transgenic plants. The presence of the uidA, nptII and HbSOD genes in the Hevea genome was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and genomic Southern blot hybridization analyses.Communicated by L. Peña     

铁皮石斛DoSMT2基因的功能分析

为了揭示铁皮石斛(Dendrobium officinale)甾醇C-24甲基转移酶2基因(DoSMT2)在甾醇代谢过程的功能,该研究通过根癌农杆菌介导法将来源于铁皮石斛的DoSMT2基因转化烟草(Nicotiana tabacum),并采用qRT-PCR技术检测DoSMT2基因在转基因烟草叶片中的表达,采用气相色谱质谱法分析菜油甾醇和谷甾醇的含量。结果显示:(1)成功获得DoSMT2基因的开放阅读框(1 119 bp),并成功构建正义植物表达载体质粒pCXSN-DoSMT2,经农杆菌介导的烟草叶盘转化法转化烟草并鉴定,获得4株阳性转基因烟草植株。(2)Southern blot结果表明,4株转基因烟草植株都有1条杂交信号带,而非转基因烟草植株没有,说明外源DoSMT2基因都以单拷贝整合到4株转基因烟草基因组中。(3)qRT-PCR检测显示,非转基因烟草未检测到外源DoSMT2基因的表达,4株转基因烟草都能检测到DoSMT2基因的表达,且表达水平差异极显著,各株系表达量高低依次为P3P1P2(P4)。(4)气相色谱质谱分析显示,转DoSMT2基因烟草叶片的菜油甾醇含量均极显著低于非转基因烟草叶片,而谷甾醇含量均极显著高于非转基因烟草叶片。研究表明,DoSMT2具有催化24-亚甲基胆甾烯醇转化形成24-亚乙基胆甾烯醇活性。     

In vitro insect-feeding bioassay to determine the resistance of transgenic rice plants transformed with insect resistance genes against striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis)

Summary To determine the degree of insect resistance in transgenic plants, different bioassays are used which typically use either whole plant or small pieces of leaves or stems of transgenic plants, following culture under greenhouse conditions. An in vitro insect-feeding bioassay is presented which permits the infestation of transgenic plantlets with newly hatched larvae from the striped stem borer. The bioassay consists of the germination of rice seeds in vitro using Murashige and Skoog medium in test tubes, and then infestation of each 3–4 cm long seedling with one neonate larva obtained from surfacesterilized eggs of Chilo suppressalis. The infested in vitro plantlets are kept in culture rooms at 25°C for several days and then the seedling damage and the growth of the larvae are analyzed. Senia (japonica variety) homozygous transgenic rice plants were used for these experiments. The plants were transformed with either the cry1B or the maize proteinase inhibitor (mpi) genes. Both genes confer resistance to Chilo suppressalis. With non-transformed plants the larvae grew and developed normally, feeding on the small rice plantlets. In contrast, with cry1B plants, the neonate larvae died during the first days of the infestation. These plantlets recovered completely and developed similarly to the non-infested control plants. With transgenic plants transformed with the mpi gene, the neonate larvae did not die but grew more slowly compared with the controls. Thus, this in vitro insect-feeding bioassay is a rapid and easy method to detect the resistance of cry and mpi transgenic plants to stem borers such as Chilo suppressalis.     

Generation of large numbers of transgenic Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) plants following biolistic gene transfer

A very efficient transformation system, using biolistic bombardment, has been developed for the production of transgenic plants of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). Embryogenic calli, initiated from immature embryos, were transformed either with pAct1IHPT-4 containing the hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) gene or with pDM803 containing the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (bar) gene and the β-glucuronidase (uidA) gene. In total 119 independent transgenic plants were recovered from 153 hygromycin-resistant lines. Bialaphos selection yielded a total of 99 bialaphos-resistant lines and from these 34 independent transgenic plants were recovered. Southern blot analysis demonstrated the independent nature of the transgenic plants and also revealed a complex transgene integration pattern with multiple insertions. The first two author contributed equally to this work     

Over-expression of a gibberellin 2-oxidase gene from Phaseolus coccineus L. enhances gibberellin inactivation and induces dwarfism in Solanum species

