Highest Transformation Frequency Research Articles

Efficient library construction by in vivo recombination with a telomere-originated autonomously replicating sequence of Hansenula polymorpha.

A high frequency of transformation and an equal gene dosage between transformants are generally required for activity-based selection of mutants from a library obtained by directed evolution. An efficient library construction method was developed by using in vivo recombination in Hansenula polymorpha. Various linear sets of vectors and insert fragments were transformed and analyzed to optimize the in vivo recombination system. A telomere-originated autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) of H. polymorpha, reported as a recombination hot spot, facilitates in vivo recombination between the linear transforming DNA and chromosomes. In vivo recombination of two linear DNA fragments containing the telomeric ARS drastically increases the transforming frequency, up to 10-fold, compared to the frequency of circular plasmids. Direct integration of the one-end-recombined linear fragment into chromosomes produced transformants with single-copy gene integration, resulting in the same expression level for the reporter protein between transformants. This newly developed in vivo recombination system of H. polymorpha provides a suitable library for activity-based selection of mutants after directed evolution.

Pilin-like proteins in the extremely thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27: implication in competence for natural transformation and links to type IV pilus biogenesis.

The extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB27 exhibits high frequencies of natural transformation. Although we recently reported identification of the first competence genes in Thermus, the molecular basis of DNA uptake is unknown. A pilus-like structure is assumed to be involved. Twelve genes encoding prepilin-like proteins were identified in three loci in the genome of T. thermophilus. Mutational analyses, described in this paper, revealed that one locus, which contains four genes that encode prepilin-like proteins (pilA1 to pilA4), is essential for natural transformation. Additionally, comZ, a new competence gene with no similarity to known genes, was identified. Analysis of the piliation phenotype revealed wild-type piliation of a pilA1-pilA3Deltakat mutant and a comZ mutant, whereas a pilA4 mutant was found to be completely devoid of pilus structures. These findings, together with the significant similarity of PilA4 to prepilins, led to the conclusion that the T. thermophilus pilus structures are type IV pili. Furthermore, the loss of the transformation and piliation phenotype in the pilA4 mutant suggests that type IV pili are implicated in natural transformation of T. thermophilus HB27.

Transfection by Electroporation

Electroporation-the use of high-voltage electric shocks to introduce DNA into cells-can be used with most cell types, yields a high frequency of both stable transformation and transient gene expression, and, because it requires fewer steps, can be easier than alternate techniques. In this unit, the basic protocol describes the electroporation of mammalian cells and an alternate protocol outlines modifications for preparation and transfection of plant protoplasts.

Transgene behaviour in populations of rice plants transformed using a new dual binary vector system: pGreen/pSoup

Transgene integration, expression level and stability have been studied, across two generations, in a population of rice plants transformed using a new dual binary vector system: pGreen/pSoup. pGreen is a small Ti binary vector unable to replicate in Agrobacterium without the presence of another binary plasmid, pSoup, in the same strain. We engineered both pGreen and pSoup to contain each a different T-DNA. Transformation experiments were conducted using a pGreen vector containing the bar and gusA expression units (no transgene in pSoup) or with a pSoup vector containing an aphIV and gfp expression units (no transgene in pGreen). High plant transformation frequencies (up to 40%) were obtained using herbicide resistance ( bar) or antibiotic resistance ( aphIV) genes. Around 80% of the independently transformed plants expressed unselected reporter genes ( gusA or gfp) present in the vectors. Backbone sequences transfer was frequent (45% of lines) and occurred often in multicopy lines. Around 15-20% of the rice plant lines contained a single T-DNA integration without backbone. Integration of additional transgene copies did not improve expression levels in either T(0) plants or T(1) progenies. Nearly all multicopy lines contained transgenes integrated at several loci in the plant genome, showing that T-DNAs from either pGreen or pSoup frequently integrated at unlinked loci. Precise determination of loci number required the analysis of transgene presence in progeny. Segregation of transgene phenotype was generally misleading and tended to underestimate the real number of transgenic loci. The contribution of this new dual-binary vector system to the development of high-throughput rice transformation systems and to the production of marker-free transgenic rice plants is discussed.

