AGROBACTERIUM-MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION OF TORENIA (TORENIA-FOURNIERI)

A method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of torenia (Scrophu lariaceae) is reported. Leaf segments of torenia plants grown in vitro were infected with the Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 harboring a binar y vector containing the neomycin phosphotransferase II gene, beta-gluc uronidase (GUS) gene with an intron and hygromycin phosphotransferase gene The infected explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1 mg/l benzyladenine, 100 mg/l carbenicillin and 30 0 mg/l kanamycin (selection medium) for regeneration. Twelve shoots ou t of 67 shoots which regenerated from green compact calli on the, sele ction medium were GUS-positive. Polymerase chain reaction analysis con firmed the presence of the GUS gene in the GUS-positive plants. Mendel ian inheritance of the GUS activity in the progenies of the transforme d plants was demonstrated.