TRANSFORMATION OF GRAPE (VITIS-VINIFERA L) ZYGOTIC-DERIVED SOMATIC EMBRYOS AND REGENERATION OF TRANSGENIC PLANTS

Transgenic grape plants were regenerated from somatic embryos derived from immature zygotic embryos of seedless grape (Vitis vinifera L.) selections. Somatic embryos were bombarded twice with 1 mu m gold particles using the Biolistic PDS-1000/He device (Bio-Rad Laboratories) and then exposed to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58/Z707 containing the binary plasmid pGA482GG or pCGN7314, Following cocultivation, secondary embryos were allowed to proliferate on Emershad/Ramming proliferation (ERP) medium for 6 weeks before selection on ERP medium containing 20-40 mu g/ml kanamycin (kan). Transgenic embryos were identified after 3-5 months under selection and allowed to germinate and develop into rooted plants on Woody Plant Medium containing 1 mu M 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 1.5% sucrose, 0.3% activated charcoal and 0.75% agar. Integration of the foreign genes into these grapevines was verified by growth in the presence of kan, positive GUS and PCR assays, and Southern analysis.