Transfection by Electroporation

AbstractElectroporation‐‐the use of high‐voltage electric shocks to introduce DNA into cells‐‐can be used with most cell types, yields a high frequency of both stable transformation and transient gene expression, and, because it requires fewer steps, can be easier than alternate techniques. In this unit, the describes the electroporation of mammalian cells and an outlines modifications for preparation and transfection of plant protoplasts.

A selection system for transgenic plants based on galactose as selective agent and a UDP-glucose:galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase gene as selective gene

A new selection system based on galactose as selective agent and a UDP-glucose:galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase gene as selective gene is presented. A broad range of plant species, including agronomically important crops such as maize and rice, is sensitive to low dosages of galactose. The toxicity of galactose is believed to be due to accumulation of galactose-1-phosphate, generated by endogenous galactokinase after uptake. Here, it is demonstrated that this toxicity can be sufficiently alleviated by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated introduction of the E. coli UDP-glucose:galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (galT) gene, driven by a 35S-promoter, to allow transgenic shoots of potato and oil seed rape to regenerate on galactose containing selection media, resulting in high transformation frequencies (up to 35% for potato). Analysis of genomic DNA and UDP-glucose:galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase activity in randomly selected potato transformants confirmed the presence and active expression of the galT gene. The agricultural performance of transgenic potatoes was evaluated by monitoring the phenotype and tuber yield for two generations and these characters were found to be indistinguishable from non-transgenic controls. Thus, the galactose selection system provides a new alternative being distinct from conventional antibiotic and herbicide selection systems as well as so-called positive selection systems where the selective agent has a beneficial effect.

Preparing libraries in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

AbstractHigh recombination frequency and ease of manipulation made the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the model eukaryotic organism for studies on homologous recombination (1,2). Mutagenesis of intrinsic genes (3) and the construction of vectors (4) are applications of in vivo recombination in molecular biology. Next to Escherichia coli, S. cerevisiae is the most commonly used host organism in directed evolution (5–9). Its well developed recombination apparatus facilitates mutant library construction. Ligation of mutant genes into expression vectors is in many cases a tedious and non-robust step that needs fine tuning for new plasmid-gene combinations. Yeast gap repair can substitute for ligation to give more reliable high transformation frequency and shortening the protocol for library expression. In gap repair, the mutant gene inserts are cotransformed with open plasmid that contains sequences homologous to the ends of the inserts on both ends. Homologous recombination combines these to form complete plasmids.KeywordsHomologous RecombinationDirected EvolutionBeneficial MutationMutagenic PrimerLithium AcetateThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Development of a transformation system for the flavinogenic yeastCandida famata

Riboflavin-overproducing mutants of the flavinogenic yeast Candida famata are used for industrial riboflavin production. This paper describes the development of an efficient transformation system for this species. Leucine-deficient mutants have been isolated from C. famata VKM Y-9 wild-type strain. Among them leu2 mutants were identified by transformation to leucine prototrophy with plasmids YEp13 and PRpL2 carrying the Saccharomyces cerevisiae LEU2 gene. DNA fragments (called CfARSs) conferring increased transformation frequencies and extrachromosomal replication were isolated from a C. famata gene library constructed on the integrative vector containing the S. cerevisiae LEU2 gene as a selective marker. The smallest cloned fragment (CfARS16) has been sequenced. This one had high adenine plus thymine (A+T) base pair content and a sequence homologous to the S. cerevisiae ARS Consensus Sequence. Methods for spheroplast transformation and electrotransformation of the yeast C. famata were optimized. They conferred high transformation frequencies (up to 105 transformants per μg DNA) with a C. famata leu2 mutant using replicative plasmids containing the S. cerevisiae LEU2 gene as a selective marker. Riboflavin-deficient mutants were isolated from the C. famata leu2 strain and their biochemical identification was carried out. Using the developed transformation system, several C. famata genomic fragments complementing mutations of structural genes for riboflavin biosynthesis (coding for GTP cyclohydrolase, reductase, dihydroxybutanone phosphate synthase and riboflavin synthase, respectively) have been cloned.

