TRANSFORMATION OF WHEAT WITH THE GENE ENCODING THE COAT PROTEIN OF BARLEY YELLOW MOSAIC-VIRUS

Wheat plants (Triticum aestivum cv. Hartog) were stably transformed wi th the bar gene and the gene encoding the barley yellow mosaic virus c oat protein. Cultured immature wheat embryos were bombarded with tungs ten particles coated with the pEmuPAT-cp construct. Fifteen regenerati ng 'PPT-resistant' plants were selected on medium containing phosphino thricin. Of these, 11 plants had both the bar and ep genes integrated into the wheat genome and two plants had only the bar gene. Transmissi on of the two genes to progeny of two independent plants was confirmed . The barley yellow mosaic virus coat protein was detected in both the parent and progeny plants; however, bar gene expression occurred only in the parent plants.