Efficient Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Green Arabidopsis Suspension Cells

Photosynthetically active plant suspension cell cultures represent a valuable experimental system for studying various physiological processes. This system circumvents the structural complexity of the entire plant organism and enables experiments under uniform, well-controlled conditions. However, it remains difficult to achieve a transformation of such suspension cells that is both highly efficient and reproducible.

By using green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a high-throughput confocal microplate system, we were able to optimize the transformation of green Arabidopsis suspension cells such that nearly 100% of the cells were infected. Key components of the protocol included the use of the hypervirulent Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL1, the co-cultivation of Agrobacteria and suspension cells on solid nutrient media, and the addition of AB minimal salts and the surfactant Pluronic F68.

The described method can significantly increase the transformation rate of plant suspension cell cultures and thereby facilitate the introduction of genetic metabolic pathways to produce, for example, industrial, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical active ingredients in these systems.