Regeneration Of Transgenic Plants Research Articles

High frequency genetic transformation of Cichorium intybus L. using nptll gene as a selective marker

Cichorium intybus L. is an important vegetable crop used as salad (leaf form) and for the production of coffee substitutes (root form). At the same time these plants can also be used in biotechnologies for synthesis of pharmaceutical proteins. Here we report the possibility of high frequency Agrobacterium rhizogenes- or A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation of C. intybus L. for construction of transgenic "hairy" roots and plants. The used plasmids contained target human interferonifn-α2b gene, Mycobacterium tuberculosis ESAT6:Ag85B antigene esxA::fbpB(ΔTMD) fused gene and human telomerase reverse transcriptase h Tert gene. Using of nptII gene as a selective one was preferable to the bar gene for chicory. In this case the frequency of transgenic plants or "hairy" roots formation was significantly higher. Cultivation of explants on the medium with Basta in concentration 1-2 mg/l have led to plants death or to significant reduction of number of shoots formed. Frequency of "hairy" roots formation varied from 5.9 to 42.3% after A. rhizogenes-mediated transformation. Frequency of regeneration of transgenic plants varied from 10 to 86% after A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Both A. rhizogenes- and A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation frequency depended on the type of explants, roots or cotyledons, and vector used. Usage of A. tumefaciens carrying pCB064 plasmid (target esxA:fbpB(ΔTMD) fused gene and nptII selective gene) resulted in the most effective regeneration of transgenic plants with regeneration frequency up to 86%. In the case of chicory A. rhizogenes-mediated transformation the highest regeneration frequency up to 42.3% was demonstrated using p CB161 vector with ifn-α2b target gene and nptII selective gene.

Setaria viridis floral-dip: A simple and rapid Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method

Setaria viridis was recently described as a new monocotyledonous model species for C4 photosynthesis research and genetic transformation. It has biological attributes (rapid life cycle, small genome, diploid, short stature and simple growth requirements) that make it suitable for use as a model plant. We report an alternative method of S. viridis transformation using floral dip to circumvent the necessity of tissue culture phase for transgenic plant regeneration. S. viridis spikes at boot stage were selected to be immersed in Agrobacterium suspension. T1 seeds could be identified in 1.5–2 months after floral dipping. We demonstrated through molecular analysis and RFP expression that seeds and resulting plants from dipped inflorescences were transformed. Our results suggest the feasibility of S. viridis floral dip transformation as a time-saving and cost-effective compared with traditional methods. To our knowledge, this is the first report using floral dip in S. viridis as an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method.

Inside out: high-efficiency plant regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of upland and lowland switchgrass cultivars.

Selection of pre-embryogenic callus from a core structure from mature seed-derived callus is the key for high-efficiency plant regeneration and transformation of switchgrass different cultivars. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been identified as a dedicated biofuel crop. For its trait improvement through biotechnological approaches, we have developed a highly efficient plant regeneration and genetic transformation protocol for both lowland and upland cultivars. We identified and separated a pre-embryogenic "core" structure from the seed-derived callus, which often leads to development of highly regenerative type II calluses. From the type II callus, plant regeneration rate of lowland cultivars Alamo and Performer reaches 95%, and upland cultivars Blackwell and Dacotah, 50 and 76%, respectively. The type II callus was also amenable for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transformation efficiency of 72.8% was achieved for lowland cultivar Alamo, and 8.0% for upland cultivar Dacotah. PCR, Southern blot and GUS staining assays were performed to verify the transgenic events. High regenerative callus lines could be established in 3 months, and transgenic plants could be obtained in 2 months after Agrobacterium infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report on successful plant regeneration and recovery of transgenic plants from upland switchgrass cultivars by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The method presented here could be helpful in breaking through the bottleneck of regeneration and transformation of lowland and upland switchgrass cultivars and probably other recalcitrant grass crops.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of axillary bud callus of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. ‘Ruby’ and regeneration of transgenic plants

