Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation of Tomato and Production of Transgenic Plants Containing Gene Increased Sucrose Transport SoSUT1

Abstract

The development of transgenic tomato to increase of sucrose translocation can be done through transformation by genetic engineering techniques. The process of sucrose transport from leaves to the stem/fruit facilitated by transport proteins (sucrose transporter/SUT). In the year 2008 has been isolated SoSUT1 gene to increase of the rate of sucrose transport, so the accumulation of sucrose in storage organs (stems/fruit/sinks) increases. Cotyledon and axillary bud from L. esculentum cv. Zamrud were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium strain GV3010 that harbored a pAct binary vectors carrying genes for both Hygromycin phosphotransferase (HPTII) and S. officinarum SPS (SoSUT1). This study aims to determine transformation and obtain transgenic tomato plants transformed with the SoSUT1 gene using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Transformation efficiency was obtained at 10 mgl-1 hygromisin antibiotic as an selection agent with the percentage of explants forming shoots 6.2%. PCR results showed that the plasmid pKYS: SoSUT1 already integrated in the explant and has obtained five clones of transgenic tomato plants.