Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Genetic Transformation of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.)

Genetic transformation of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cv Bella (2n = 3x = 27) cv Dipple Ero (2n = 2x = 18) and accession SVP31-188 (2n = 2x = 18) was investigated by Infecting in vitro-derived shoot base segments with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 carrying either pBin 19 or pSI 121 plasmid. MS media supplemented with 0.5 mg.l^-1 naphthalene acetic acid, 0.25 mg.l^-1 6-benzylaminopurine and 100 βg.ml^-l kanamycin were effective for the production of callus and shoots from Agrobacterium Infected explants irrespective of the method of infection. Most of pSin 19- and all of pSI 121-medlated transformants failed to root on selective rooting media. Only 11.1% of pSin 19-mediated Sella transformants rooted on media containing 0.5 mg.l^-1 kinetin and 100 βg.ml^-1 kanamycin and all of them were the product of co-cultivation In the presence of acetosyringone. In the case of pSI 121-mediated transformants as many as 40–50 copies of the GUS gene was determined to be integrated with tandem repeats into at least six different sites of cv Sella genome. Fluorometrlc assay also demonstrated the transformed nature of a number of sugar beet shoots.     

Biocompatibility natural effect of rhamnolipids in bioremediation process on different biological systems at the site of contamination

Abstract

Rhamnolipid is known for its potential for degradation of various harmful and toxic contaminants. However, there is a lack of reports of their effects on different biological systems. Hence, the present study focuses on the assessment of rhamnolipid mixture for their biocompatibility nature. The in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies on the mouse fibroblast cell line (L929) and rabbit skin surface respectively showed that the crude rhamnolipid mixture exhibits a nontoxic behavior (p?<?0.05). Similar results were observed with Aedesalbo pictus larvae. However, studies on monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous seeds showed the toxic behavior of rhamnolipids above their critical micelle concentration values (5–200?mg.L???1). The antimicrobial property with respect to bacteria was found to be more prominent toward Gram positive (0.5?±?0.5?mg.L???1) compared to Gram negative bacteria (2.0?±?0.7?mg.L???1) and it was least in case of fungi (2.0?±?0.2?mg.L???1). The present study opens up a possibility to study the effects of rhamnolipids on the flora and fauna existing at the site of their application to ensure that it effectively remediates the environment without causing any harm to the on-site living systems.