ABSTRACT
To obtain a transgenic plant, a common genetic transformation scheme involves the introduction of foreign genes into a plant explant, followed by selection and regeneration. With the need to convert the explants into whole plants, tissue culture techniques are indispensable in this process. Development of transgenic plants encompasses an integration of a genetic transformation technique, a functional plant regeneration system, and a selectable or screenable marker gene system. As a result of requirements for the genetic transformation process, the insertion of the foreign gene(s) and the selection marker, as well as the selection procedures employed, there exist unique challenges in developing tissue culture and regeneration systems for transgenic plants. Regeneration systems are generally species-and often cultivar-specific (1). Not all transformation techniques are compatible with all regeneration systems. Furthermore, not all selectable markers work well with all species. As such, tissue culture and regeneration methodology needs to be optimized for individual plant systems. Nonetheless, certain existing guidelines and general techniques from the basis for developing the more specific regeneration protocols.