Gibberellins (GAs) are endogenous hormones that play a predominant role in regulating plant stature by increasing cell division and elongation in stem internodes. The product of the GA 2-oxidase gene from Phaseolus coccineus (PcGA2ox1) inactivates C₁₉-GAs, including the bioactive GAs GA₁ and GA₄, by 2β-hydroxylation, reducing the availability of these GAs in plants. The PcGA2ox1 gene was introduced into Solanum melanocerasum and S. nigrum (Solanaceae) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with the aim of decreasing the amounts of bioactive GA in these plants and thereby reducing their stature. The transgenic plants exhibited a range of dwarf phenotypes associated with a severe reduction in the concentrations of the biologically active GA₁ and GA₄. Flowering and fruit development were unaffected. The transgenic plants contained greater concentrations of chlorophyll b (by 88%) and total chlorophyll (11%), although chlorophyll a and carotenoid contents were reduced by 8 and 50%, respectively. This approach may provide an alternative to the application of chemical growth retardants for reducing the stature of plants, particularly ornamentals, in view of concerns over the potential environmental and health hazards of such compounds. C. Dijkstra, E. Adams, A. Bhattacharya and A. F. Page contributed equally to this paper.     

Overexpression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zm401</Emphasis>, an mRNA-like RNA,has distinct effects on pollen development in maize

We previously identified a 0.7 Kb cDNA fragment of Zm401, a novel pollen-specific gene in maize (Zea mays). However, little information is known about the function of Zm401 in pollen development. The full-length of Zm401 cDNA was amplified by 5′ RACE and 3′ RACE and both sequence analysis and in vitro translation of Zm401 showed that it belonged to an mRNA-like non-coding gene. To analyze its possible biological roles in pollen development, the Zm401 cDNA was overexpressed in transgenic maize under the control of a pollen specific promoter Zm13 or a CaMV 35S promoter. RT-PCR and RNA gel blot analysis indicated that the expression level of Zm401 in leaves and anthers of transgenic plants was much higher than that of non-transformants. Compared with the non-transformed maize, transgenic maize showed distinct phenotypes, such as abnormal tassels and degenerate anthers. The histological observation showed that the development of pollen grains and anthers in transgenic plants were abnormal. These abnormalities include delayed degradation of tapetum, asynchronous fusion of pollen sacs, and aborted pollen grain development. Furthermore, the pollen viability in six transgenic plants ranged from 1.24% to 6.63%. The reduced pollen viability cosegregated with the transgene in a selfed progeny. These results suggest that Zm401 is involved in the regulation of pollen development. This article demonstrated Zm401, as a non-coding RNA, plays an essential role in pollen development. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A family 19 chitinase (Chit30) from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis ATCC 11238 expressed in transgenic pea affects the development of T. harzianum in vitro

Embryo axes excised from mature seeds of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cv. ‘Sponsor’ were used as explants for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using pGreenII 0229 binary vectors. The vectors harbored a chimeric chitinase gene (chit30), driven by the constitutive 35S promoter or the elicitor inducible stilbene synthase (vst) promoter from grape (Vitis vinifera L.). The secretion signal of the bacterial chitinase gene from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis ATCC 11238 (DSM 41433) was replaced by the A. thaliana basic chitinase leader sequence. Functional properties of the recombinant gene were tested in tobacco as a model system before the long process of pea transformation was undertaken. Several transgenic pea clones were obtained and the transgenic nature confirmed by different molecular methods. The accumulation and activity of chitinase in stably transformed plants were examined by Western blot analysis and in-gel assays, which showed the presence of an additional 3 isoform bands. Using in vitro bioassays with Trichoderma harzanium as a model, we found an inhibition or delay of hyphal extension, which might indicate enhanced antifungal activity compared with non-transformed pea plants. Up to the 4th generation, the transgenic plants did not show any phenotypic alterations compared with non-transgenic control plants.     

Flower form alteration by genetic transformation with the class B MADS-box genes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agapanthus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">praecox</Emphasis> spp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">orientalis</Emphasis> in transgenic dicot and monocot plants

The class B genes, which belong to the MADS-box gene family, play important roles in regulating petal and stamen development in flowering plants. These genes exist in two different types termed DEF- and GLO-like genes, and the B-function is provided by heterodimers of a DEF- and a GLO-like gene product. In the present study, dicot (tobacco and lettuce) and monocot (Tricyrtis hirta) plants were transformed with the GLO-like gene of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis ApGLO alone or in combination with the DEF-like gene of the same plant ApDEF. In two out of 10 transgenic tobacco plants containing ApGLO, sepals partially converted into petaloid organs. For lettuce, ray florets of four out of nine transgenic plants containing ApGLO also developed additional petaloid organs. In two out of five transgenic T. hirta plants containing both ApGLO and ApDEF, organs developed in whorl 4 showed noticeable morphological alteration: they were much longer compared with carpels of non-transgenic plants, and had purple spots overall on the surface as filaments of non-transgenic plants. No morphological alterations were observed in vegetative organs between transgenic and non-transgenic plants for all the three species. The results obtained in the present study indicate a possibility of molecular breeding for flower form alteration by genetic transformation with the class B MADS-box gene(s) of heterologous plant species.     

