MICROPROJECTILE BOMBARDMENT MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION OF LILIUM-LONGIFLORUM

We have obtained transgenic lily (Lilium longiflorum) plants after mic roprojectile bombardment. using the Biolistics PDS 1000/He system, of morphogenic calli derived from bulblet scales, followed by bialaphos s election. Parameters which gave the highest transient uidA expression were used: a bombardment pressure of 1 100 psi, a target distance of 6 cm and a 48-h preculture on medium with 3% sucrose. A total of 1800 m orphogenic calli were co-bombarded with plasmids containing either the uidA reporter or PAT selectable marker genes. After bombardment, the calli were exposed to 2 mg/l bialaphos. Only 72 of the shoot-forming c alli (4%) survived. The 72 shoot clusters produced 342 shoots on elong ation medium containing 0.5 mg/l bialaphos. Only 55 plantlets survived subsequent exposure to 2.0 mg/l bialaphos. PCR analysis indicated tha t 19 of these plantlets contained the PAT transgene. Southern analysis of 3 of the plants indicated that all contained the PAT gene.