430-434Leaves of tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] plants were
transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain (MTCC 532) and hairy
roots were induced. Among the different concentrations of acetosyringeone
tested, 300 M/L was found to enhance the transformation frequency upto
70%. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 30 g/L maltose and
indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at 5 mg/L was found suitable for hairy-root culture
and accumulation of phenolic compounds. Confirmatory studies were carried out
by PCR analysis using rol C gene primer for transformation.
Amplification of the specific gene was noted in the transformant at 540 bp.
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis confirmed the higher
levels of catechins and their fractions in roots arising from the transformed
tissues. Catechin fractions, viz., EC, ECG, EGC and
EGCG were detected both in untransformed leaves and hairy roots produced by
Agrobacterium infected cells