MicroTom—a high-throughput model transformation system for functional genomics

We have developed a high-throughput Agrobacterium-mediated transformation model system using both nptII and the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase gene from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain CP4 (cp4) based selections in MicroTom, a miniature rapid-cycling cherry tomato variety. With the NPTII selection system, transformation frequency calculated as independent transgenic events per inoculated explant ranged from 24 to 80% with an average of 56%, in industrial production scale transformation experiments. For CP4, with glyphosate selection, the average transformation frequency was 57%. Stable transformation frequency was positively correlated with transient expression (R=0.85), and variable with the genes of interest. DNA integration and germline transformation were confirmed by biological assay, Southern Blot analysis, and R₁ phenotype segregation. Transgene expression was observed in leaf, root, stem, flower, and fruit tissues of the transgenic plants. Ninety-five percent of transgenic events coexpressed two introduced genes based on β-glucuronidase (GUS) and neonmycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) expression. Seventy-five percent of transgenic events contained one to two copies of the introduced uidA (GUS) gene based on Southern analysis. Transgenic plants from the cotyledon explants to the transgenic plants transferred to soil were produced within about 2–3 months depending on the genes of interest. The utility of this MicroTom model transformation system for functional genomic studies, such as identification of genes related to important agricultural traits and gene function, is discussed.     

过表达或沉默棉花GhPCBER基因株系的获得及其茎叶木质素和木脂素含量研究

编码苯基香豆满苄基醚还原酶(phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase,PCBER)的基因PCBER属于PIP亚家族,是苯丙烷代谢途径中参与木脂素合成的关键基因。该研究构建了棉花GhPCBER基因的植物过表达载体并转化拟南芥,同时构建了VIGS(virus induced gene silencing,病毒诱导的基因沉默)载体转化棉花,采用实时荧光定量PCR技术对GhPCBER基因在不同组织中的表达进行分析;对野生型和转基因植株茎叶组织中的木质素和木脂素含量进行测定分析。结果表明:(1)成功构建了GhPCBER植物过表达载体pGWB17-GhPCBRE以及基因沉默重组载体pTRV2-GhPCBER;经遗传转化获得6株转棉花GhPCBER基因抗性拟南芥植株,同时获得15株GhPCBER基因沉默棉花植株(5株为一组)。(2)PCR检测表明,6株转基因拟南芥均为过表达株系,其中株系1、2、3相对表达量更高,且在茎、叶组织中的表达量分别较野生型提高了7～14倍和6～16倍,表明GhPCBER基因成功在拟南芥中过表达;GhPCBER基因沉默棉花植株的茎、叶组织中的表达量分别比野生型棉株约下降12%和26%,表明烟草脆裂病毒(TRV)体系(pTRV2-GhPCBER)成功抑制了GhPCBER基因的表达。(3)转GhPCBER基因拟南芥茎、叶中木质素和木脂素含量较野生型均显著降低;GhPCBER基因沉默棉花植株茎、叶中木质素和木脂素含量较野生型均极显著降低;组织化学染色观察发现GhPCBER基因沉默棉花植株茎秆颜色明显比野生型染色浅,也证明沉默基因棉花植株茎秆中的木质素含量减少。(4)苯丙烷代谢通路中8个相关基因的实时荧光定量PCR分析发现,过表达或抑制GhPCBRE基因均会导致苯丙烷代谢途径发生重新定向。     

Transgenic Agrostis mongolica Roshev. with enhanced tolerance to drought and heat stresses obtained from Agrobacterium-mediated transformation

