Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with genes coding bacterial antigens from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract

Transgenic lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L.) with genes coding the synthesis of tuberculous antigens were obtained using the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure. Cotyledonary leaves of in vitro lettuce seedlings (cvs. Eralash, Snezhinka, and Rubinovoe Kruzhevo) were transformed with plasmids containing nptII, a selective neomycin phosphotransferase II gene, and ESAT6, Ag85B (-TMD), and ESAT6:Ag85B (-TMD) target genes. A PCR analysis of the genome’s DNA confirmed the presence of both selective and target genes in all plants examined. At the same time, RT-PCR analysis showed that, in the case of stable transcription of the nptII gene, both the presence and absence of transcription of the ESAT6 gene are possible.