Although tremendous progress has been made in recent years in identifying molecular mechanisms of small interfering RNA (siRNA) functions in higher plants, the possibility of direct interaction between genomic DNA and siRNA remains an enigma. Such an interaction was proposed in the 'RNA cache' hypothesis, in which a mutant allele is restored based on template-directed gene conversion. To test t...

An efficient system was established for high frequency embryogenesis and regeneration of indica rice, Oryza sativa L. cv. MDU 5. Basic media, carbohydrate sources and concentrations, agar concentrations, amino acids, cytokinins and auxins were evaluated in callus induction and regeneration media to establish the most efficient regeneration protocol for MDU 5 indica rice. The optimized callus in...

The present study establishes a regeneration protocol and optimizes conditions for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the tetraploid emmer wheat, Triticum dicoccum. Regeneration from mature and immature embryos was accomplished as a two-step process involving callus induction in the presence of 2,4-D followed by regeneration on a 2,4-D free, cytokinin-containing medium (RM1). Higher conce...

This paper describes a protocol for the efficient vegetative propagation of Cleome rosea by somatic embryogenesis. Leaf and stem explants from nursery-grown seedlings of C. rosea were cultivated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 4-amino-3,5,6trichloropicolinic acid (picloram) or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)...

In the present study, we established transgenic calli of Vitis amurensis that expressed a constitutively active, Ca-independent form of the AtCPK1 gene (AtCPK1-Ca) and calli with a non-active form of the gene. High-performance liquid chromatography with UV and highresolution mass-spectrometry revealed that the predominant metabolites synthesized in our transgenic callus cultures were trans-resv...

Present report is the first direct evidence of azadirachtin production in androgenic haploid cultures of Azadirachta indica, a woody medicinal tree. Anther cultures at early-late-uninucleate stage of microspores were established on MS medium with BAP (5 μM), 2,4-D (1 μM) and NAA (1 μM) containing 12% sucrose. The calli, induced, were further multiplied on 2,4-D and Kinetin media. Shoots, differ...

An efficient in vitro regeneration system via somatic embryogenesis (SE) was developed for a fern species Adiantum capillus-veneris. Adventitious shoots, green globular bodies (GGBs) and calli were obtained with the maximal induction rate on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium of low concentrations of 6-benzyladenine (BA) (0-1.0 mg/L), 2.0 mg/L BA without 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D),...

Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) converts L-glutamate to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a non-protein amino acid present in all organisms. Plant GADs carry a C-terminal extension that binds to Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM) to modulate enzyme activity. However, rice possesses two distinct types of GAD, OsGAD1 and OsGAD2. Although they both have a C-terminal extension, the former peptide contain...

The ability to precisely engineer plant genomes offers much potential for advancing basic and applied plant biology. Here, we describe methods for the targeted modification of plant genomes using transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). Methods were optimized using tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) protoplasts and TALENs targeting the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene. Optimal TALEN s...

An efficient callus induction and plant regeneration system has been developed using salt and heat as pre-treatment factors for three barley genotypes viz. BB-3, BB-6 and BHL-18. Different concentrations of NaCl (1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5 g/L) were used and its effects were determined on the basis of the viability of callus (CV), plant regeneration (PR), relative growth rate (RGR) and tol...