Direct DNA transfer to plant cells

Abstract

A range of somatic cell and molecular techniques are now available to supplement conventional plant breeding. The introduction and expression of foreign DNA has been used to modify basic aspects of physiology and development, to introduce commercially important characteristics such as herbicide and insect resistance into plants and to insert genes suitable as dominant selectable markers for somatic hybridisation. Several techniques for direct DNA delivery are available, ranging from uptake of DNA into isolated protoplasts mediated by chemical procedures or electroporation, to injection and the use of high-velocity particles to introduce DNA into intact tissues. Direct DNA uptake is applicable to both stable and transient gene expression studies and utilises a range of vectors, including those employed for gene cloning. Although the frequency of stable transformation is low, direct DNA uptake is applicable to those plants not amenable to Agrobacterium transformation, particularly monocotyledons.