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. is a popular ornamental species valued for its large brightly coloured ephemeral flowers and has a range of health-promoting properties. The value of H. rosa-sinensis could be improved even further if there were ways to prolong the display life of its short-lived flowers, and to improve its frost tolerance. Development of an efficient plant transformation and regeneration procedure that allows introduction of genes into the plant will greatly facilitate this. Here we outline a transformation and regeneration procedure that is the first to produce transformed H. rosa-sinensis plants successfully. We first optimised callus induction and shoot regeneration efficiency. The highest shoot regeneration frequency of 66.7 % was achieved in the cultivar ‘Ruby’ when callus induced from axillary buds using a basal medium supplemented with 2.22 µM benzylaminopurine and 2.47 µM β-naphthoxyacetic acid was cultured on shoot regeneration medium. The frequency of shoot regeneration from callus was lower in ‘Ben James’ and absent in ‘Bright Light’, indicating genotypic differences. When axillary bud-derived callus of ‘Ruby’ was co-cultured with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbouring a β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter plasmid, 49 % of calli produced shoots on selection media. All tested plantlets were confirmed as transformed based on the presence of the GUS transgene in the genomic DNA and GUS activity measurements. Roots were induced on transgenic plantlets using half-strength basal medium supplemented with 2.85 µM indole-3-acetic acid. This simple protocol can be used to improve the ornamental, agronomic and health-promoting traits of H. rosa-sinensis hitherto recalcitrant to A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation.

APPLICATIONS OF CITRUS SHOOT-TIP GRAFTING IN VITRO

The main application of shoot-tip grafting in vitro (STG) is to control graft-transmissible pathogens that requires the use of healthy trees in the new plantings. The routine application of STG using 0.1-0.2 mm shoot tips is very efficient for elimination of all citrus graft-transmissible pathogens from local or imported varieties. It has allowed the recovery of hundreds of healthy cultivars and the planting of hundreds of millions of healthy certified trees worldwide. Only in Spain about 140 million certified nursery plants propagated from micrografted plants have been planted. STG is also a very useful technique for regeneration of elite genotypes in several research areas. In vitro grafting for these purposes may be done using larger shoots (up to 1 cm). STG is being routinely used for the following purposes: (i) Regeneration of somatic hybrids from embryos difficult to germinate; (ii) Regeneration of plants from irradiated shoots to produce seedless varieties; (iii) Regeneration of plants from haploid embryos that are very difficult to germinate. STG was used to regenerate the ‘Clemenules’ haploid plant that has been used by the International Citrus Genome Consortium to sequence the whole citrus genome; (iv) Production of stable tetraploid plants of non-apomictic genotypes, which are very useful for triploid breeding; (v) Regeneration of transgenic plants from shoots that are very difficult to root in vitro. STG has become a routine application in citrus genetic transformation.

An Efficient Regeneration and Genetic Transformation Protocol ofColeus forskohliiusing Biolistic Gun

An efficient selection and plant regeneration protocol for biolistic gun transformation using leaf derived callus of Coleus forskohlii has been developed. Highest regeneration frequency 90% with 50 shoots per callus clump was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with benzylaminopurine (BAP) 2.0 mg L−1 + naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) 0.5 mg L−1 The rate of shoot multiplication was increased with each subculture. Rhizogenesis was obtained on the same media composition. The in vitro raised plants were established successfully in sand and cocopeat (1:1). Callus of C. forskohlii was bombarded using biolistic gun with pABC plasmid DNA which contains β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and Arabidopsis thaliana white brown complex homologs (AtWBC19) as selectable marker gene. Kanamycin in the shoot induction medium was compared qualitatively and quantitatively for its efficiency as a selection agent for the selection and regeneration of transgenic plants after biolistic gun transformation. Kanamycin levels at or above 50mg L−1 completely inhibited growth of untransformed shoots. The integration of selectable marker gene GUS and AtWBC 19 into the genome of transgenic plants was confirmed using histoenzymatic GUS assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) respectively. These results pave the way for the transformation of Coleus forskohlii with desirable genes.

Improvement of adventitious organogenesis for regeneration of transgenic plants in blackberry

The introduction of foreign DNA into the plant genome by Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a promising technique of targeted gene transfer which depends on good working regeneration system. The aim of the work was to elaborate the system for efficient adventitious organogenesis and transgenic plant regeneration in Rubus fruticosus L. using explants from mature plants. Regeneration of putative transgenic shoots took place from flag explants cultivated vertically on MS medium with 1 mg l-1 TDZ and 0.02 mg l-1 IBA followed by transfer on MS medium with 1 mg l-1 BAP, 0.02 mg l-1 IBA and 0.1 mg l-1 GA3 supplemented with 10-15 mg l-1 hygromycin after transformation by A. tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 carrying plasmid pCambia 1304. Four putative transgenic plants of cv. 'Cacanska Bestrna' were rooted and acclimatized.

Production of phytotoxic cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptides in plant cells using inducible promoters.

