Pil Son Choi

High frequency somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in tissue cultures of Codonopsis lanceolata

Culture conditions for high frequency somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from cotyledonary explants of Codonopsis lanceolata are described. The maximum induction frequency of somatic embryos from cotyledonary explants was 80% on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 6% sucrose with 1 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 10% coconut water. Upon transfer onto MS basal medium containing 3% sucrose, most somatic embryos developed into plantlets.

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in immature zygotic embryo, ovule, and anther filament cultures of Chinese cabbage

Abstract Immature zygotic embryos, ovules, and anther filaments of Chinese cabbage were cultured on Murashige and Skoogs (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg l−1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Up to 80% of the zygotic embryos, 17% of the ovules, and 13% of the filaments produced somatic embryos with or without intervening calli. Upon transfer to MS basal medium, most of the somatic embryos developed into plantlets. Plantlets were transplanted to potting soil and grown in a phytotron.

Current status of genetic transformation technology developed in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Genetic transformation is an important technique for functional genomics study and genetic improvement of plants. Until now, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation methods using cotyledon as explants has been the major approach for cucumber, and its frequency has been up to 23%. For example, significantly enhancement of the transformation efficiency of this plant species was achieved from the cotyledon explants of the cultivar Poinsett 76 infected by Agrobacterium strains EHA105 with efficient positive selection system in lots of experiments. This review is to summarize some key factors influencing cucumber regeneration and genetic transformation, including target genes, selection systems and the ways of transgene introduction, and then to put forward some strategies for the increasing of cucumber transformation efficiency. In the future, it is high possible for cucumber to be potential bioreactor to produce vaccine and biomaterials for human beings.

Expression of Dengue virus EIII domain-coding gene in maize as an edible vaccine candidate

Plant-based vaccines possess some advantages over other types of vaccine biotechnology such as safety, low cost of mass vaccination programs, and wider use of vaccines for medicine. This study was undertaken to develop the transgenic maize as edible vaccine candidates for humans. The immature embryos of HiII genotype were inoculated with A. tumefaciens strain C58C1 containing the binary vectors (V662 or V663). The vectors carrying nptII gene as selection marker and scEDIII (V662) or wCTB-scEDIII (V663) target gene, which code EIII proteins inhibite viral adsorption by cells. In total, 721 maize immature embryos were transformed and twenty-two putative transgenic plants were regenerated after 12 weeks selection regime. Of them, two- and six-plants were proved to be integrated with scEDIII and wCTB-scEDIII genes, respectively, by Southern blot analysis. However, only one plant (V662-29-3864) can express the gene of interest confirmed by Northern blot analysis. These results demonstrated that this plant could be used as a candidated source of the vaccine production.

The development of transgenic maize expressing Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ApxIIA gene using Agrobacterium

To develop edible vaccines for swine, the embryogenic calli (type II) derived from HiII genotype were inoculated with A. tumefaciens strain C58C1 containing the binary vector pMYV611, 613, 616, and V621, 622 and 623 respectively. Six of those vectors carry nptII gene which confers resistance to paromomycin and apxIIA gene producing ApxII toxin which is generated in various serum types of A. pleuropneumoniae as a target gene. The 4,120 callus clones for pMYV611, 5,959 callus clones for pMYV613, 7,581 callus clones for pMYV616, 52,329 callus clones for V621, 48,948 callus clones for V622, and 56,188 callus clones for V623 were inoculated. The frequency of positive response clone was confirmed into range of 2.3% - 4.4% for each vectors by NPTII ELISA kit assay, and the selected callus clones of them were finally 3 callus clones from pMYV611 (0.07%), 4 callus clones from pMYV613 (0.07%), 2 callus clones from pMYV616 (0.03%), 51 callus clones from V621 (0.1%), 72 callus clones from V622 (0.15 %), and 102 callus clones from V623 (0.18%) respectively. From the selected callus clones of each binary vector, the integration of the apxIIA gene into maize genome was detected from 2 plants of pMYV613 and 2 plants of V623 by Southern blot analysis.