Efficient procedures for regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation were established for Agrostis mongolica Roshev. and generated transgenic plants tolerant to drought and heat stresses using a regulatory gene from Arabidopsis, ABF3, which controls the ABA-dependent adaptive responses. The identification and selection of regenerable and reproducible callus type was a key factor for successful transformation. The transformation efficiency was 49.2% and gfp expression was detected in hygromycin-resistant calli and stem of putative transgenic plants. The result of Southern blot analysis showed that the ABF3 transgene was stably integrated into the genome of transgenic plants. Of the five transgenic lines analyzed, single transgene integration was observed in two lines and two copy integration was observed in three transgenic lines. Northern blot analysis confirmed that ubi::ABF3 was expressed in all transgenic lines. Transgenic plants exhibited neither growth inhibition nor visible vegetative phenotypic alternations. However, both transgenic and wild-type plants were highly sterile and did not flower during 3 years of growth period in the open field under subtropical Jeju Island climate. The stomata of the transgenic plants opened less than did stomata of the wild-type plants, and water content of the transgenic leaves remained about 3–4 fold higher than observed for wild-type leaves under drought stress. The transgenic plants showed about 2 fold higher survival rates under drought stress and about 3 fold higher survival rates under heat stress when compared to wild-type plants. Thus, overexpression of the Arabidopsis ABF3 gene results in enhancement of both drought and heat stress tolerance in Agrostis mongolica Roshev.     

Transformation of Brassica oleracea with an S-locus gene from B. campestris changes the self-incompatibility phenotype

Summary An SLG gene derived from the S-locus and encoding and S-locus-specific glycoprotein of Brassica campestris L. was introduced via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation into B. oleracea L. A self-incompatible hybrid and another with partial self-compatibility were used as recipients. The transgenic plants were altered in their pollen-stigma interaction and were fully compatible upon self-pollination. Reciprocal crosses between the transgenic plants and untransformed control plants indicated that the stigma reaction was changed in one recipient strain while the pollen reaction was altered in the other. Due to interspecific incompatibility, we could not demonstrate whether or not the introduced SLG gene confers a new allelic specificity in the transgenic plants. Our results show that the introduced SLG gene perturbs the self-incompatibility phenotype of stigma and pollen.     

Phenotypically normal transgenic T-cyt tobacco plants as a model for the investigation of plant gene expression in response to phytohormonal stress

The tumour-inducing T-DNA gene 4 (T-cyt gene) of the nopaline Ti plasmid pTiC58 was cloned and introduced into tobacco cells by leaf disc transformation using Agrobacterium plasmid vectors. Tobacco shoots exposed to elevated cytokinin levels were unable to develop roots and lacked apical dominance. Using exogenously applied phytohormone manipulations we were able to regenerate morphologically normal transgenic tobacco plants which differed in endogenous cytokinin levels from normal untransformed plants. Although T-cyt gene mRNA levels, as revealed by dot-blot hybridization data, in these rooting plants were only about half those in primary transformed shoots the total amount of cytokinins was much lower than in crown gall tissue or cytokinin-type transformed shoots as reported by others. Nevertheless the cytokinin content in T-cyt plants was about 3 times greater than in control tobacco plants.Elevated cytokinin levels have been shown to change the expression of several plant genes, including some nuclear genes encoding chloroplast proteins. Our results show that the mRNA levels of chloroplast rbcL gene increase in cytokinin-type transgenic tobacco plants as compared with untransformed plants. Data obtained suggest that T-cyt transgenic plants are a good model for studying plant gene activity in different parts of the plant under endogenous cytokinin stress.     

The use of a Spacer DNA fragment insulates the tissue-specific expression of a cytotoxic gene (barnase) and allows high-frequency generation of transgenic male sterile lines in Brassica juncea L.

Male-sterile lines were generated in oilseed mustard (Brassica juncea) with a cytotoxic gene (barnase) in conjunction with either of two tapetum-specific promoters, TA29 and A9. Several transformation vectors based on different promoter and marker gene combinations were developed and tested for their efficacy in generating agronomically viable male-sterile lines. Use of strong constitutive promoters (e.g. CaMV 35S or its double-enhancer variant) to express the marker gene (bar) in barnase constructs generated male-sterile plants at an extremely low frequency with most plants showing abnormalities in vegetative morphology, poor female fertility, low seed germination frequencies and/or distortion in segregation ratios of transgenes. Such abnormalities were considerably reduced on using weaker promoters (e.g. nos) to drive the marker gene (nptII) in barnase constructs and could therefore be attributed to leaky expression of the barnase gene under enhancing effects of strong constitutive promoters. We show that the use of a Spacer DNA fragment between the barnase gene (driven by a tapetum-specific promoter) and the CaMV 35S promoter-driven bar gene insulates tissue-specific expression of the barnase gene over all developmental stages of transgenic plants and significantly enhances recovery of agronomically viable male-sterile lines. All TA29-barnase male-sterile lines containing the Spacer DNA fragment exhibited normal morphology, growth and seed set on backcrossing as observed for wild-type plants. Around 75% of single-copy events tested further also showed proper segregation of the marker gene/male-sterile phenotype among backcross progeny. Constructs based on the use of Spacer DNA fragments as insulators could be successfully used to alleviate limitations associated with transformation of plant systems using cytotoxic genes for development of agronomically viable male-sterile lines in crop plants and for cell/tissue ablation studies in general.     

