Targeted Gene Knock-out Via Promoter Tagging in Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum) and Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum).

Many different ways to create mutants have been established. This research demonstrates yet another variation of the promoter tagging technique that allows for a single step selection of the putative transgenic plants that have a mutation in constitutively expressed genes. While tomato transformants have not yet been convincingly confirmed, tobacco transformation resulted in seven transgenic lines showing resistance to high concentrations of kanamycin. Two transgenic lines were further investigated and three putative promoters isolated. Transient expression analysis of leaves transformed by particle bombardment with vectors carrying beta-glucuronidase gene driven by these putative promoters suggests two of them to be functional. Further investigation is needed to confirm the expression in the stably transformed plants as well as cloning of the genes downstream of the functional promoters and research of their functions. ; Includes bibliography. ; Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007. ; Charles E. Schmidt College of Science ; FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection