Binary transformation systems based on 'shooter' mutants of Agrobacterium tumefaciens: a simple, efficient and universal gene transfer technology that permits marker gene elimination.

A simple transformation procedure with a positive selection scheme using the expression of the isopentenyl transferase ( ipt) gene of transfer DNA (T-DNA) 'shooter' mutants of Agrobacterium tumefaciens was elaborated. After comparing several 'shooter' mutants we found that particular strains frequently produced phenotypically normal shoots after co-culturing with tobacco leaf explants. Shoots selected for normal phenotype showed apical dominance and could be rooted with the same efficiency as non-transformed shoots. When binary vectors were introduced into these strains, stably integrated binary vector T-DNA sequences were found in some regenerants, which were produced under non-selective conditions on growth-regulator-free medium. Such phenotypically normal transformants typically lacked a stably integrated ipt gene. Normal looking shoots could also be produced in tomato, muskmelon and sweet pepper.