Strategy to study functionality of putative promotor from Hevea brasiliensis. Attemps of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer in various tissue

Genetic transformation via #Agrobacterium tumefaciens# was carried out in various plant organs and #in vitro# cell tissue of #Hevea brasiliensis#. Transient expression of the gusA reporter gene was recorded in both tegument calli and longterm friable calli. Other differentiated organs and embryos are not susceptible to the infection with 5 different agrobacteria strains. Northern blot analysis showed that the ethylene-inducible glutamine synthetase GS1 is expressed in friable calli as in latex cells of ethylene-stimulated trees. Therefore, such tissue might be used for the functional analysis of GS1 promoter. On the contrary, Hevein expression is strictly latex cell-specific and we assume that its promotor can be studied only in differentiated latex cell from transgenic rubber tree.