MELON REGENERATION AND TRANSFORMATION USING AN APPLE ACC OXIDASE ANTISENSE GENE

Abstract

The efficiency of melon regeneration protocols using cotyledon and leaf melon explants was evaluated in terms of number of regenerated plants, ploidy and transformation level. Young leaf explants were found to regenerate at a higher rate of diploidy, and they were selected as a recipient tissue for transformation. Agrobacterium tumefaciens gene transfer methods showed a good efficiency of transformation around 3%. A construction containing an antisense ACC oxidase gene, named pAP4, the last enzyme of the ethylene biosynthetic pathway, was used for transforming melon leaves. In the transgenic plants, the pAP4 gene was detected and the fruits showed a low ethylene production.