Abstract:
Transgenic muskmelon (Cucumis melo) plants were produced efficiently by inoculating cotyledon explants
with the Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA 101 bearing a Ti binary vector. The T-DNA region of this
vector includes chimeric genes for neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) and (3-Glucuronidase (GUS).
Additionally the plant expressible replicase gene (Nib) of papaya ringspot virus (PRV) was flanked by the
NPT II and GUS genes. After co-cultivation for three days, explants were transferred to muskmelon
regeneration medium with kanamycin for the selection of transformed tissue. Shoot regeneration occurred
within 3-5 weeks after culturing. Detection of GUS activity in 5 plant lines verified the transformation of the
T-DNA unit and two of them were further analyzed by PCR amplification for the presence of the replicase
gene. These results show that the Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer method and regeneration via tissue
culture are effective methods for the transfer of foreign genes into Cucumis melo.