Constitutive expression of an inducible lipoxygenase in transgenic tobacco decreases susceptibility to Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae

Plant lipoxygenases (LOXs) are key enzymes involved in the generation of fatty acid derivatives, called oxylipins. In tobacco, LOX gene expression and activity are very low in healthy tissues and are highly enhanced in response to infection by Phytophthora parasitica nicotianae and to elicitor treatment. We previously showed, using antisense-LOX1 plants, that expression of the tobacco LOX1 gene is required for the race-cultivar specific resistance of tobacco to Phytophthora parasitica nicotianae. In order to investigate the effect of over-expressing a LOX gene on plant resistance, we transformed tobacco plants with the LOX1 coding sequence fused to the CaMV 35S promoter. Four transgenic lines with enhanced levels of LOX protein and specific activity over control plants were selected for further analysis. These plants were macroscopically indistinguishable from WT plants. Upon stem inoculation, the sense-LOX1 plants displayed a significantly decreased susceptibility to virulent races of Phytophthora parasitica nicotianae, stem lesions being 2- to 3-fold shorter in the transgenic lines than in WT plants. Using a root inoculation assay, the survival rate of sense-LOX1 seedlings was increased about 4-fold compared to their WT counterparts, with 60 to 80% of transgenic plants vs 15 to 20% of WT controls remaining healthy following inoculation with Phytophthora parasitica nicotianae. This is the first demonstration that the over-expression of a LOX gene is sufficient to reduce the susceptibility of a host plant to an oomycete pathogen.     

Comparative analysis of transgenic rice plants obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and particle bombardment

We compared rice transgenic plants obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated and particle bombardment transformation by carrying out molecular analyses of the T₀, T₁ and T₂ transgenic plants. Oryza sativa japonica rice (c.v. Taipei 309) was transformed with a construct (pWNHG) that carried genes coding for neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII), hygromycin phosphotransferase (Hyg^r), and -glucuronidase (GUS). Thirteen and fourteen transgenic lines produced via either method were selected and subjected to molecular analysis. Based on our data, we could draw the following conclusions. Average gene copy numbers of the three transgenes were 1.8 and 2.7 for transgenic plants obtained by Agrobacterium and by particle bombardment, respectively. The percentage of transgenic plants containing intact copies of foreign genes, especially non-selection genes, was higher for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. GUS gene expression level in transgenic plants obtained from Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was more stable overall the transgenic plant lines obtained by particle bombardment. Most of the transgenic plants obtained from the two transformation systems gave a Mendelian segregation pattern of foreign genes in T₁ and T₂ generations. Co-segregation was observed for lines obtained from particle bombardment, however, that was not always the case for T₁ lines obtained from Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Fertility of transgenic plants obtained from Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was better. In summary, the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is a good system to obtain transgenic plants with lower copy number, intact foreign gene and stable gene expression, while particle bombardment is a high efficiency system to produce large number of transgenic plants with a wide range of gene expression.     

The Bt gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">cry2Aa2</Emphasis> driven by a tissue specific ST-LS1 promoter from potato effectively controls <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heliothis virescens</Emphasis>

Expression of the Cry2Aa2 protein was targeted specifically to the green tissues of transgenic tobacco Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi plants. This deployment was achieved by using the promoter region of the gene encoding the Solanum tuberosum leaf and stem specific (ST-LS1) protein. The accumulated levels of toxin in the leaves were found to be effective in achieving 100 mortality of Heliothis virescens larvae. The levels of Cry2Aa2 expression in the leaves of these transgenic plants were up to 0.21 of the total soluble proteins. Bioassays with R₁ transgenic plants indicated the inheritance of cry2Aa2 in the progeny plants. Tissue-specific expression of the Bt toxin in transgenic plants may help in controlling the potential occurrence of insect resistance by limiting the amount of toxin to only predated tissues. The results reported here validate the use of the ST-LS1 gene promoter for a targeted expression of Bt toxins in green tissues of plants.