Replication of a linear mini-chromosome with terminal inverted repeats from the Kluyveromyces lactis linear DNA plasmid k2 in the cytoplasm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The k1 and k2 linear DNA plasmids of Kluveromyces lactis replicate in the cytoplasm under the control of plasmid-encoded genes. These plasmids can also replicate autonomously in the cytoplasm of mitochondrial DNA-deficient strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Essential for replication are plasmid-specific terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) to which a terminal protein (TP) is attached at the 5 ′ ends. A plasmid was constructed with k2 TIRs in opposite orientations and with a selectable marker ( URA3) under the control of k1 UCS2 (upstream conserved sequence 2, the promoter of k1 open reading frame 2) in between the TIRs. Transformation of k1- and k2-containing S. cerevisiae with a fragment generated by releasing the TIR-flanked fragment from the plasmid by restriction digestion was very efficient, despite the absence of a TP. Transformation was also achieved with a fragment generated by PCR. Southern blotting demonstrated that transformants contained multiple copies of DNA fragments with the same size as the transforming DNA, supporting the hypothesis that these were replicating linear mini-chromosomes. The high frequency of transformation strongly suggests that these mini-chromosomes readily replicate supported by k2. Derivatives with a heterologous gene, firefly luciferase (LUC), expressed luciferase at high levels provided the gene was adjacent to a cytoplasmic plasmid promoter (k2 UCS5).

Agrobacterium tumefaciens를 이용한 벼의 형질전환 효율의 검토 및 내한성 관련 GPAT (glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase) 유전자의 형질전환

Agrobacterium을 이용한 벼의 효율적인 형질전환을 위하여 몇 가지 형질전환 조건을 조사하였다. 그리고 조사된 최적의 형질전환 방법을 이용하여 내한성에 관련된 GPAT 유전자를 식물에 도입하였다. 형질전환 조건은 GUS 발현을 통하여 조사되었다. 본 실험에서는 벼 (Oryza sativa L. cv. Dongjin)의 성숙 종자 유래 캘러스를 3일간 전배양한 후 Agrobacterium을 접종하였다. 접종이 끝난 캘러스는 50mg/L CaCl<TEX>$_2$</TEX>, 30mg/L acetosyringone, 2 mg/L 2,4-D, 120 mg/L betaine이 첨가된 공동배양 배지 위에서 암조건으로 10일간 공동배양하여 높은 GUS 발현을 관찰할 수 있었다. 이와 같은 방법으로 GPAT 유전자를 식물에 도입한 결과 54%의 높은 형질전환율을 나타내었다. 형질전환 식물체를 southern 분석한 결과 wild type 식물체에서는 GPAT 유전자가 검출되지 않았으나, 형질전환 식물체에서는 GPAT 유전자가 검출되었다. 또한 GPAT 유전자로 형질전환된 5 계통의 T1 세대에서 hygromycin에 대한 저항성과 감수성의 유전비율이 3 : 1로 분리되었다. 따라서 본 실험의 결과에서 검토된 고빈도의 형질전환 시스템은 단자엽식물의 형질전환에 있어서 모델계로 이용될 수 있으리라 기대된다. This study has been focused on improving transformation efficiency of rice using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We have demonstrated the effect of this system when the GPAT gene related to the cold-resistance was transferred by Agrobacterium tumefaciens in rice. Transformation conditions were modified using intron <TEX>$\beta$</TEX>-glucuronidase (GUS) expression as a reporter gene in the rice. In this study, mature seed-derived calli of rice (Oruza sativa L. cv. Dongjin) were pre-cultured for 3 days and then infected with Agrobacterium. When this infected calli were cultured in the dark for 10 days on co-cu]lure medium containing 50 mg/L of CaCl<TEX>$_2$</TEX>, 30 mg/L of acetosyringone, 2 mg/L of 2,4-D, 120 mg/L of betaine, high GUS expression was observed. In the present transformation system, the efficiency of transformation of GPAT gene was about 54%. Stable integration of GPAT gene into chromosomal DNA was proven by southern blot analysis of genomic DNA isolated from T<TEX>$_{0}$</TEX> progenies. The progenies (T1 generation) derived from primary transformant of 5 lines were segregated with a 3 (resistant) : 1 (sensitive ratio) in medium containing hygromycin. This high frequency transformation system can be used as a useful tool in transformation of another monocotyledon.n.

