Efficiency of transformation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens using vacuum infiltration in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer has recently been developed to improve rice transformation. In this study, 3 different transformation methods were tested including soaking, co-cultivation, and vacuum infiltration. Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 harboring the binary vector pGreen:: LeGSNOR was used in this experiment. This study aimed to identify the most appropriate method for transferring LeGSNOR into rice. Vacuum infiltration of the embryonic calli for 5 min in Ilpum resulted in high transformation efficiency based on confirmation by PCR, RT-PCR, and qRT-PCR analyses. In conclusion, we described the development of an efficient transformation protocol for the stable integration of foreign genes into rice; furthermore, the study results confirmed that PCR is suitable for efficient detection of the integrated gene. The vacuum infiltration system is a potentially useful tool for future studies focusing on transferring important genes into rice seed calli, and may help reduce time and effort.