No abstract

The genomic stability of tissue culture regenerants of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids, cvs 'CP721210', 'CP68-1067' and 'B43-62') was analyzed by DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Plants regenerated from calli, cell suspensions, cryopreserved cell suspensions and protoplasts were used. Total DNA isolated from 19 different sources was digested with EcoRI, HindIII, BamHI, BamHI, EcoRI and PstI and probed with six known maize mitochondrial genes (coxI, coxII, atpA, atp6, atp9 and rrn18-rrn5), three random maize mitochondrial cosmid clones, two random maize chloroplast cosmid clones and a wheat Nor locus clone. Hybridization patterns indicated that the variation observed was minor and appeared only in the secondcycle regenerants. No differences were observed among the three cultivars and the regenerants from calli, suspension culture, cryopreserved suspension culture and protoplasts. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) isolated from 'CP72-1210' plants and its embryogenic cell suspensions, and bulk samples from all 'CP72-1210' regenerants pooled together were digested with EcoRI, HindIII, PstI, BamHI and SalI and probed with three recombinationally active wheat mtDNA clones, K', K3 and X2. No variation in the mtDNA restriction patterns was observed between the 'CP72-1210' plants and its regenerants. However, restriction pattern variation was observed only from EcoRI digestion, and hybridization patterns of K3, K' and X2 revealed minor variations in the mtDNA of cell suspensions when compared with the DNA of the 'CP72-1210' plant. Except for a qualitative variation detected by the X2 probe and minor stoichiometric variations detected by the K3 probe, sugarcane DNAs were found to be stable after plant regeneration.

Stably transformed callus of a hybrid sugarcane cultivar (Saccharum species hybrid, CP72-1210) was achieved following high velocity microprojectile bombardment of suspension culture cells, and electroporation of protoplasts. A three-day old cell suspension culture (SC88) was bombarded with gold particles coated with pBARGUS plasmid DNA containing the ß-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and the bar selectable gene that confers resistance to the herbicide basta. The pBARGUS plasmid was also electroporated into the protoplasts of another cell line (SCPP). Colonies resistant to basta were recovered from both sources. Stable integration of the bar gene in the resistant cell lines was confirmed by Southern analysis. In addition, phosphinothricin acetyltransf erase (PAT) activity was also demonstrated in the transformed cell lines.

Biological parameters affecting microprojectile bombardment delivery of DNA into oil palm embryogenic calli were optimized by monitoring transient GUS gene expression. The parameters optimized were the following; explant type using gold and tungsten microcarrier, bombardment preculture, time between bombardment and GUS staining, genotype, immature embryo preculture, DNA concentration, osmoticum type and concentration, and osmoticum treatment duration before and after bombardment. An independent experiment was carried out to study the effect of each parameter and its variables on transient GUS expression. ANOVA was carried out for each experiment using completely randomized design and the treatment means were compared using Duncan's Multiple Range Test. The highest transient GUS expression was observed 2 days post-bombardment using embryogenic calli derived from immature embryos. Bombardment was carried out using 300 μg of gold microcarriers coated with 1.5 μg of DNA 24 h after transfer to fresh medium. GUS expression could be further enhanced when calli were transferred to medium containing osmoticum (0.4 M mannitol) 2 h prior to bombardment. Highly significant differences between the variables were observed for all the parameters studied except genotype.