Development of a transformation system for the flavinogenic yeast Candida famata.

Riboflavin-overproducing mutants of the flavinogenic yeast Candida famata are used for industrial riboflavin production. This paper describes the development of an efficient transformation system for this species. Leucine-deficient mutants have been isolated from C. famata VKM Y-9 wild-type strain. Among them leu2 mutants were identified by transformation to leucine prototrophy with plasmids YEp13 and PRpL2 carrying the Saccharomyces cerevisiae LEU2 gene. DNA fragments (called CfARSs) conferring increased transformation frequencies and extrachromosomal replication were isolated from a C. famata gene library constructed on the integrative vector containing the S. cerevisiae LEU2 gene as a selective marker. The smallest cloned fragment (CfARS16) has been sequenced. This one had high adenine plus thymine (A+T) base pair content and a sequence homologous to the S. cerevisiae ARS Consensus Sequence. Methods for spheroplast transformation and electrotransformation of the yeast C. famata were optimized. They conferred high transformation frequencies (up to 10(5) transformants per microg DNA) with a C. famata leu2 mutant using replicative plasmids containing the S. cerevisiae LEU2 gene as a selective marker. Riboflavin-deficient mutants were isolated from the C. famata leu2 strain and their biochemical identification was carried out. Using the developed transformation system, several C. famata genomic fragments complementing mutations of structural genes for riboflavin biosynthesis (coding for GTP cyclohydrolase, reductase, dihydroxybutanone phosphate synthase and riboflavin synthase, respectively) have been cloned.

Complementary retrieval for distorted images

In today's computer networks, the amount of digital images increases rapidly and enormously. However, images may be distorted through different types of processing such as histogram equalization, quantization, smoothing, compression, noise corruption, geometric transformation, and changing of illumination. It is imperative to develop an effective method to retrieve the original images from very large image databases because only the original images are stored for economy. In this study, a new image normalization method is first proposed to solve the problem with illumination varying. A complementary retrieval method is then proposed to resist various types of processing. According to the type of distortion, all processing are classified into three distortion categories, low frequency, high frequency and geometric transformation. In addition, different features are resistant to different distortion categories. However, the distortion by which a query image is corrupted is usually unknown. Hence, a complementary analysis is proposed to determine the distortion category for each query image and the feature resistant to the estimated category is used to retrieve the desired original image. As a result, an effective retrieval method is achieved. The feasibility and effectiveness of our method are demonstrated by experimental results.

The 5′-flanking AT-rich Sequence of Thioredoxin Gene Involved in High-Frequency Transformation of the Fission Yeast

The 5′-flanking AT-rich Sequence of Thioredoxin Gene Involved in High-Frequency Transformation of the Fission Yeast

High transformation frequencies obtained from a commercial wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. ‘Combi’) by microbombardment of immature embryos followed by GFP screening combined with PPT selection

