AGROBACTERIUM-MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION OF AMARANTHUS-HYPOCHONDRIACUS -LIGHT-SPECIFIC AND TISSUE-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION OF A PEA CHLOROPHYLL A B-BINDING PROTEIN PROMOTER/

Mature embryos of Amaranthus hypochondriacus (amaranth) were used to d evelop an in vitro culture system for plant regeneration and genetic t ransformation. Plants were regenerated from embryo-derived callus cult ivated on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with IO mu M 2,4-dic hlorophenoxyacetic acid or 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid and 10% coconut liquid endosperm. Transgenic plants were obtained by inoculati on of mature embryo explants with a disarmed Agrobacterium strain cont aining the plasmid pGV2260(pEsc4), which carried the genes encoding ne omycin phosphotransferase type II and beta-glucuronidase. The presence of transgenes in the genome of transformed amaranth plants and their progeny was demonstrated by Southern blot hybridization. Tissue specif ic and light-inducible expression directed by a pea chlorophyll a/b-bi nding protein promoter was observed in transgenic amaranth plants and their progeny.