Genetic transformation of the figwort, Scrophularia buergeriana Miq., an Oriental medicinal plant

Scrophularia buergeriana Miq. (figwort) contains a diverse group of bioactive natural products and is used to treat a variety of ailments, including fever, constipation, neuritis, and laryngitis. A transformation protocol was established for S. buergeriana using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Kanamycin-resistant plants were regenerated from leaf explants co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens strain GV3101. The shoot regeneration medium was supplemented with 2 mg l(-1) 6-benzylaminopurine and 70 mg l(-1) putrescine to improve the efficiency of organogenesis. Detection of the neomycin phosphotransferase gene, the presence of high levels of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) transcripts and enzyme activity, and the histochemical localization of GUS confirmed the genetic transformation of S. buergeriana. This work demonstrates the potential of using A. tumefaciens to efficiently transfer foreign genes into a commercially and culturally important Oriental medicinal plant.