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Two unlinked T-DNAs can transform the same tobacco plant cell and segregate in the F1 generation

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Summary

The 200 kb Agrobacterium Ti-plasmid pTiT37 carries a 25 kb segment of T-DNA which it transfers to plant cells during crown-gall tumorigenesis. We have previously engineered into this T-DNA a pBR322-derived cloning vector which enabled us to rescue-clone full length T-DNA from the Ti-plasmid into a 36 kb MINI-Ti plasmid. We report here the deletion of oncogenes from MINI-Ti to produce Micro-Ti containing the nopaline synthase gene and the ampicillin resistance gene and origin of replication of pBR322, flanked by left and right T-DNA borders. Micro-Ti was recloned into the wide host range plasmid pRK290 and transformed into an A. tumefaciens strain carrying a helper plasmid that could supply Virulence (VIR) genes in trans. Using the octopine Ti-plasmid pTiB6-806 as a helper, transformed tobacco cells were obtained which produced both nopaline and octopine. Two cloned cell lines producing both opines were found to be hormone dependent and to produce fertile tobacco plants. We selfed one of these plants and found that the two opine markers segregated in the F1 progeny in a Mendelian fashion. This showed that the T-DNAs were not linked in the transformed plant genome. Southern blot analysis of the genomic DNA from the regenerated plant showed that only part of the (oncogenic) octopine T-DNA was present indicating that it had suffered a deletion in the auxin producing locus (tms region). Presence of the cytokinin autonomy locus presumably accounts for the abnormal rooting behavior of the F1 progeny seedlings containing this T-DNA.

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Abbreviations

NAA:

Naphtalene acetic acid

IAA:

Indole-3-acetic acid

BA:

6-benzylaminopurine

pCPA:

para-chlorophenoxyacetic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIBA-GEIGY Biotechnology, P.O. Box 12257, 27709, Research Triangle Park, NC

    Annick J. de Framond, Eduard W. Back & Mary-Dell Chilton

  2. Biology Department, Washington University, 63130, St. Louis, MO

    Lucille Kayes

  3. Botany Department, North Carolina State University, 27650, Raleigh, NC, USA

    William S. Chilton

Authors
  1. Annick J. de Framond
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  2. Eduard W. Back
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  3. William S. Chilton
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  4. Lucille Kayes
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  5. Mary-Dell Chilton
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Communicated by R.B. Goldberg

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de Framond, A.J., Back, E.W., Chilton, W.S. et al. Two unlinked T-DNAs can transform the same tobacco plant cell and segregate in the F1 generation. Mol Gen Genet 202, 125–131 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330528

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330528

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