• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.187-192
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• 2010

In order to monitor the possibility of horizontal gene transfer between transgenic rice and microorganisms in a paddy rice field, the gene flow from a bifunctional fusion (TPSP) rice containing trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and phosphatase to microorganisms in soils was investigated. The soil samples collected from the paddy rice field during June 2004 to March 2006 were investigated by multiplex PCR, Southern hybridization, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). The TPSP gene from soil genomic DNAs was not detected by PCR. Soil genomic DNAs did not show homologies on the Southern blotting data, indicating that gene transfer did not occur during the last two years in the paddy rice field. In addition, the AFLP band patterns produced by soil genomic DNAs from both transgenic and non-transgenic rice fields appeared similar to each other when analyzed by the NTSYSpc program. Thus, these data suggest that transgenic rice does not give a significant impact on the communities of soil microorganisms, although long-term observation may be needed.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.72-76
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• 2010

To develop transgenic cucumber tolerant to abiotic stress, a cotyledonary-node explants were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (EHA101) carrying TPSP gene (pHC30-TPSP). After transfer to fresh medium every two week for eight weeks, putative transgenic plants were selected when shoots grown a length greater than 3 cm from the cotyledonary-node explants on selection medium supplemented with $5\;mgl^{-1}$ phospinotricin as selectable agent. The confirmation of transgenic cucumber was based on the Northern blot analysis. Thirty four shoots (5.2%) with resistance to phospinotricin were obtained from 660 explants inoculated. Of them, transformants were only confirmed from 11 plants (1.7%). Transgenic cucumber expressing TPSP gene was more synthesized at 3.8 times amounts of trehalose (0.014 mg g fresh $wt^{-1}$) than non-transformants (0.0037 mg g fresh $wt^{-1}$). However, all of transgenic plants showed abnormal morphology, including stunted growth (< height 15 cm), shrunken leaves, and sterility as compared with non-transgenic plants (> height 150 cm) under the same growth environment. These results lead us to speculate that the overproduction of trehalose was toxic for cucumber, even though that had known for rice as non-toxic.