Improved gene transfer techniques are necessary to obtain adequatenumbers of stable transgenic wheat plants needed for practical purposes.Considering that wheat transformation is genotype-dependent, we used cv. Combiin all experiments, which had been selected from agronomically important Germanspring wheat cultivars because of its high transformation ability. In mostwheatgene transfer attempts, immature embryos or embryogenic scutellar calli weremicrobombarded. We compared both methods under optimised conditions, usingbar, uidA, andgfp as markers in co-transformation attempts. Integrationof the genes mentioned above was proven by Southern blotting, expression levelswere measured by assays on phosphinothricin acetyltransferase andβ-glucuronidase activities, and by monitoring for green fluorescentproteinin most developmental stages. Following bombardment of scutellar calli, anaverage transformation frequency of 0.13% was attained. Using immature embryos,mean transformation frequency (1.06%) was 8-fold higher. In addition, embryotechniques were over 2 weeks faster than scutellar callus procedures.Introducing gfp as a vital marker led to an improvement ofembryo-based techniques. In a first screening, transientgfp-expressing embryos were transferred tophosphinothricincontaining callus medium. Only gfp-expressing calli whichdeveloped on it were cultured further on phosphinothricin containingregeneration medium. Shoots obtained from gfp-expressingcalli were rooted on phosphinothricin-free medium, and cultured exvitro. Average transformation frequency (4.93%) was 38-fold higherthan with scutellar callus techniques. Differences between the transformationstrategies used were of high statistical significance. Combining greenfluorescent protein screening with phosphinothricin selection in embryo-basedtechniques offers a promising system to obtain high wheat transformationfrequencies.

An Efficient Transformation System in Chrysanthemum [Dendranthema×grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitamura ] for Stable and Non-chimeric Expression of Foreign Genes.

We succeeded in establishing a stable and efficient transformation system of chrysanthemum (cv. Shuho-no-chikara) which could eliminate both the appearance of the chimeric regenerants consisting of transgenic and non-transgenic tissues and that of the transgene inactivated regenerants. We compared two transformation systems, callus induction (CI) system and adventitious shoot induction (SI) system. The transformation frequency in CI system (4.4%) were higher than that in SI system (0.3%). All regenerated plantlets obtained by CI system express gus gene stably even after vegetative propagation. While a few regenerants obtained by SI system have gus gene and express gus gene in chimeric manner. Then we applied the CI system in other famous and commercial cultivars of chrysanthemum and obtained transformed plants with high transformation frequency in 15 among 21 cultivars. Regarding the stable gus gene expression in all regenerants, CI system should eliminate gene inactivation in regenerants and is beneficial for the production of genetically engineered chrysanthemum.

High-frequency regeneration and transformation ofRaphanus savus

We have achieved high-frequency shoot regeneration in radish(Raphanus sativus). Cotyledon explants from four-day-old seedlings were suitable for the effective induction of shoots on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium containing 3.0 mg/L kinetin. We also determined that it was essential to include 1- to 2-ram petiole segments with the cotyledons for efficient induction. When the regenerated shoots were transferred to an MS liquid medium containing 0.1 mg/L NAA, roots formed within four weeks, and normal plant development ensued. We established a transformation protocol using anAgrobacterium binary vector that carries the GUS reporter gene. Preculturing the explants for I d in an MS medium containing 3.0 mg/L kinetin also increased efficiency. Five days of cocultivation proved best for delivering T-DNA into radish. Transformation frequencies of up to 52% were obtained in shoot induction media that contained 3.0 mg/L kinetin.

An improved procedure for production of white spruce (Picea glauca) transgenic plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

An efficient and reproducible procedure for the transformation of white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss) embryogenic tissues was developed using A. tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer. Rapidly dividing white spruce embryogenic tissues were co-cultivated with disarmed A. tumefaciens strains containing additional copies of the virulence regions from plasmid PToK47. The plasmid pBi121, containing the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene providing kanamycin resistance as a selectable marker and the beta-glucuronidase (uidA) reporter gene, was used as binary vector. The highest frequency of transformation (15 transformed tissues g(-1) FW of treated embryogenic tissue) was obtained with 5-d-old tissues grown in liquid medium and co-cultivated with Agrobacterium for 2 d in the same medium but containing 50 microM acetosyringone. Recovery of kanamycin-resistant tissues was improved when tissues were first grown for 10 d on a timentin-containing medium (400 mg l(-1)), to prevent bacterial overgrowth, before application of the selection pressure. After 6 weeks on kanamycin-selection medium, resistant tissues were obtained and showed stable uidA expression. The presence of the transgenes was demonstrated by PCR analysis and their integration into the genome was confirmed by Southern hybridization. Transgenic plants were regenerated from transformed tissues within 4 months after co-culture.