Synthetic linear antimicrobial peptides with cationic α-helical structures, such as BP100, have potent and specific activities against economically important plant pathogenic bacteria. They are also recognized as valuable therapeutics and preservatives. However, highly active BP100 derivatives are often phytotoxic when expressed at high levels as recombinant peptides in plants. Here we demonstrate that production of recombinant phytotoxic peptides in transgenic plants is possible by strictly limiting transgene expression to certain tissues and conditions, and specifically that minimization of this expression during transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants is essential to obtain viable plant biofactories. On the basis of whole-genome transcriptomic data available online, we identified the Os.hsp82 promoter that fulfilled this requirement and was highly induced in response to heat shock. Using this strategy, we generated transgenic rice lines producing moderate yields of severely phytotoxic BP100 derivatives on exposure to high temperature. In addition, a threshold for gene expression in selected tissues and stages was experimentally established, below which the corresponding promoters should be suitable for driving the expression of recombinant phytotoxic proteins in genetically modified plants. In view of the growing transcriptomics data available, this approach is of interest to assist promoter selection for specific purposes.

Progress of cereal transformation technology mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Monocotyledonous plants were believed to be not transformable by the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens until two decades ago, although convenient protocols for infection of leaf disks and subsequent regeneration of transgenic plants had been well established in a number of dicotyledonous species by then. This belief was reinforced by the fact that monocotyledons are mostly outside the host range of crown gall disease caused by the bacterium and by the failures in trials in monocotyledons to mimic the transformation protocols for dicotyledons. However, a key reason for the failure could have been the lack of active cell divisions at the wound sites in monocotyledons. The complexity and narrow optimal windows of critical factors, such as genotypes of plants, conditions of the plants from which explants are prepared, tissue culture methods and culture media, pre-treatments of explants, strains of A. tumefaciens, inducers of virulence genes, transformation vectors, selection marker genes and selective agents, kept technical hurdles high. Eventually it was demonstrated that rice and maize could be transformed by co-cultivating cells of callus cultures or immature embryos, which are actively dividing or about to divide, with A. tumefaciens. Subsequently, these initial difficulties were resolved one by one by many research groups, and the major cereals are now transformed quite efficiently. As many as 15 independent transgenic events may be regenerated from a single piece of immature embryo of rice. Maize transformation protocols are well established, and almost all transgenic events deregulated for commercialization after 2003 were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Wheat, barley, and sorghum are also among those plants that can be efficiently transformed by A. tumefaciens.

Effective selection and regeneration of transgenic sugarcane plants using positive selection system

We compared the transformation frequency of a positive selection system, which employs an Escherichia coli-derived pmi (phosphomannose isomerase) gene as the selectable marker and mannose as the selective agent, to commonly used negative selection systems of bar (phosphinothricin acetyltransferase) /phosphinothricin (PPT), npt II (neomycin phosphotransferase) /G418 (geneticin), and hpt (hygromycin phosphotransferase) /Hygromycin. Transgenic sugarcane plants were obtained following biolistic transformation of callus with four different selectable marker genes. Under different selective agents, transformed callus was selectively proliferated on MS medium containing 13.57 μM of 2,4-D, regenerated on MS medium with 4.44 μM of BA, 9.29 μM of KT, and 0.89 μM of NAA, and rooted on half of MS medium with 13.38 μM of NAA and 0.44 μM of 6-BA. The results demonstrated that the transformation frequency of 4.2% scored in the pmi/mannose positive system was significantly higher than those in the negative selection systems (0.47% for bar/PPT, 1.38% for npt II/G418, and 0.63% for hpt/Hygromycin, respectively). Transgenic sugarcane plants using the pmi/mannose system were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and chlorophenol red (CPR) assay. The CPR assay was found to efficiently and qualitatively detect the transgenic sugarcane from the nontransformed plants because medium color changes in the CPR assay were highly responsive to pmi gene expression and enzyme activity. Thus, a pmi/mannose positive selection system for sugarcane transformation was developed to obviate the use of negative selection systems based on herbicides and antibiotics.

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.).

Vaccinium consists of approximately 450 species, of which highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is one of the three major Vaccinium fruit crops (i.e., blueberry, cranberry, and lingonberry) domesticated in the twentieth century. In blueberry the adventitious shoot regeneration using leaf explants has been the most desirable regeneration system to date; Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation is the major gene delivery method and effective selection has been reported using either the neomycin phosphotransferase II gene (nptII) or the bialaphos resistance (bar) gene as selectable markers. The A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation protocol described in this chapter is based on combining the optimal conditions for efficient plant regeneration, reliable gene delivery, and effective selection. The protocol has led to successful regeneration of transgenic plants from leaf explants of four commercially important highbush blueberry cultivars for multiple purposes, providing a powerful approach to supplement conventional breeding methods for blueberry by introducing genes of interest.

