Genetic Transformation of Watermelon with Protein Disulfide Isomerase (PDI) Gene Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

An attempt was made to transform a PDI gene from Ricinus communis to a watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thumb), using Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404, harboring binary vector pMBP-1. Cotyledonary explants were inoculated with a bacterial suspension (108 cells/mL), cocultivated for 72 hours and placed on MS mekium with 2 mg ? L-1 BAP, 0.05 mg ? L-1 ABA, 300 mg ? L-1 carbenicillin and 500 mg ? L-1 kanamycin, and then cultured under the light. Adventitious shoots formed on the explants after four weeks of culture. Surviving explants were transferred every 14 days to the shoot elongation medium (kanamycin free medium). The presence of the PDI gene in the genome of stable transgenic plant was confirmed by PCR amplification, Northern and Southern blot analysis. A reliable protocol was developed for the routine production of transgenic plants using commercially important inbred lines.