Scott A. Young

Ribozymes targeted to stearoyl-ACP delta 9 desaturase mRNA produce heritable increases of stearic acid in transgenic maize leaves

Ribozymes are RNAs that can be designed to catalyze the specific cleavage or ligation of target RNAs. We have explored the possibility of using ribozymes in maize to downregulate the expression of the stearoyl–acyl carrier protein (Δ9) desaturase gene. Based on site accessibility and catalytic activity, several ribozyme constructs were designed and transformed into regenerable maize lines. One of these constructs, a multimer hammerhead ribozyme linked to a selectable marker gene, was shown to increase leaf stearate in two of 13 maize lines. There were concomitant decreases in Δ9 desaturase mRNA and protein. The plants with the altered stearate phenotype were shown to express ribozyme RNA. The ribozyme-mediated trait was heritable, as evidenced by stearate increases in the leaves of the R1 plants derived from a high-stearate line. The increase in stearate correlated with the presence of the ribozyme gene. A catalytically inactive version of this ribozyme did not produce any significant effect in transgenic maize. This is evidence that ribozymes can be used to modulate the expression of endogenous genes in maize.

Expression of murine adenosine deaminase (ADA) in transgenic maize.

A murine adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene, driven by the maize ubi-1 promoter and intron region, was transformed into embryogenic maize callus, along with a bar and gusA gene-containing plasmid, using microparticle bombardment. Selection in the presence of either the herbicide Basta® or the adenosine analogue 2′-deoxyadenosine resulted in transgenic cultures that expressed GUS and accumulated a 41kD protein that immunoprecipated with an ADA-specific polyclonal antibody. ADA enzyme activity was observed in extracts from transgenic callus as well as regenerated plants and progeny. Cultures expressing ADA grew in the presence of 200mg/l 2′-deoxyadenosine, a concentration which completely inhibited the growth of non-transgenic cultures. ADA activity appeared to segregate in progeny of regenerated plants as a single, dominant Mendelian trait. These results suggest that ADA, in combination with adenosine analogue selection, represents a potentially viable selectable marker system for transgenic maize production.