PRODUCTION OF TRANSGENIC Arabidopsis thaliana CARRYING THE OIL PALM Eg4CL1 GENE

Authors

Omar Nawawi Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Jasin Campus, 77300 Merlimau, Melaka, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3433-7587 (unauthenticated)
Mohamad Shafek Hilman Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Jasin Campus, 77300 Merlimau, Melaka, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2056-5626 (unauthenticated)
Dehong Xie Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan 675800, China
Cuixian Zhang Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan 675800, China https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3828-5470 (unauthenticated)
Huaifeng Yi Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan 675800, China https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1673-9048 (unauthenticated)
Noor Azmi Shaharuddin Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0057-9932 (unauthenticated)
Mohd Norsazwan Ghazali Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Mat Yunus Abdul Masani Malaysian Palm Oil Board, No. 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0704-2900 (unauthenticated)
Chong Yu Lok Yusuf Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Jasin Campus, 77300 Merlimau, Melaka, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1822-8738 (unauthenticated)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/jurnalteknologi.v88.24847

Keywords:

Oil palm, Eg4CL1, Transgenic, Arabidopsis thaliana, Transformation

Abstract

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a major source of biomass for biofuel production, in addition to yielding edible oil. However, its high lignin content limits biofuel production efficiency, presenting challenges for industrial applications. The oil palm Eg4CL1 gene has been suggested to play a key role in lignin biosynthesis, but its function remains unverified. Developing transgenic plants that express Eg4CL1 could aid in understanding its potential role. This study aims to generate transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing the oil palm Eg4CL1 gene, which will serve as a tool for functional studies. The 1,623-bp Eg4CL1 gene was PCR amplified, cloned into the pMDC32 vector, and introduced into Arabidopsis using Agrobacterium tumefaciens through the floral dip method. Putative transgenic seedlings were selected on hygromycin-containing MS media and cultivated on substrate for molecular analysis. Ten putative transgenic lines were randomly selected and verified for transgene integration using PCR. Out of 3,000 seeds screened, 70 hygromycin-resistant seedlings were identified. PCR analysis produced a product of target size (≈1786 bp) from all lines analyzed, reflecting stable integration of the Eg4CL1 gene. These results indicate the genetic transformation of Arabidopsis was successfully accomplished. The establishment of transgenic Arabidopsis expressing Eg4CL1 will support future functional analysis.

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JURNAL TEKNOLOGI