Expression of the Soybean Ferritin Gene and Analysis of Iron Concentrations in Upland Rice

【Objective】The objective of this study was to increase the iron content of upland rice using the method of transformation.【Method】We have transferred the soybean ferritin gene into two elite upland rice cultivars(Handao297 and Handao277) using the method of Biolistic and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.The soybean ferritin gene was expressed under the control of a rice seed storage protein glutelin promoter GluB-1.Transformation results were demonstrated by PCR and Southern blot analysis.【Result】 It was confirmed that the soybean ferritin gene was specifically expressed in seeds by RT-PCR analysis and inherited stably by PCR analysis of transgenic T1-T3 generations.Iron content in most of transgenic plant seeds of T0-T3 generations was higher than that of in the control.The maximum iron concentration in the transgenic plants was about two-fold greater than that of in the non-transformant.【Conclusion】The soybean ferritin gene can be transferred into upland rice using the method of Biolistic and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation,which increased iron concentration in the transgenic plant seeds.