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Peer-reviewedCC BYNew Phytologist

The combination of morphogenic regulators BABY BOOM and GRF ‐ GIF improves maize transformation efficiency and promotes leaf regeneration

  • Zongliang Chen1
  • Jiaqi Zhou2
  • Mary Galli1
  • Sessen Daniel Iohannes2
  • Theresa Clark2
  • Juan Manuel Debernardi3
  • Jorge Dubcovsky3,4
  • David P. Jackson2
  • Andrea Gallavotti5,1
5 affiliations
  1. 1Waksman Institute of Microbiology Rutgers University Piscataway NJ 08854‐8020 USA
  2. 2Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor NY 11724 USA
  3. 3Department of Plant Sciences University of California Davis Davis CA 95616 USA
  4. 4Howard Hughes Medical Institute Chevy Chase MD 20815 USA
  5. 5Department of Plant Biology Rutgers University New Brunswick NJ 08901 USA
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Abstract

Transformation is an indispensable tool for plant genetics and functional genomics. Although stable transformation in maize is no longer a major obstacle, there remains a need for accessible and efficient methods for academic laboratories. Here, we present the GGB system, a rapid and efficient approach optimized for immature embryo transformation in B104 and other maize lines. This system combines two distinct morphogenetic regulators, the wheat GRF4-GIF1 chimera and the maize BABY BOOM (BBM) transcription factor (hence the name "GGB") with a modified QuickCorn protocol, enabling regeneration of transformed maize plantlets in c. 2 months with an efficiency 7-fold higher than when compared to either morphogenic factor used in isolation. Expression of both regulators did not significantly affect development, eliminating the need to excise them after regeneration. However, transmission of the transgenic GGB construct through pollen was significantly reduced, potentially aiding transgenic line containment. We show that the GGB system is adaptable for CRISPR-Cas9 editing and reporter line generation. Furthermore, stable GGB transformants exhibited high leaf regeneration capacity via somatic embryogenesis. RNA-seq time-course profiling of GGB leaf cultures identified additional factors that could promote regeneration and led to the discovery of asparagine and trehalose as additional media components that significantly enhanced leaf regeneration.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{chen2026combination,
  title = {{The combination of morphogenic regulators BABY BOOM and GRF ‐ GIF improves maize transformation efficiency and promotes leaf regeneration}},
  author = {Zongliang Chen and Jiaqi Zhou and Mary Galli and Sessen Daniel Iohannes and Theresa Clark and Juan Manuel Debernardi and Jorge Dubcovsky and David P. Jackson and Andrea Gallavotti},
  journal = {New Phytologist},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.1111/nph.71508},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71508},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The combination of morphogenic regulators BABY BOOM and GRF ‐ GIF improves maize transformation efficiency and promotes leaf regeneration
AU  - Zongliang Chen
AU  - Jiaqi Zhou
AU  - Mary Galli
AU  - Sessen Daniel Iohannes
AU  - Theresa Clark
AU  - Juan Manuel Debernardi
AU  - Jorge Dubcovsky
AU  - David P. Jackson
AU  - Andrea Gallavotti
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/17
JO  - New Phytologist
DO  - 10.1111/nph.71508
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71508
AB  - Transformation is an indispensable tool for plant genetics and functional genomics. Although stable transformation in maize is no longer a major obstacle, there remains a need for accessible and efficient methods for academic laboratories. Here, we present the GGB system, a rapid and efficient approach optimized for immature embryo transformation in B104 and other maize lines. This system combines two distinct morphogenetic regulators, the wheat GRF4-GIF1 chimera and the maize BABY BOOM (BBM) transcription factor (hence the name "GGB") with a modified QuickCorn protocol, enabling regeneration of transformed maize plantlets in c. 2 months with an efficiency 7-fold higher than when compared to either morphogenic factor used in isolation. Expression of both regulators did not significantly affect development, eliminating the need to excise them after regeneration. However, transmission of the transgenic GGB construct through pollen was significantly reduced, potentially aiding transgenic line containment. We show that the GGB system is adaptable for CRISPR-Cas9 editing and reporter line generation. Furthermore, stable GGB transformants exhibited high leaf regeneration capacity via somatic embryogenesis. RNA-seq time-course profiling of GGB leaf cultures identified additional factors that could promote regeneration and led to the discovery of asparagine and trehalose as additional media components that significantly enhanced leaf regeneration.
SN  - 0028-646X
SN  - 1469-8137
ER  -