AGROBACTERIUM-TUMEFACIENS-GENE TRANSFER INTO WHEAT TISSUES

DNA can be transferred by Agrobacterium tumefaciens to wheat, albeit at very low frequencies. Transfer of agrobacterial DNA occurred in cultures where the embryos had been subjected to partial enzymatic digestion prior to cocultivation with the bacteria. It is unclear whether this is by the normal process mediated by the Ti virulence genes and the border repeats of the T-DNA. The Southern hybridization patterns indicate that in one cell line the T-DNA had undergone extensive rearrangements, and might indicate that the process of T-DNA transfer and integration might differ in the case of cereals. This could suggest the method of transfer and ultimately the expression of these genes in cereal cells may be different to that observed in other monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species.