Sorghum Transformation

Sorghum Transformation: Achievements, Challenges, and Perspectives

“…Nevertheless, the low nutritional content is limiting its value as food and feed. Attempts to improve the lysine content of sorghum grain using transformation were reported in early studies (Yohannes et al 1999;Zhao and Tomes 2003), and the need for such an improvement has gained more attention recently from scientists around the world. As discussed earlier, Ahmad et al (2012) studied the endosperm-specific expression of the α-kafirin promoter that was isolated from sorghum using the gfp gene as a reporter.…”

“…In this investigation, a mutated dhdps-rl gene, encoding a feedback-insensitive dihydro-picolinate synthetase enzyme leading to increased lysine accumulation, was introduced into sorghum by bombardment. Later, Zhao and Tomes (2003) used the high-lysine protein gene (HT12) for sorghum transformation via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The reported transformation rate was 2.1 % and expression of HT12 in transgenic plants led to a 50 % increase in total grain lysine.…”

“…More recently, transformation studies have focused primarily on using marker genes to establish, develop, and improve transformation and regeneration processes (Nguyen et al 2007). The production of transgenic sorghum with agronomic traits such as nutrient improvement, pest resistance, disease, and stress tolerance has been reported (Zhao and Tomes 2003;Gao et al 2005b;Maheswari et al 2010;Arulselvi et al 2011). Low transformation frequency and transgene silencing are limiting factors for sorghum varietal improvement by genetic engineering.…”

Recent Advancements in Gene Expression and Enabling Technologies in Crop Plants

“…More recently, transformation studies have focused primarily on using marker genes to establish, develop, and improve transformation and regeneration processes ). The production of transgenic sorghum with agronomic traits such as nutrient improvement, pest resistance, disease, and stress tolerance has been reported (Zhao and Tomes 2003;Gao et al 2005b;Maheswari et al 2010;Arulselvi et al 2011). Low transformation frequency and transgene silencing are limiting factors for sorghum varietal improvement by genetic engineering.…”

“…Nevertheless, the low nutritional content is limiting its value as food and feed. Attempts to improve the lysine content of sorghum grain using transformation were reported in early studies (Yohannes et al 1999;Zhao and Tomes 2003), and the need for such an improvement has gained more attention recently from scientists around the world. As discussed earlier, studied the endosperm-specific expression of the α-kafirin promoter that was isolated from sorghum using the gfp gene as a reporter.…”