Biotech Updates

Researchers Develop Effective Regeneration and Transformation System in Sesame

November 25, 2011

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an economically important oil crop in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world. However, only a few researchers have used genetic engineering to improve the crop due to regeneration and transformation difficulties.

Amal F. Al-Shafeay of the Agriculture Research Center (ARC) in Egypt and colleagues reported the successful production of transgenic fertile sesame plants (cultivar Sohag 1) through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The expression of the inserted genes (phosphotransferase gene and beta glucuronidase gene) was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR), and GUS histochemical assay.

The researchers identified several factors that are important for successful regeneration and transformation in sesame. These include the addition of silver nitrate for successful recovery of shoots; and optimal co-cultivation time and optical density of Agrobacterium.

Read the abstract at http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/gmcrops/article/18378/.