Agrobacterium-mediated Introduction of Athb-7, Water Stress Gene, into Solanum spp.

Abstract

A genetic transformation in Solanum spp. was performed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens: C58:pGV2260:Athb-7. Athb-7 gene, known to be related to water stress and ABA level, one of Arabidopsis thaliana homeobox genes was inserted into pBin-Hyg-Tx. Explants were placed on callus induction medium for 14 days, and then transferred on shoot induction medium. Shoot primordium appeared on callus surface after 2 weeks of culture. About 6 weeks later, 100 putatively transgenic plants were obtained, and DNA was extracted from each plant for PCR analysis. Twenty out of 100 putatively transgenic plantlets turned to be positive, having a band of 800 bp in M.W. corresponding to the hygromycin gene. Both PCR and genomic Southern hybridizations using HPTII and Athb-7 genes as probes showed that these genes were inserted into plant genome.