Attempts to Transform Pollen Grains and Pollen Tubes in the Process of Fertilization in Tobacco

In tobacco, in vitro pollination has been successfully applied to overcome interspecific incompatibility. The use of this technique will make it possible to introduce DNA into pollen tubes just before fertilization. In this study, we showed improvement of the efficiency of in vitro self-pollination and introduction of foreign genes into pollen tubes by the method of polycation. A plasmid harbouring the GUS gene was introduced into pollen grains and pollen tubes, which had incubated on pollen germination medium(PGM), by polyornithine method. Transient expression of the GUS in pollen grains and pollen tubes that were treated with 0, 2, 5 and $10{\mu}g/m\ell$ DNA was observed. In results, combination of the techniques of polyornithine and in vitro pollination was efficient new technique for genetic transformation through fertilization processes.