| abstract |
The present invention provides methods and compositions for the identification of transgenic seeds. This is accomplished by use of screenable markers linked to aleurone-specific promoters. The screenable markers can be provided as gene fusions with selectable markers, allowing both selection and screening of transformants. The use of aleurone-specific promoters, which also direct expression in embryogenic tissues, allows efficient selection of transgenic cells and the screening of viable transgenic seeds, while avoiding the deleterious effects associated with constitutive expression of screenable marker genes. Screening of transgenic seeds avoids the need for growing and assaying of seeds for transgenes and allows implementation of automated seed screening techniques fo the identification of transgenic seeds. |