ACC deaminase increases the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation frequency of commercial canola cultivars.

The plant hormone ethylene has been reported to inhibit the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation efficiency of many plants. In this study, an acdS gene that encodes 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase, an enzyme that breaks down ACC, the direct precursor of ethylene biosynthesis in all higher plants, was introduced into A. tumefaciens GV3101::pMP90. It was found that the presence of active ACC deaminase in A. tumefaciens reduced ethylene levels produced by plant tissues during the process of infection and cocultivation, and significantly increased the transformation efficiency of three commercial canola cultivars: Brassica napus cv. Westar, B. napus cv. Hyola 401 and B. napus cv. 4414RR.