The Endosperm and the Embryo of Arabidopsis thaliana are Independently Transformed through Infiltration by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Several experiments had indicated that in planta transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana by Agrobacterium involves the female germ line. In order to identify the precise stage at which transformation occurs we have monitored expression of a gusA reporter gene in the two products of the double fertilization of infiltrated plants. The plantlets and the remaining endosperm of seeds were separately tested after germination. It appeared that in the majority of cases only the plantlet or the endosperm were transformed. Based on transformation with two vectors borne by two different Agrobacterium strains, the minority of co-transformed plantlets and endosperm can be explained by simultaneous but independent transformation events. These results indicate that mature female gametes could be the targets of T-DNA.