Transformation of Oil Palm Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Transgenic oil palm (
Elaeis guineensis
Jacq.) plantlets are regenerated after
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
-mediated transformation of embryogenic calli derived from young leaves of oil palm. The calli are transformed with an
Agrobacterium
strain, LBA4404, harboring the plasmid pUBA, which carries a selectable marker gene (
bar
) for resistance to the herbicide Basta and is driven by a maize ubiquitin promoter. Modifications of the transformation method, treatment of the target tissues using acetosyringone, exposure to a plasmolysis medium, and physical injury via biolistics are applied. The main reasons for such modifications are to activate the bacterial virulence system and, subsequently, to increase the transformation efficiency. Transgenic oil palm cells are selected and regenerated on a medium containing herbicide Basta. Molecular analyses revealed the presence and integration of the introduced
bar
gene into the genome of the transformants.