Particle Bombardment Mediated Transformation and GFP Expression in the Moss Physcomitrella patens

Sung Hyun Cho, Young Soo Chung, Sung Ki Cho, Yong Woo Rim, Jeong Sheop Shin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

There are few plants facilitated for the study of development, morphogenesis and gene expression at the cellular level. The moss Physcomitrella patens can be a very useful plant with several advantages: simple life cycle containing a major haploid gametophyte stage, easy manipulation, small genome size (6 × 108 bp) and high similarities with higher plants. To establish the transformation system of mosses as a model for basic plant research, a series of experiments were performed. Mosses were cultured in cellophane overlaid BCD media, transformed by particle bombardment and selected by the choice of appropriate antibiotics. Initial transformants appeared 8 d or 14 d after selection, showing different sensitivities toward the antibiotics used. Heat treatment during the preparation of particles revealed that denaturing the DNA enabled a more efficient way to deliver a transgene into the chromosome. This was proven by the increase in the number of transformants by five times in the plants with denatured DNA. In the test for the repairing capacity of mosses, 154 and 195 transformants survived from 1 d and 3 d incubations, respectively, indicating that a longer period of incubation seemed to be recommendable for better survival. The selected transformants were further analyzed at the DNA and expression level. Transformed genes were confirmed by PCR where all the transformants showed the expected size of amplification. Histochemical β-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression also confirmed the integration of exogenous DNA. In a comparison of the two different forms of GFP, soluble-modified GFP (smGFP) expressed stronger signals than modified GFP (mGFP) due to its improved solubility. Confirmation of the transgene in the chloroplast transformation has improved the applicability of moss as a model system for the study of basic biological researches.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14-19
Number of pages6
JournalMolecules and cells
Volume9
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1999 Feb 28

Keywords

  • Chloroplast Transformation
  • GFP
  • GUS
  • Model System
  • Particle Bombardment
  • Physcomitrella patens
  • Transformation
  • mGFP
  • smGFP

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Particle Bombardment Mediated Transformation and GFP Expression in the Moss Physcomitrella patens'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this