PROTOTYPE TRANSGENIC BIOSENSOR BASED ON GENETICALLY-MODIFIED PLANT-TISSUE

Genetically modified plant tissue materials offer possible advantages as molecular recognition elements in biosensor design. A prototype transgenic biosensor, using potato tissue transformed with a gene conferring beta-glucuronidase (GUS) biocatalytic activity coupled with fluorescence detection, is described and evaluated. Under optimal operating conditions, the transgenic sensor system gives good response to glucuronide substrate in the micromolar range and has an operating lifetime of at least 2 months at room temperature. Parallel experiments with non-transformed potato plant tissue show no glucuronidase activity. The prototype system described here illustrates that desired pathways can be created in plant tissue through genetic manipulation of higher plants normally lacking such pathways.