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.).

Grapevine (Vitis) is considered to be one of the major fruit crops in the world based on hectares cultivated and economic value. Grapes are used not only for wine but also for fresh fruit, dried fruit, and juice production. Wine is by far the major product of grapes, and the focus of this chapter is on wine grape cultivars. Grapevine cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. have a reputation for producing premium quality wines. These premium quality wines are produced from a small number of cultivars that enjoy a high level of consumer acceptance and are firmly entrenched in the market place because of varietal name branding and the association of certain wine styles and regions with specific cultivars. In light of this situation, grapevine improvement by a transgenic approach is attractive when compared to a classical breeding approach. The transfer of individual traits as single genes with a minimum disruption to the original genome would leave the traditional characteristics of the cultivar intact. However, a reliable transformation system is required for a successful transgenic approach to grapevine improvement. There are three criteria for achieving an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system: (1) the production of highly regenerative transformable tissue, (2) optimal cocultivation conditions for both grapevine tissue and Agrobacterium, and (3) an efficient selection regime for transgenic plant regeneration. In this chapter, we describe a grapevine transformation system that meets these criteria. We also describe a protocol for the production of transformed roots suitable for functional gene studies and for the production of semi-transgenic grafted plants.

Brachypodium distachyon.

The small grass Brachypodium distachyon has attributes that make it an excellent model for the development and improvement of cereal crops and bioenergy feedstocks. To realize the potential of this system, many tools have been developed (e.g., the complete genome sequence, a large collection of natural accessions, a high density genetic map, BAC libraries, EST sequences, microarrays, etc.). In this chapter, we describe a high-efficiency transformation system, an essential tool for a modern model system. Our method utilizes the natural ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transfer a well-defined region of DNA from its tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid DNA into the genome of a host plant cell. Immature embryos dissected out of developing B. distachyon seeds generate an embryogenic callus that serves as the source material for transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants. Embryogenic callus is cocultivated with A. tumefaciens carrying a recombinant plasmid containing the desired transformation sequence. Following cocultivation, callus is transferred to selective media to identify and amplify the transgenic tissue. After 2-5 weeks on selection media, transgenic callus is moved onto regeneration media for 2-4 weeks until plantlets emerge. Plantlets are grown in tissue culture until they develop roots and are transplanted into soil. Transgenic plants can be transferred to soil 6-10 weeks after cocultivation. Using this method with hygromycin selection, transformation efficiencies average 42 %, and it is routinely observed that 50-75 % of cocultivated calluses produce transgenic plants. The time from dissecting out embryos to having the first transgenic plants in soil is 14-18 weeks, and the time to harvesting transgenic seeds is 20-31 weeks.

Downregulation of Glucan Synthase-Like (TaGSL) genes in wheat leads to inhibition of transgenic plant regeneration

RNA interference (RNAi) cassettes for gene silencing in plants consist of an inverted repeat sequence of the targeted gene and a spacer region separating sense and antisense fragments. The sequences are generally placed under the control of a strong promoter and terminator and produce hairpin RNA structures that generate small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). These siRNAs destroy the mRNA of the matching gene in the cytoplasm. The number and efficiency of siRNAs depend upon the sequence length of inverted repeats and the region in the gene. In the present study, our objective was to downregulate three members of the Glucan Synthase-Like family in wheat. Initially, a 230-nucleotide fragment was cloned under the maize ubiquitin-1 promoter and nos terminator in both sense and antisense directions, and separated by a spacer including the Escherichia coli uidA (GUS) gene. RNAi constructs were prepared for TaGSL8 and TaGSL10. Biolistic delivery of RNAi constructs for TaGSL8 and TaGSL10 into immature zygotic embryos (IZEs) of wheat did not yield any transgenic plants. The experiment was repeated and comparisons were made with a control bar gene construct. IZEs bombarded with a bar selection cassette alone generated healthy calli on selection medium and transgenic plants were recovered. IZEs co-bombarded with the combination of RNAi and bar gene constructs produced only unhealthy calli when cultured on selection medium and no transgenic plants were recovered. This indicated that the RNAi constructs with 230-bp long inverted repeats of TaGSL8 or TaGSL10 were inhibiting regeneration. In the second experiment, the length of the inverted repeats was reduced to 150 and 122 nucleotides for TaGSL3 and TaGSL8, respectively. Two independent transgenic plants were recovered for each of the TaGSL3 and TaGSL8 target genes. These transgenic plants showed transcription of the introduced RNAi constructs, and the transcript levels of the corresponding endogenous genes were reduced. RNAi transgenic lines of TaGSL3 and TaGSL8 showed slightly reduced resistance against Fusarium graminearum compared to nontransgenic control plants.

