Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #140596

Title: AN EFFICIENT METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING GENES INTO PLUM (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.)

Author
item PADILLA, ISABEL - SPANISH MINISTRY/AGRIC
item Webb, Kevin
item Scorza, Ralph

Submitted to: Plant Cell Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/28/2003
Publication Date: 6/24/2003
Citation: PADILLA, I., WEBB, K.K., SCORZA, R. EARLY ANTIBIOTIC SELECTIONAND EFFICIENT ROOTING AND ACCLIMATIZATION IMPROVE THE PRODUCTION OF TRANSGENIC PLUM PLANTS (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.). PLANT CELL REPORTS. vOL 22, PGS 38-45, JUNE 2003.

Interpretive Summary: The development of improved varieties of plum and other stone fruits such as peach and apricot is a time consuming and expensive process. It can take 20 years to produce a new, improved variety. The process of genetic transformation, where new genes for disease resistance, insect resistance, or improved fruit quality can be transferred into fruit crops, offers the possibility of shortening the time for variety development while also allowing breeders to make improvements never before possible. In order to achieve the improvements of gene transfer, rapid, reliable gene transfer techniques are necessary. We have developed a rapid and reliable transformation system for plum that can be readily used by any genetic improvement program. With this system we show that we can transfer into plum genes with the potential for producing new virus resistant varieties.

Technical Abstract: We describe a system for routinely transferring genes into plum (Prunus domestica L.) through the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The system is based on the regeneration of shoots from hypocotyls extracted from mature seed. Shoot regeneration medium is based on Murashige and Skoog salts and vitamins with the addition of 7.5 µM thidiazuron (TDZ) and 0.25 µM indole-butyric acid (IBA). Transferring the explants after co-cultivation to shoot regeneration medium (SRM) containing 80 mgl-1 of kanamycin and 300 mgl-1 of timentin reduced the total number of regenerated shoots without affecting the transformation rate. Transformation rates using the described systems are commonly 1-4% of hypocotyls slices producing transgenic plants. The transgenic shoots rooted at a rate of 90% on half-strength Murashige and Skoog salts and vitamins with the addition of 5 µM naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA) and 0.01µM kinetin (K). Plantlets were transferred to a greenhouse directly from test tube with a 90% average survival.