Summary
The autonomous mobile element Activator from Zea mays was introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. The use of a chimaeric construct, where the Ac element is located in the leader of the neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT II) gene, enabled the excision of Ac to be monitored by assaying for the reconstitution of NPT II gene activity. Using this approach, the transpositional activity of AC was initially studied in primary transformants. About 50% of the regenerating Ac transformants showed evidence for excision of the element. Reintegration of Ac was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. Transposition events are transmitted to the F1 generation with a minimal frequency of 0.3%. In a few exceptional cases they are detected in a high proportion of the F1 generation. Seedlings from the F2 and F3 generations were assayed for the rate of germinal excisions by scoring for kanamycin resistance. The minimal frequency of germinal excision events amounts to 0.2%–0.5% and hence allows the use of the Ac element for gene tagging purposes in A. thaliana.
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Schmidt, R., Willmitzer, L. The maize autonomous element Activator (Ac) shows a minimal germinal excision frequency of 0.2%–0.5% in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Molec. Gen. Genet. 220, 17–24 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00260850
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00260850