Transformation of Carrot (Daucus carota L.) with Genes Involved in Carbohydrate Metabolism and Partitioning via Hypocotyl Tissue Cultures

Abstract

A study was initiated to characterize key enzymes that influence sweetness in carrot (Daucus carota L.) roots. Sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UDPL) genes were isolated from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and cloned in an anti-sense orientation into Agrobacterium tumefaciens Bin19, which has a CaMV 35S promoter. Seedling hypocotyl sections of selected carrot lines were pre-incubated on B5 medium for 2 days, co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens Bin 19 for additional 3 days, and then transferred to a modified B5 medium containing 50 g/mL kanamycin and 400 g/mL carbenicillin. In 4 weeks, 18.6%, 33.3%, and 26.7% of the cultures from a breeding line (W204-C) were found to be transformed, respectively, with SS, SPS, and UDPL as determined by kanamycin resistance. In contrast, no kanamycin-resistant calli were obtained from a commercial cultivar (Navajo) in these transformation studies. The transformed calli proliferated in the medium containing 50 g/mL kanamycin and 400 g/mL carbenicillin, whereas non-transformed calli died in the same medium. These transformed calli are currently being used to regenerate plants via asexual embryogenesis using a suspension culture. The influence of these additional genes on sugar metabolism and accumulation in root tissues of transformed carrots will be characterized in the future.