ARS | Publication request: FERTILE, TRANSGENIC OATS RECOVERED FOLLOWING VISUAL SELECTION OF CELLS EXPRESSING THE GREEN FLUORESCENT PROGEIN GENE

Submitted to: Congress on In Vitro Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 1998
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Alternative selectable marker genes are needed for cereal monocot transformation. The green fluorescent protein (gfp) gene has many advantages over currently available marker genes and shows promise as a marker for visual selection of transformed cultures. The objective of this research was to determine if fertile, transformed oat plants could be recovered following visual selection for gfp expressing cell lines. A modified gfp gene was delivered into friable, embryogenic oat tissue cultures via microprojectile bombardment: Gfp expression in bombarded tissues was monitored using a dissecting microscope. Cells expression gfp were manually selected at each subculture. To date, seven oat cell lines highly expressing gfp have been recovered following visual selection for gfp expression. Plants were regenerated from each of those lines. Fertile plants have been produced in all lines that have reached the flowering stage. Mature seeds were harvested for seedling analysis. PCR and Southern analyses confirm transgene integration in primary regenerants. Research is being conducted to determine if, and how many, chimeric plants are present among those regenerated. Similar selection experiments are underway in barley and maize.