We have developed a 'double T-DNA' binary vector system for generating selectable marker-free transgenic plants by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The 'double T-DNA' binary vector pDLBRBbarm which carried two independent T-DNAs, one containing a selectable marker neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII) gene and the other a bargene, was constructed. Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants were then produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with this vector. Frequency of the primary transformants co-integrated with npt II gene and bar gene was 59.2%. Segregation of two T-DNA regions was found in 3 out of 4 T-1 lines from co-transformed T-0 plants with nptII and bar PPT-resistant and kanamycin-sensitive plants were in approximate 19.5% of the T-1 plants. The result indicated that this 'double T-DNA' vector system could be a workable approach to generate transgenic plants free from selectable marker genes. Co-transformation of nptII gene and bar gene to plants with mixtures of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains containing single T-DNA vectors was also tested. Frequency of co-transformed plants was 20.0%-47.7% and relatively low as compared with that of 'double T-DNA' vector system.