Successful genetic transformation in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera)

The introduction of foreign genes into most of the Phoenix spp using recombinant DNA technology is not a straight forward task. In Phoenix spp application of this technology towards successful transformation proved to be a more difficult one – so far no report on the successful regeneration of transgenic date palm plants has been published. We developed an efficient and reproducible variety-independent method for producing transgenic date palm (Phoenix spp) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains LBA 9402 were used and for cotransformation experiments the strain LBA 9402 with the binary vector pBIN19 with the p35S GUS INT gene was used. Off-shoot segments from different Phoenix spp cultivars were infected with Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The development of ‘hairy roots’ at a high frequency only on infected tissue pieces showed that transformation is possible. Various parameters like, effect of different genotypes on root initiation, root number and root length have been studied. Regeneration of transformed root cultures to plantlets was also attempted. Histochemical GUS assay and polymerase chain reaction analysis of hairy roots confirmed the presence of GUS gene. Agrobacterium tumifaciensmediated transformation was also performed using the leaves of off-shoot explants. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains: I) GV3101 with the vir plasmid pMP90 the strain C58C1 ATHV with the vir-plasmid pTiBo542 (=pEHA101; Hood et al. 1986) was used. The nptII gene (neomycin phosphotransferase) was used as a selectable marker gene. The ?-Glucuronidase-gene (GUS-Gene: Jefferson et al. 1987) under control of the Ubi- and 35S-Promotors, with an Intron (Vancanneyt et al. 1990), was used as the reporter gene. We also used the genetically engineered Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 as a vector for infection in the transformation experiment, which contains plasmid pBI121 of 14 KDa (binary vector). This binary vector contains following genes within the right border (RB) and left border (LB) region of the construct: The udiA gene (Jefferson, 1986) predetermining GUS (?-glucuronidase), driven by CaMV promoter and NOS terminator. This reporter gene can be used to assess the efficiency of transformation. The nptII gene (Herrera-Estrella et al., 1983) encoding neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) conferring kanamycin resistance, driven by NOS promoter and NOS terminator. The bacterium also contains plasmid pAL4404 which is a disarmed Ti plasmid (132 KDa) containing the virulence genes. For the confirmation of transgenes, calli were taken from the growing callus mass for DNA isolation. PCR- and Southern analysis was performed to determine the integration and the copy number of the transgene. The GUS-test was performed to demonstrate ß-glucuronidase expression. The transgenic plantlets were kept in a hardening room for four weeks and they will be transferred to a growth chamber with controlled environment for further establishment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v11i2.19841 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 11(2): 171-176, 2013

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.)

The aim of work was to elaborate the system for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and transgenic plant regeneration in Rubus fruticosus L. using explants from mature plants. Regeneration of transgenic shoots was achieved from cut ends of petioles completely immersed in the medium using flag explants cultivated vertically on MS medium with 1 mg l−1 TDZ and 0.02 mg l−1 IBA followed by transfer on medium with 1 mg l−1 BAP, 0.02 mg l−1 IBA and 0.1 mg l−1 GA3, both supplemented with 10 and 15 mg l−1 hygromycin after transformation by A. tumefaciens strain LBA 4404/pCambia 1304. Four putative transgenic plants of cv. ‘Cacanska Bestrna’ were rooted, acclimatized and analysed. Transgenic character of the tissue from analysed plants was confirmed by nested PCR and subsequent sequencing.

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants using leaf midribs as explants in ramie [Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud

In this study, leaf midribs, the elite explants, were used for the first time to develop an efficient regeneration and transformation protocol for ramie [Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud.] via Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Sensitivity of leaf midribs regeneration to kanamycin was evaluated, which showed that 40 mg l(-1) was the optimal concentration needed to create the necessary selection pressure. Factors affecting the ramie transformation efficiency were evaluated, including leaf age, Agrobacterium concentration, length of infection time for the Agrobacterium solution, acetosyringone concentration in the co-cultivation medium, and the co-cultivation period. The midrib explants from 40-day-old in vitro shoots, an Agrobacterium concentration at OD600 of 0.6, 10-min immersion in the bacteria solution, an acetosyringone concentration of 50 mg l(-1) in the co-cultivation medium and a 3-day co-cultivation period produced the highest efficiencies of regeneration and transformation. In this study, the average transformation rate was 23.25%. Polymerase chain reactions using GUS and NPTII gene-specific primers, Southern blot and histochemical GUS staining analyses further confirmed that the transgene was integrated into the ramie genome and expressed in the transgenic ramie. The establishment of this system of Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants will be used not only to introduce genes of interest into the ramie genome for the purpose of trait improvement, but also as a common means of testing gene function by enhancing or inhibiting the expression of target genes.

