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With the accelerating advances in Brassicaceae genetics and genomics, transformation technologies are now routinely being exploited to elucidate gene function as well as contributing to the development of novel enhanced crops. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation remains the most broadly used approach for the introduction of transgenes into Brassicaceae. For Arabidopsis thaliana, in planta transformation is now routinely employed using the relatively low-tech approach of floral dipping. The relative ease of producing independent transgenic lines using this approach has been exploited to create T-DNA insertion mutants or knockout lines for most Arabidopsis genes. In Brassica, transformation relies mainly on in vitro transformation methods, and yet despite the significant progress made towards enhancing transformation efficiencies, some genotypes remain recalcitrant to transformation. Advances in our understanding of the genetics behind transformation have enabled researchers to identify more readily transformable genotypes for use in routine high-throughput systems. These developments open up exciting new avenues to exploit model Brassica genotypes as resources for understanding gene function in complex genomes. Although many other Brassicaceae have served as model species for improving plant regeneration and transformation systems, this chapter focuses on the recent technologies employed for both Arabidopsis and Brassica transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the genetic basis underlying the genotype dependence of Brassica oleracea transformation is enabling researchers to distinguish between recalcitrant and successful candidate genotypes for routine transformation. In this chapter we outline an A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation method for B. oleracea using 4-d-old cotyledonary explants and a model B. oleracea doubled haploid genotype, AG DH1012. After only 3 wk on kanamycin selection, the first transgenic shoots can be isolated. Transformation efficiencies in the region of 10 to 25% (based on 50-125 PCR-positive independent shoots from 500 infected explants) are typically achieved. For researchers wishing to use their own plant genotype, we highlight the tissue culture phenotypes that are conducive to efficient transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]