Ultrasonic-assisted mesoporous silica nanoparticle-mediated exogenous gene stable expression in tobacco

Abstract

Although nanotechnology is considered to be one of the most important technologies to promote social and economic development in the twenty-first century, its application in agriculture is relatively few compared with those in other fields. In this article, plasmid carrying GUS gene was successfully delivered into tobacco(Nicotiana tabacum) by mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs) modified with positively charged poly-L-lysine(PLL) with the assist of ultrasonic method. Stable transformation was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) detection and GUS histochemical staining. Meanwhile, we also studied the factors that could enhance the genetic transformation efficiency. The result suggests that the callus receptor and a suitable DNA/MSNs ratio contribute a lot to the transformation efficiency. In a word, our research provides an efficient and cost-effective method for gene delivery to plant.