Development of three different gene cloning systems for genetic investigation of the new species Amycolatopsis japonicum MG417-CF17, the ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid producer

For the first time gene cloning systems have been developed for Amycolatopsis japonicum. Direct transformation, polyethyleneglycol (PEG) induced protoplast transformation and conjugal transfer was established for A. japonicum MG417-CF17, the ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) producer. The direct transformation procedure was modified to introduce DNA. The most important parameter for an efficient DNA uptake was the age of the culture. Using of mycelium from 36-h old cultures resulted in the highest transformation frequencies. Further, conditions for transformation of A. japonicum protoplasts were established. The efficiency of transformation depended mainly on the source of PEG and the components of the regeneration agar. The replicative plasmid pULVK2A carrying pA-rep and the apramycin resistance gene was transferred into the EDDS producer with a frequency of 0.38 colonies μg −1 DNA by using the direct transformation procedure and with a frequency of 0.56 colonies μg −1 DNA by using the PEG induced protoplast transformation. The plasmid was genetically stable, and could easily be reisolated from A. japonicum. We also demonstrated that conjugal transfer of the plasmid pSET152 from Escherichia coli ET12567 (pUB307) to Amycolatopsis spores is possible. The plasmid pSET152 integrated in the A. japonicum chromosome. A titre of 2.4×10 −4 exconjugants per recipient was obtained.

Stable, germ-line transformation of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae).

A Hermes-based transposable element transformation system incorporating an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker was used to produce two transgenic lines of Culex quinquefasciatus (Say). The transformation frequency was approximately 12% and transformation of Culex was shown to be dependent on the presence of Hermes transposase. Injected Culex embryos were treated with four different heat shock regimes, two of which produced transformed individuals. These individuals were mated with wild-type mosquitoes and produced offspring which expressed the dominant EGFP gene in Mendelian ratios predicted for the stable integration of a gene at a single locus. The two transformed lines displayed distinct patterns of phenotypic expression, the expression of which has remained stable after fifteen generations. In these transgenic lines both the Hermes element and flanking plasmid DNA integrated into the Culex genome, as has been previously seen in Hermes-mediated transgenic strains of Aedes aegypti (L.). The high frequency of Culex transformation together with the dependence on the presence of Hermes transposase suggests that, as for Ae. aegypti, this mode of transposition into the germ-line genome occurs by an alternate mechanisms to the cut and paste type of transposition seen for this element in other insect species and in the somatic nuclei of mosquitoes. This is the first report of the genetic transformation of a species in the genus Culex and demonstrates that this medically important mosquito species can now, along with several other Culicine and Anopheline mosquito species, be genetically manipulated.

Rapid and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Panax ginseng by plasmolyzing pre-treatment of cotyledons

A rapid and efficient genetic transformation of Panax ginseng cotyledon explants following a plasmolyzing pre-treatment was investigated. When cotyledon explants of P. ginseng were pre-treated with 1.0 M sucrose, transient expression of the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene was strongly enhanced following co-cultivation with Agrobacteriumtumefaciens harboring the GUS gene. This enhanced expression coincided with a high frequency of stable transformation (three times higher than non-treatment). Blue-colored cells (indicative of the presence of the GUS gene) were detected over large areas of cotyledons pre-treated with sucrose. In contrast, when the plasmolyzing pre-treatment was not applied, GUS-positive cells were observed to be scattered on the cotyledons. Somatic embryos developed directly on cotyledon surfaces without intervening callus formation within 2 weeks and matured to the cotyledonary stage after about 7 weeks. Cotyledonary embryos regenerated into small transgenic plantlets on medium supplemented with gibberellic acid within 1 month. Thus, about 3 months of culture was required for small transgenic ginseng plantlets to be obtained. The presence of transformed ginseng plantlets was confirmed using the staining reaction of X-gluc (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D-glucuronide) and by the polymerase chain reaction.