Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)

We have developed a rapid and reproducible transformation system for subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene delivery. Hypocotyl segments from seeds that had been allowed to imbibe were used as explants, and regeneration was achieved via organogenesis. Glucose and acetosyringone were required in the co-cultivation medium for efficient gene transfer. DNA constructs containing four genes encoding the enzymes phosphinothricin acetyl transferase, [beta]-glucuronidase (GUS), neomycin phosphotransferase, and an [alpha]-amylase inhibitor were used to transform subterranean clover. Transgenic shoots were selected on a medium containing 50 mg/L of phosphinothricin. Four commercial cultivars of subterranean clover (representing all three subspecies) have been successfully transformed. Southern analysis revealed the integration of T-DNA into the subterranean clover genome. The expression of the introduced genes has been confirmed by enzyme assays and northern blot analyses. Transformed plants grown in the glasshouse showed resistance to the herbicide Basta at applications equal to or higher than rates recommended for killing subterranean clover in field conditions. In plants grown from the selfed seeds of the primary transformants, the newly acquired gene encoding GUS segregated as a dominant Mendelian trait.