COMPLEMENTATION OF AN ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA BIOTIN AUXOTROPH WITH AN ESCHERICHIA-COLI BIOTIN BIOSYNTHETIC GENE

The Arabidopsis thaliana biotin auxotroph biol was rendered prototroph ic by transformation with a chimeric transgene containing the Escheric hia coli bioA gene driven by a constitutive promoter. The bioA gene en codes the biotin biosynthetic enzyme 7,8-diaminopelargonic acid aminot ransferase. Unlike the untransformed control plants, transgenic plants expressing the bacterial transgene synthesized biotin and grew to mat urity without biotin-deficiency symptoms. These findings demonstrate t hat bio1/bio1 mutant plants are defective in the gene encoding 7,8-dia mino-pelargonic acid aminotransferase.