AGROBACTERIUM-MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION OF TORENIA (TORENIA-FOURNIERI)

A method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of torenia (Scrophulariaceae) is reported. Leaf segments of torenia plants grown in vitro were infected with the Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 harboring a binary vector containing the neomycin phosphotransferase II gene, beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene with an intron and hygromycin phosphotransferase gene The infected explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1 mg/l benzyladenine, 100 mg/l carbenicillin and 300 mg/l kanamycin (selection medium) for regeneration. Twelve shoots out of 67 shoots which regenerated from green compact calli on the, selection medium were GUS-positive. Polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed the presence of the GUS gene in the GUS-positive plants. Mendelian inheritance of the GUS activity in the progenies of the transformed plants was demonstrated.