Effect of phenolic glycosides on Agrobacterium tumefaciens virH gene induction and plant transformation.

O-Aryl-d-glucoside (4−7) and d-xyloside (8−10) derivatives were synthesized and tested on Agrobacterium virH gene induction and plant transformation. α- or β-Glycosides enhanced vir activity at concentrations above 250 μΜ. The highest vir activity was observed with β-glucoside derivative 4 at 10 mM. A marked difference between phenol glucoside derivative 4 and the corresponding free phenol on the growth of transformants was observed. The regenerated transgenic tissues, after transformation on medium containing acetosyringyl β-glucoside 4, grew at twice the rate of those on medium containing only free acetosyringone (AS). Compound 4 was less toxic for tobacco explants compared to the corresponding free phenol. However, the xyloside derivatives tested (8−10) were less effective for gene induction compared with corresponding free phenols.