Agrobacterium Tumefaciens Based Transformation of Pelargonium x Hortrum cv. ‘Samba’ with Anti-1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate Synthase cDNA to Regulate Ethylene Biosynthesis

Abstract

Phytohormone, ethylene plays an important role in plant growth and development including fruit ripening and flower senescence. The synthesis of 1-aminocylo-propane-1- carboxylate (ACC), the immediate precursor of ethylene, from S-adenosyl-methionine is catalyzed by ACC synthase; and which is also a rate limiting step in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway. Therefore, it plays a key role in ethylene biosynthesis and the genes that code for ACC synthase are of special interest. Moreover, in zonal geraniums, ethylene bursts released from cuttings can have profound impact on the viability of explants for plant propagation. Biotechnological approach involving genetic modification that may reduce ethylene levels has potential for increasing the shelf-life of cuttings for plant propagation. These considerations have led us to clone several cDNA of ACC synthase genes from Pelargonium x hortorum cv. ‘Sincerity’. To transform geranium cells with Agrobacterium tumefaciens an in vitro regeneration system was developed using very young petiole explants. An Antisense construct of ACC synthase cDNA (PHSacc41) ligated into binary vector pAM696 was introduced into A. tumefaciens EHA 105 cells. Petiole explants were incubated with the Agrobacterium for 15 min and then co-cultivated for several days on MS medium containing 5 mM BAP and 1 mM IAA in the dark without the antibiotics. Selection for transformants was carried out in the presence of kanamycin and timentin. Transgenic plantlets generated were examined for inserted gene cassette by PCR and Southern blotting. Recovery of positive transformants that survived selection suggested that it is possible to transform and introduce genes via transformation in hybrid geraniums for genetic modification.