title: Restoration of shooty morphology of a nontumorous mutant of Nicotiana glauca x N. langsdorffii by cytokinin and the isopentenyltransferase gene.
abstract: The shooty morphology of a nontumorous amphidiploid mutant of Nicotiana glauca Grah. x N. langsdorffii Weinm. was restored by cytokinins, whether exogenously applied or endogenously produced by transformation of the mutant with a transfer DNA (T-DNA) cytokinin-biosynthesis gene (isopentenyltransferase; ipt). Auxins alone did not confer this effect. Similar transformation was not achieved for the parental species. In the case of transformation with the ipt gene, selection of the transformed tissues was based on its hormone-independent growth in the presence of the antibiotic kanamycin. Transformed tissues exhibited a shooty morphology, indistinguishable from that of wildtype genetic tumors N. glauca x N. langsdorffii. This altered phenotype was caused by the presence and constitutive expression of the ipt gene. The insertion and expression of this gene in transformed tissues was confirmed by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique as well as conventional molecular hybridization analysis. Expression of the ipt gene led to an elevated level of cytokinin in the transformed mutant tissues. This evidence supports the notion that genetic tumors are caused, at least in part, by elevated levels of cytokinin in interspecific hybrids.
authors.affiliation: Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, University of Maryland, College Park 20742.
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Dube
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bottino
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kung
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D001483:Base Sequence; D003583:Cytokinins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D007613:Kanamycin Resistance; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010941:Plant Tumors / Q000209:etiology*; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000235:genetics; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014166:Transferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D003583:Cytokinins; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C030737:indoleacetic acid; D014166:Transferases; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; C024274:adenylate isopentenyltransferase