Expression of green fluorescent protein gene in transgenic shoots of Artemisia annua

A plant expression vector pBIGFP containing a modified green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was constructed, in which the GFP gene was placed under double CaMV 35S promoter. Leaf explants were infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith et Townsend) Conn LBA4404 containing GFP expression vector to induce shoot clusters on selected medium. A concentration of 20 mg/L Kan was used to select Kan resistant shoot clusters. Five Kan resistant shoot cluster lines were established. Southern blot analysis showed that the foreign gene had been intergrated into the genome of Artemisia annua. Bright green fluorescence was observed when transgenic shoots were excited with blue light in fluorescent microscopy (OLYMPUS-BH2 model). The results suggested that an efficient transgenic system of Artemisia annua via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation was established using GFP gene as the report gene, and the GFP gene was expressed in Artemisia annua.