Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of White Ponni, a non-basmati variety of indica rice (Oryza sativa L.)

We report successful Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of a popular rice variety White Ponni, a non-basmati indica rice (Oryza sativa L.). Scutellum-derived calluses of White Ponni were transformed with Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 (pSB1) harbouring the binary vector pMKU-RF2 with rice chi11 gene. Five independent transgenic White Ponni plants were generated from hygromycin-resistant calluses. Stable integration of the transgene was confirmed and copy numbers were determined by Southern analysis. Among the five plants, four possessed single-copy T-DNA integration events while one was found to have two integrated copies of T-DNA. Western analysis revealed a higher level of chitinase accumulation in all the five T-0 plants. Progeny analysis of T-0 plants confirmed the inheritance of the transgene to the next generation.