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A method for transient expression in maize endosperm

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Abstract

The ability to screen the functionality of gene constructs in a transient system of appropriate tissues informs the researcher of the potential success of stable transformation. For this purpose, we developed a transient system to test the functionality of endosperm-preferred promoters in maize. Two endosperm-preferred promoters from rice (a globulin and a glutelin promoter) were employed. Ears of Zea mays L. were harvested at 17 d after pollination, surface sterilized and the endosperm excised. Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens co-cultivation and sonication, transient expression of the target genes was detected after 4 and 5 d. We demonstrate expression of CBH I and CHB II (both exo-cellulases) up to 1.7% TSP, under the rice globulin and glutelin promoters.

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Acknowledgments

This work received financial support from the US Department of Energy and the Walton Family Foundation. We express our gratitude to Yeun-Kyung Chang and Ashley Flory for their collaboration in providing assistance with this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 639, State University, AR, 72467, USA

    Deborah Vicuna Requesens, Shivakumar Devaiah & Elizabeth E. Hood

  2. Applied Biotechnology Institute, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

    Erin Egelkrout

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  1. Deborah Vicuna Requesens
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  2. Erin Egelkrout
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  3. Shivakumar Devaiah
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  4. Elizabeth E. Hood
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Correspondence to Deborah Vicuna Requesens.

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Editor: T. J. Jones

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Vicuna Requesens, D., Egelkrout, E., Devaiah, S. et al. A method for transient expression in maize endosperm. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 46, 485–490 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-010-9305-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-010-9305-8

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