Regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation in Dianthus chinensis

•A reliable and high-efficiency A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation system in D. chinensis.•The GFP protein was detected in the transgenic plants.•The transgenic D. chinensis plants can be obtained in a relatively short period using this system.•Down-regulation of DcIPT1 gene expression was detected in the transgenic DcIPT1 plants. Dianthus chinensis is widely used as a landscaping plant in rock gardens and has high commercial value. However, few studies of this plant's regeneration and genetic transformation have been reported. In this study, cotyledons of D. chinensis were used as explants for regeneration and infection with Agrobacterium. The results indicated that the efficiency of regeneration was markedly improved by using 1-naphthylcetic acid (NAA). The cotyledons were cocultured with Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 containing pK7GWIWG2-GFP plasmids for 15–20 min. Transgenic regenerated plants were obtained by kanamycin (80 mg·L−1) screening. qRT-PCR results confirmed the expression of GFP and the DcIPT1 (which is related to cell division) gene in the transgenic DcIPT1 plants of D. chinensis. The results show that the proliferation ability of transgenic DcIPT1 plants is enhanced. Overall, we report the successful establishment of a reliable and efficient method for cotyledon transformation and plant regeneration in D. chinensis based on the combination of infection with Agrobacterium and plant regeneration. This work will contribute to functional gene research and genetic improvement of Dianthus species plants.