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Soils from the alluvial flats of the Turia River, Valencia, Spain, which were highly contaminated by decades of industrial activity, were surveyed for native plant species that could be candidates useful in phytoremediation. Concentrations of heavy metals and arsenic (As) in soils reached 25,000 mg Kg(-1) Pb, 12,000 mg Kg(-1) Zn, 70 mg Kg(-1) Cd, and 13500 mg Kg(-1) As. The predominant vegetation was collected and species identified. Soil samples and the corresponding plant shoots were analyzed to determine the amount of As accumulated by the various plant species. Several were able to tolerate more than 1000 mg Kg(-1) As in the soil. Bassia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae) survive in soil with 8375 mg Kg(-1) As. Arsenic accumulation in shoots of the various plant species investigated ranged from 0.1 to 107 mg Kg(-1) dw. Bassia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae), Inula viscosa (Asteraceae), Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae), and Hirschfeldia incana (Brassicaceae) had the highest values for As accumulation.

CLADOSPORIUM-FULVUM; DISEASE RESISTANCE; BRASSINOSTEROID BIOSYNTHESIS; GIBBERELLIN CONTENT; BETA-GLUCURONIDASE; ARABIDOPSIS; EXPRESSION; PROTEINS; PLANTS; GROWTH

6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table., From a number of wild plant species growing on soils highly contaminated by heavy metals in Eastern Spain, Nicotiana glauca R. Graham (shrub tobacco) was selected for biotechnological modification, because it showed the most appropriate properties for phytoremediation. This plant has a wide geographic distribution, is fast-growing with a high biomass, and is repulsive to herbivores. Following Agrobacterium mediated transformation, the induction and overexpression of a wheat gene encoding phytochelatin synthase (TaPCS1) in this particular plant greatly increased its tolerance to metals such as Pb and Cd, developing seedling roots 160% longer than wild type plants. In addition, seedlings of transformed plants grown in mining soils containing high levels of Pb (1572 ppm) accumulated double concentration of this heavy metal than wild type. These results indicate that the transformed N. glauca represents a highly promising new tool for use in phytoremediation efforts., This work has been carried out in collaboration with Spanish private companies COPUZOL and CAJA RURAL VALENCIA. Funds were provided by the European Union (F.E.D.E.R., 1FD97-1469-C04-01) and Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.

SummaryThis paper describes an efficient protocol for in vitro regeneration and genetic transformation from leaf explants of L. pennellii (Corr. D'Arcy). Shoot organogenesis was achieved on media with different combinations of indole-acetic acid (IAA) and kinetin (K). Regeneration ratios ranged from 50 to 90%. After co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, about 57% of infected explants formed calli in the presence of kanamycin, and 15% of these calli developed shoots within three weeks. Molecular characterization by polymerase chain reaction and Southern Hybridization confirmed the presence of the nptII gene and indicated the existence of plants with different number of copies. Histochemical assays for b-glucuronidase activity and rooting on kanamycin-containing medium indicated the expression of both genes. Reproduction of transgenic plants and sexual crosses with untransformed genotypes showed Mendelian segregation. The collection of L. pennellii transgenic plants will be an useful tool in experi...

Background Low regeneration ability limits biotechnological breeding approaches. The influence of genotype in the regeneration response is high in both tomato and other important crops. Despite the various studies that have been carried out on regeneration genetics, little is known about the key genes involved in this process. The aim of this study was to localize the genetic factors affecting regeneration in tomato. Results We developed two mapping populations (F2 and BC1) derived from a previously selected tomato cultivar (cv. Anl27) with low regeneration ability and a high regeneration accession of the wild species Solanum pennellii (PE-47). The phenotypic assay indicated dominance for bud induction and additive effects for both the percentage of explants with shoots and the number of regenerated shoots per explant. Two linkage maps were developed and six QTLs were identified on five chromosomes (1, 3, 4, 7 and 8) in the BC1 population by means of the Interval Mapping and restricted Multiple QTL Mapping methods. These QTLs came from S. pennellii, with the exception of the minor QTL located on chromosome 8, which was provided by cv. Anl27. The main QTLs correspond to those detected on chromosomes 1 and 7. In the F2 population, a QTL on chromosome 7 was identified on a similar region as that detected in the BC1 population. Marker segregation distortion was observed in this population in those areas where the QTLs of BC1 were detected. Furthermore, we located two tomato candidate genes using a marker linked to the high regeneration gene: Rg-2 (a putative allele of Rg-1) and LESK1, which encodes a serine/threonine kinase and was proposed as a marker for regeneration competence. As a result, we located a putative allele of Rg-2 in the QTL detected on chromosome 3 that we named Rg-3. LESK1, which is also situated on chromosome 3, is outside Rg-3. In a preliminary exploration of the detected QTL peaks, we found several genes that may be related to regeneration. Conclusions In this study we have identified new QTLs related to the complex process of regeneration from tissue culture. We have also located two candidate genes, discovering a putative allele of the high regeneration gene Rg-1 in the QTL on chromosome 3. The identified QTLs could represent a significant step toward the understanding of this process and the identification of other related candidate genes. It will also most likely facilitate the development of molecular markers for use in gene isolation.