Effects of ipt gene expression on the physiological and chemical characteristics of Artemisia annua L.

An isopentenyl transferase gene (ipt) from T-DNA was transferred into Artemisia annua L. via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The ipt gene was placed in a binary vector under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. Leaf explants were infected with A. tumefaciens LBA4404 containing pBIipt to induce the buds. Nineteen shoot lines were selected, which were resistant to kanamycin. Polymerase chain reactions and Southern blotting confirmed that at least five shoot lines contained the foreign gene. The results of RT-PCR and Northern blotting analyses suggested that the foreign ipt gene of the transgenic shoot was expressed. Cytokinins, chlorophyll and artemisinin contents were found increased at different degree. Content of cytokinins (iPA and iP) was elevated 2- to 3-fold, chlorophyll increased 20-60% and artemisinin increased 30-70% compared with the control plants, respectively. A direct correlation was found between the contents of cytokinins, chlorophyll and artemisinin. This may be the first report on the relationship between endogenous cytokinin content and the production of secondary metabolites in plants.