Scrophularia buergeriana Miq. (figwort) contains
a diverse group of bioactive natural products and is
used to treat a variety of ailments, including fever,
constipation, neuritis, and laryngitis. A transformation
protocol was established for S. buergeriana using Agrobacterium
tumefaciens. Kanamycin-resistant plants were
regenerated from leaf explants co-cultivated with A.
tumefaciens strain GV3101. The shoot regeneration
medium was supplemented with 2 mg l-1 6-benzylaminopurine
and 70 mg l-1 putrescine to improve the
efficiency of organogenesis. Detection of the neomycin
phosphotransferase gene, the presence of high levels of bglucuronidase
(GUS) transcripts and enzyme activity, and
the histochemical localization of GUS confirmed the
genetic transformation of S. buergeriana. This work
demonstrates the potential of using A. tumefaciens to
efficiently transfer foreign genes into a commercially and
culturally important Oriental medicinal plant.