Approaches on Optimum Conditions for Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation of Phalaenopsis

Abstract

Sensitivities of PLBs of four Phalaenopsis cultivars, P. 'Taisuco Windian', P. 'Nancy Amour', P. 'Pink Twilight' and P. 'Taipei Gold' to kanamycin, spectinomycin, and hygromycin at different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg•L-1) were examined. Hygromycin was favorable for selecting the transformants in the genetic transformation of Phalaenopsis as PLBs of four cultivars were all dead at even 25 mg•L-1 hygromycin. Responses of PLBs of P. 'Maki Watanabe' and P. 'Brother Lawrence' to DL-phosphinothricin (PPT) were determined at different concentrations (0, 0.1. 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg•L-1) and 0.5 mg•L-1 PPT was thought to be suitable for selecting the transformants of Phalaenopsis. The optimum conditions for Agrobacterium cocultivation with Phalaenopsis PLBs were examined using a two-step cocultivation method in Dtps. 'City Girl' and A. tumefaciens LBA4404. In the first infection period in a 1:10 suspension of Agrobacterium to a VW medium, 1 hr infection showed the highest PLB survival ratio. And then, PLBs were cocultivated with a bacterial strain and a 3-day cocultivation period was better for Phalaenopsis PLBs than a prolonged period. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains LBA4404 (pTOK233) and EHA105 (pGA643) were used to compare their efficiency on the genetic transformation of Phalaenopsis PLBs. The PLBs infected with EHA105 survived more than those infected with LBA4404 after two days in a dark condition and two weeks in a light condition on a selective medium. About 1,000 PLBs for each of P. 'Maki Watanabe' and P. 'Brother Lawrence', and each bacterial strain of AGL1 (pCAMBIA3301) and LBA4404 (pTOK233) were used for the regeneration of transgenic plants. The bacterial strain AGL1 had a higher genetic transformation efficiency than LBA4404, with no significant difference between cultivars. In this study, 11 hygromycin-resistant plantlets and 32 PPT-resistant plantlets were produced, but these putative transgenic plantlets need further examinations.