Development of a selection system for transgenic plant suspension cultures based on dicistronic vectors [Elektronische Ressource] / von Bettina Heidinger

DEVELOPMENT OF A SELECTION SYSTEM FOR TRANSGENIC PLANT SUSPENSION CULTURES BASED ON DICISTRONIC VECTORS Von der Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover zur Erlangung des Grades Doktorin der Naturwissenschaften Dr. rer. nat. genehmigte Dissertation von Diplom-Biologin Bettina Heidinger geboren am 14.07.1976 in Nürtingen 2009 Referent: Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Jacobsen Koreferent: Prof. Dr. Bernd Huchzermeyer Tag der Promotion: 30.01.2009 Summary SUMMARY This study aimed to explore the possibility to select transgenic high expressing cells in plant cell cultures by using dicistronic transformation vectors. The coexpression of a target and a selectable marker gene (SMG) was mediated by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). In contrast to traditional plant transformation vectors carrying only one SMG and a target gene under control of different promoters, the newly designed dicistronic transformation vectors carry a second SMG controlled by the same promoter as the target gene. With these vectors it was investigated whether selection on the SMG under the same promoter or under a distinct promoter leads to higher and more stable protein expression of the reporter gene luciferase, which was taken as a model target gene because of easy expression monitoring by chemiluminescence detection.