Transmission and expression of transgenes in progeny of sugarcane clones with cry1Ab and aprotinin genes

• Published in: Sugar tech : an international journal of sugar crops & related industries 2009, Vol.11 (3), p.292-295
• Main Authors: Arvinth, S., Selvakesavan, R. K., Subramonian, N., Premachandran, M. N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Life Sciences; Short Communication
• ISSN: 0972-1525; 0974-0740
• DOI: 10.1007/s12355-009-0050-4

Sugarcane being clonally propagated, its transgenics with the desired trait in a commercial variety need not undergo sexual cycle as that in seed propagated crops in varietal selection or maintenance breeding and in cultivation. Even then, the successful transmission of transgene to the progeny is important in breeding programmes involving transgenics for further improvement by hybridization and clonal selection. Sixty two plants in the progeny of the cross between a transgenic line CoJ 64-3 carrying the cry1Ab gene and an untransformed commercial variety Co 775 were tested by PCR analysis and 31 plants were found to have the transgene. The quantification of Cry protein in leaf samples was done by ELISA. The Cry protein in the total soluble leaf protein in the progeny varied from 0.15 % to 1.19 %, where as in parent it was 0.13 %. In the selfed progeny of three transgenics events of Co 86032 with aprotinin gene the transgene transmission was found to be 32 %, 34 % and 50 %, less than the frequency expected by Mendelian segregation.