Morphological changes in transgenic poplar induced by expression of the rice homeobox gene OSH1

Genetically transformed lombardy poplar (Populus nigra L. var. italica Koeh ne) plants were regenerated after co-cultivation of stem segments with Agro bacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 that harbored a binary vector which in cluded the rice gene for a homeodomain protein (OSH) and a gene for neomyci n phosphotransferase, The expression of the OSH1 gene under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter induced morphological abnormalities i n the leaves and stems of the newly generated transgenic poplar plants. Thi s result suggests that OSH1 can function as a regulator of morphogenesis in transgenic poplar, as it does in transgenic rice. Arabinopsis, and tobacco plants.