Abstract
The seaweed Laminaria japonica (Phaeophyceae) has a two-generation life cycle consisting of haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes. Female and/or male gametophytes were transformed using particle bombardment and the histological LacZ assay was performed on sporophytes generated by either parthenogenesis or inbreeding. Female gametophyte-targeted transformation resulted in similar lower efficiencies in both parthenogenetic and zygotic sporophytes, and only a chimeric expression pattern was observed. Male gametophyte-targeted transformation led to a higher efficiency, with 3.5% of the zygotic sporophytes stained completely blue (all-blue), implying the integration of lacZ at the one-cell stage. Polymerase chain reaction analysis using primers specific for a lacZ-vector juncture fragment and subsequent blotting indicated the presence of the introduced gene in the sporophytes. The method reported here has a potential for seaweed transformation using spore-based bombardment followed by the developmental process.
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Abbreviations
- DPR :
-
Detected positive rate
- ER :
-
Expression rate
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We would like to thank Prof. Fei Xiugeng of our institute for assistance in taking photographs.
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Communicated by F. Sato
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Jiang, P., Qin, S. & Tseng, C.K. Expression of the lacZ reporter gene in sporophytes of the seaweed Laminaria japonica (Phaeophyceae) by gametophyte-targeted transformation. Plant Cell Rep 21, 1211–1216 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-003-0645-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-003-0645-2