Novel sulI binary vectors enable an inexpensive foliar selection method in Arabidopsis

Area of Science:

• Plant Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Sulfonamide resistance in Enterobacteriaceae is often mediated by the sulI gene on R plasmids and Tn21 transposons.
• The sulI gene encodes a sulfonamide-insensitive dihydropteroate synthase, crucial for folate biosynthesis.
• Transgenic plants (tobacco, potato, Arabidopsis) can be generated using sulI as a selectable marker for sulfadiazine resistance, typically requiring sterile tissue culture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct novel binary vectors with a sulI selectable marker expression cassette for generating transgenic Arabidopsis.
• To demonstrate the utility of the sulI selectable marker for direct plant selection in soil conditions.
• To develop an efficient and cost-effective high-throughput screening strategy for transgenic plants, avoiding tissue culture.

Main Methods:

• Construction of novel Agrobacterium binary vectors featuring the sulI selectable marker.
• Generation of transgenic Arabidopsis using these new vectors.
• Application of a simple foliar spray for direct selection of resistant plants grown in soil.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated transgenic Arabidopsis using the novel sulI-containing binary vectors.
• Demonstrated effective direct selection of transgenic plants in soil via foliar spray.
• Developed a high-throughput, inexpensive screening strategy for identifying transgenic Arabidopsis without tissue culture.

Conclusions:

• Novel sulI-containing Agrobacterium binary vectors facilitate gene overexpression or promoter characterization in transgenic plants.
• Sulfonamide selection with the sulI marker offers advantages for plant biotechnology due to its beneficial attributes and simple foliar screening.
• These new vector tools and screening strategy present a valuable alternative for plant biotechnology researchers, with vectors freely available.