Alterations in the Transcriptome of Soybean in Response to Enhanced Somatic Embryogenesis Promoted by Orthologs of AGAMOUS-Like15 and AGAMOUS-Like18

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a poorly understood process during which competent cells respond to inducing conditions, allowing the development of somatic embryos. It is important for the regeneration of transgenic plants, including for soybean (Glycine max). We report here that constitutive expression of soybean orthologs of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) MADS box genes Agamous-like15 (GmAGL15) and GmAGL18 increased embryogenic competence of explants from these transgenic soybean plants. To understand how GmAGL15 promotes SE, expression studies were performed. Particular genes of interest involved in embryogenesis (abscisic acid-insensitive3 and FUSCA3) were found to be directly up-regulated by GmAGL15 by using a combination of quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and chromatin immunoprecipitation. To look more broadly at changes in gene expression in response to GmAGL15, we assessed the transcriptome using the Affymetrix Soybean Genome Array. Interestingly, the gene expression profile of 35Spro:GmAGL15 explants (0 d in culture) was found to resemble nontransgenic tissue that had been induced for SE by being placed on induction medium for 3 d, possibly explaining the more rapid SE development observed on 35Spro:GmAGL15 tissue. In particular, transcripts from genes related to the stress response showed increased transcript accumulation in explants from 35Spro:GmAGL15 tissue. These same genes also showed increased transcript accumulation in response to culturing nontransgenic soybean explants on the medium used to induce SE. Overexpression of GmAGL15 may enhance SE by making the tissue more competent to respond to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid induction by differential regulation of genes such as those involved in the stress response, resulting in more rapid and prolific SE.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated Transformation of Walnut (Juglans regia)

Like many woody plant species, walnut (Juglans regia) can be difficult to genetically transform and regenerate. However, somatic embryos have been used successfully for over two decades as a target tissue for transformation and regeneration of transgenic walnut plants. Walnut somatic embryos, initiated originally from developing zygotic embryos or anther tissue, will proliferate numerous secondary embryos from single cells in the epidermal layer. These single cells in intact somatic embryos can be efficiently transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A. tumefaciens). This gene transfer system is most efficient when Agrobacterium binary vector plasmids contain a scorable maker gene (e.g. uidA) and a selectable marker gene (e.g. nptII). This system should be applicable to any crop that undergoes repetitive embryogenesis from single Agrobacterium-susceptible cells. Here we describe the method of transforming somatic embryos in detail so that this technique can be applied to walnut and other woody plant species.

Production and evaluation of transgenic sorghum for resistance to stem borer

Transgenic sorghum plants were produced through particle bombardment and Agrobacterium methods in two elite, but recalcitrant genotypes of Sorghum bicolor L. Moench. Use of target cells from developing tissues (immature embryos and multiple shoot buds), pre-culture of target tissue, small size of target tissue (2–3 mm), and regular subculture improved the selection and regeneration efficiencies. Addition of amino acid l-cysteine during co-cultivation and blotting sheet interface was helpful for complete decontamination of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and regeneration of transgenic plants. We demonstrated production of transgenic sorghum plants expressing a Bacillus thuringiensis lepidopteran toxin, through tailored in vitro protocols. Our results showed that decontamination of agrobacteria employing subtle treatments aided recovery of transgenic plants in recalcitrant genotypes. We generated 14 independent transgenic lines carrying different classes of B. thuringiensis toxin genes, cry1Aa and cry1B. Many single copy events were generated in two elite parental lines, CS3541 and 296B. Accumulation of the B. thuringiensis protein in leaves during the susceptible period of plant growth ranged from 35 to 500 ng/g fresh leaf tissue. Comprehensive insect bioassays for tolerance to spotted stem borer (Chilo partellus) were conducted through leaf disk and whole plant assays. Transgenic progeny plants showed 20–30% of damage as compared to 70–80% in non-transformed controls.