State of the foreign gene and of the genome in transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PCR with random primers (RAPD analysis) performed on the DNA of embryogenic and non-embryogenic suspension cultured rice and of transformed rice plants allows the evaluation of the extent of DNA changes in the different biological materials. This is thus suggested as a convenient approach, in combination with restriction analysis and Southerns blotting, to evaluate the integrity of the foreign gene, the stability of the insertion site and the stability of the whole genome.