Bacterial transferase activity expressed in petunia progenies

Petunia plants obtained by pollination with pollen pretreated with phage transducing the E. coli gene for hexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (E.C. 2.7.7.12), showed, over all the six generations so far tested, a significant better growth and development on galactose media than controls. The controls were derived from pollen treated with phage transducing the mutant transferase gene and with homologous Petunia DNA, respectively. Petunia hybrida has its own transferase. E. coli and Petunia transferase, however, could be differentiated by their pH optima and temperature sensitivity. In F(3)-plants with better growth on galactose, under sterile culture conditions bacterial transferase activity could be detected, which was absent from the controls. E. coli transferase activity developed only on galactose media, not on sucrose. Therefore, an induction seems possible. The data presented allow understanding of the better growth and development on galactose on the basis of bacterial transferase activity within the respective plants.