Expression of human α-interferon cDNA in transgenic rice plants

✍ Scribed by Zhen Zhu; Karen W. Hughes; Leaf Huang; Baolin Sun; Chunming Liu; Yuing Li

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 939 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-6857
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00037720

✦ Synopsis

The plasmid piG3031 containing human a-interferon cDNA and the neomycin phosphotransferase II coding sequence was successfully transferred into rice protoplasts (Indica type rice) by Lipofectinmediated transformation. Assays for NPT II enzyme activity indicated that the transformation frequency was 10%. Transgenic plants were regenerated from transformed calli. Southern blots showed that the human a-interferon cDNA sequence was present in rice DNA. RNA slot blots indicated apparent transcription of human a-interferon cDNA under the control of the plant-active promoter PI'. Extracts of transgenic cell cultures and plants contained apparent interferon activity as measured by resistance of a human amniotic cell line to viral infection in the presence of plant extracts. These studies demonstrate that human a-interferon cDNA may be correctly expressed in rice cells.