Expression of the mouse metallothionein mutant ββ-cDNA in the lettuces (Lactuca sativa L.)

Mouse metallothionein (MT) domain mutant ββ-cDNA gene has been inserted into the plant expression vector pGPTVd35S which has herbicide (PPT)-resistance gene bar as a selective marker. The chimeric gene was introduced into the lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv Salinas 88) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. PCR and Southern blot analysis of some putative transformants indicated that the introduced ββ-cDNA was integrated into lettuce genome and inheritted by sexual reproduction. The expression of ββ gene in lettuce plants was demonstrated by Northern and Western blot analysis. Meanwhile, the zinc content of the transformed lettuce plants is up to 400 μg/g dry weight, remarkably higher than the control plants.