An Agrobacterium-mediated system for gene transfer in Pinus patula

A pioneer study investigating the feasibility of using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer was undertaken in Pinus patula, the most important softwood species in South African forestry. This was achieved via the introduction of pAHC25 under the control of the ubiquitin promoter. A variety of target tissues were tested including: mature zygotic embryos, mature somatic embryos and embryonal suspensor masses (ESM). Expression of positive histochemical GUS activity in transformed material was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Results indicated that Pinus patula tissue was amenable to transformation. Use of the ESM tissue type, together with inclusion of l-proline in the medium, provided the most suitable transformation system.