Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria Standl.)

Plant Cell Rep. 2005 Mar;23(10-11):692-8. doi: 10.1007/s00299-004-0874-z. Epub 2004 Oct 12.

Abstract

We describe a procedure for producing transgenic bottle gourd plants by inoculating cotyledon explants with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL1 that carries the binary vector pCAMBIA3301 containing a glufosinate ammonium-resistance (bar) gene and the beta-D-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. The most effective bacterial infection was observed when cotyledon explants of 4-day-old seedlings were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium for 6-8 days on co-cultivation medium supplemented with 0.1-0.001 mg/l L-alpha-(2-aminoethoxyvinyl) glycine (AVG). The putatively transformed shoots directly emerged at the proximal end of cotyledon explants after 2-3 weeks of culturing on selection medium containing 2 mg/l DL-phosphinothricin. These shoots were rooted after 3 weeks of culturing on half-strength MS medium containing 0.1 mg/l indole acetic acid and 1 mg/l DL-phosphinothricin. Transgenic plants were obtained at frequencies of 1.9%. Stable integration and transmission of the transgenes in T1 generation plants were confirmed by a histochemical GUS assay, polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analyses. Genetic segregation analysis of T1 progenies showed that transgenes were inherited in a Mendelian fashion. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in bottle gourd.

MeSH terms

  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens / genetics*
  • Aminobutyrates / pharmacology
  • Blotting, Southern
  • Cucurbitaceae / drug effects
  • Cucurbitaceae / genetics*
  • Cucurbitaceae / microbiology
  • Ethylenes / pharmacology
  • Glucuronidase / genetics
  • Glycine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Glycine / pharmacology
  • Plant Shoots
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Regeneration
  • Transformation, Genetic*

Substances

  • Aminobutyrates
  • Ethylenes
  • phosphinothricin
  • ethylene
  • Glucuronidase
  • aminoethoxyvinylglycine
  • Glycine