A Method for Electroporation of Cre Recombinase Protein into Intact Nicotiana tabacum Cells

The Cre/lox recombination system has become a powerful technology for gene function analysis in a broad spectrum of cell types and organisms. In our previous report, Cre protein had been successfully delivered into intact Arabidopsis thaliana cells using electroporation. To expand the feasibility of the method of protein electroporation to other plant cells, here we attempt the protein electroporation into tobacco-derived BY-2 cells, one of the most frequently used plant cell lines for industrial production. In this study, we successfully deliver Cre protein into BY-2 cells with intact cell walls by electroporation with low toxicity. Targeted loxP sequences in the BY-2 genome are recombined significantly. These results provide useful information for genome engineering in diverse plant cells possessing various types of cell walls.