PEAR FRUIT TASTE MODIFICATION BY THAUMATIN II GENE EXPRESSION

The gene for supersweet protein thaumatin II from Thaumatococcus danielli has been transferred to pear in attempts to improve fruit taste and phytopathogen resistance. Based on the coding sequence, cloned at Unilever, and plasmid pBI121, we constructed the binary vector for its expression in plants. The successful transformation of the pear cultivar ‘Burakovka’ has been obtained by using the disarmed supervirulent agrobacterial strain CBE21. The introduction of thaumatin gene was confirmed by PCR analysis and its expression in different tissues by western blotting. Fruit from the transgenic line demonstrated taste modification, detectable by organoleptic test.