Expression of a chimeric farnesyl diphosphate synthase gene in Artemisia annua L. transgenic plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation

An Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system was developed f or Artemisia annua L. Using this system a cDNA encoding farnesyl diphosphat e synthase (FDS placed under a CaMV 35S promoter) was transferred into A. a nnua via A. tumefaciens strain LB4404. Leaf or leaf discs were used as expl ants to be infected with A. tumefaciens and an optimal concentration of 20 mg/l kanamycin was applied to select kanamycin resistant shoots. Forty-five lines of resistance kanamycin shoots transformed with FDS were established . Analysis of PCR showed that at least 20 shoots transformed with the FDS g ene were PCR positive. Southern blot analysis suggested the foreign FDS gen e had been integrated into the A. annua genome, and Northern blot analysis revealed that the foreign FDS gene expressed at the transcriptional level i n five shoot lines (F-1, F-4, F-61, F-62 and F-73 shoot lines). Analysis of artemisinin demonstrated that about 8 similar to 10 mg/g DW of artemisinin were then detected in transgenic plants regenerated from five shoot lines, this is about 2-3 times higher than that in the control. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.