Development of transgenic cucumber expressing TPSP gene and morphological alterations

Abstract To develop transgenic cucumber tolerant to abi-otic stress, a cotyledonary-node explants were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (EHA101) carrying TPSP gene (pHC30-TPSP). After transfer to fresh medium every two week for eight weeks, putative transgenic plants were selected when shoots grown a length greater than 3 cm from the cotyledonary-node explants on selection medium supple-mented with 5 mgl -1 phospinotricin as selectable agent. The confirmation of transgenic cucumber was based on the North-ern blot analysis. Thirty four shoots (5.2%) with resistance to phospinotricin were obtained from 660 explants inoculated. Of them, transformants were only confirmed from 11 plants (1.7%). Transgenic cucumber expressing TPSP gene was more synthesized at 3.8 times amounts of trehalose (0.014 mg g fresh wt -1 ) than non-transformants (0.0037 mg g fresh wt -1 ). However, all of transgenic plants showed abnormal morphology, including stunted growth ( height 150 cm) under the same growth envi-ronment. These results lead us to speculate that the over-production of trehalose was toxic for cucumber, even though that had known for rice as non-toxic.

Plant regeneration from hypocotyls explants of Astragalus sinicus L.

To investigate the optimal conditions for shoot organogenesis in Astragalus sinicus L., hypocotyl explants were cultured in Murashige & Skoogs (MS) medium supplemented with 0.1, 1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) for 6 weeks. 2,4-D concentration significantly effected morphogenesis: some produced calli with adventitious shoots and roots, some produced calli with adventitious roots, some produced only calli, and some produced deep-brownish calli with roots. The formation of calli with shoots and/or roots was observed at lower levels of 2,4-D, whereas calli without shoots or with deep-brownish roots were formed after treatment with higher levels of 2,4-D. Also, a shoot organogenesis ability of callus clones was observed after treatment with medium with 0.1 or 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D grown in MS medium with combinations of benzyl adenine (BA) and 2,4-D for 4 weeks. Medium with a combination of BA and 2,4-D was effective for shoot formation, whereas root organogenesis from calli decreased. The greatest amount of shoot formation was obtained when calli were cultured in MS medium containing 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/L BA. Upon shoot transfer into 1/2 MS basal medium, plantlets developed, and the plantlets grew well in soil in a greenhouse.

Development of transgenic strawberry plants expressing monellin, a sweet protein

Leaf discs from ‘Yeobong’ and ‘Maehyang’ strawberry plants were used as explants for transformation. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring the monellin gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter was used in co-cultivation experiments. The frequencies of callus formation and plant regeneration from leaf explants after co-cultivation in ‘Yeobong’ were higher than those of ‘Maehyang’. These transgenic plants showed normal growth patterns and flowering. PCR and Southern hybridization confirmed that 1 to 2 copies of the monellin gene were integrated into genome of the transgenic strawberry plants. Northern blot analysis confirm that the transcripts were expressed in transgenic strawberry plants. Although long-term subcultured transgenic strawberry plants showed a phenomenon to escape the transgene, the transformation system established in this study provides new opportunities for genetic improvement of strawberry plants.

Anomalous somatic embryos formation and plant regeneration from the cultures of immature embryos of Camellia japonica L.

Abstract Embryogenic callus was induced from the cultures of immature embryos of Camellia japonica L. on Murashige & Skoog’s (MS) solid medium supplemented with 1 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), and then the embryogenic callus was proliferated on same medium for 4 weeks over. The embryogenic callus was sub-cultured on MS basal medium without 2,4-D to produce coyledonary stage of somatic embryo. The frequency (%) of somatic embryogenesis was 25.1%, and the majority of somatic embryos formed had a abnormal morphology with cup- shaped cotyledon (48.3%), one cotyledon (12.6%), three cotyledons (9.4%), four cotyledons (1.9%), whereas was only normal morphology with two cotyledon (27.5%). When the somatic embryos with normal or abnormal cotyledons transfer to MS basal medium or ½ MS medium with/or without plant growth regulators (GA 3 , IBA) for regeneration, the frequency (%) of two-cotyledon embryos regenerated into plantlets was higher 11.1% than one cotyledon (0.0~8.3 %), three cotyledons (0.0~5.8%), four cotyledons (0.0%), cup-shaped (0.3~4.2%). These results demonstrated that the anomalous cotyledons of somatic embryos could caused to decrease the rate of plant regeneration.

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in tissue cultures of Artemisia annua L.

Mature seeds of Artemisia annua L. were placed onto Murashige and Skoog`s (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). After 6 weeks of culture, off-white, compact calluses were formed on the plumule of seedlings at a frequency of 5.9%. Calluses were subcultured on the same medium. After an additional 2 weeks of subculture, calluses produced a few somatic embryos at a frequency of 28.8%. Upon transfer to MS basal medium, calluses producing a few somatic embryos gave rise to numerous somatic embryos, which subsequently developed into plantlets. Plantlets were successfully transplanted to potting soil and grown to maturity in a greenhouse.