Transformation of Lilium longiflorum via particle bombardment and generation of herbicide-resistant plants
Vagner Augusto Benedito, Bernadette C E van Kronenburg-van der Ven, Jaap M van Tuyl, Gerco C Angenent, and Frans A Krens
This study is a contribution to the improvement of lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) transformation procedures. A vector carrying the Arabidopsis SUPERMAN gene driven by the petunia flower-specific FLORAL BINDING PROTEIN 1 promoter and the resistance gene phosphinothricin acetyltransferase against herbicide bialaphos under the CaMV35S promoter was used to transform bulblet slices by particle bombardment. Our aims were to improve the transformation parameters for lily transformation in order to enhance the efficiency and to create novel phenotypes in lily flowers using transcription factors originating from dicot plants. We managed to obtain transgenic lines expressing in vitro resistance to bialaphos. The transgenic plants were transferred to the greenhouse, grown and monitored for two flowering seasons. Flowers derived from these plants appeared normal and indistinguishable from wild-type flowers.