Genetic transformation of creeping bentgrass (
Agrostis palustris Hunds.) “Penncross” by electroporation-mediated direct DNA transfer to protoplasts is described. Two plasmid constructs carrying the selectable marker gene,
npt II, and the truncated form of the
cry I
A (a) gene (the insect control protein gene of
Bacillus thuringiensis var, sotto), respectively, were used for co-transformation experiments.
Protoplasts enzymatically isolated from embryogenic suspension cultures were subjected to electroporation with DNA and cultured using “agarose-beads type” culture method. Selection of protoplast-derived cell colonies with the antiobiotic, G418, yielded 112 resistant colonies from 10 independent experiments. A total of 53 resistant plants were recovered upon transferring the colonies to regeneration medium.
PCR and PCR-Southern hybridization analysis showed that all the G418 resistant regenerants tested carried the
npt II gene. Expression of the transgene was detected by enzyme assay. Co-integration frequency of the
npt II gene with the
cry I
A (a) gene appeared 24%.
View full abstract