Abstract: This paper dealt with efficient expression of haloalkane dehalogenase gene(dhlA) from Xanthobacter autotrophicus in Arabidopsis thaliana. The dhlA was transferred and integrated into genomes of A. thaliana mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and homozygous dhlA seeds were obtained after several generations selection on a special medium. Northern blotting and gas chromatography (GC) assay shows that the dhlA was expressed efficiently, the amount of the enzyme accounted for 8% of total cellular soluble protein, and the enzyme activity reached 7.8 mU·ml^-1 cellular extract. The transgenic plants could not grow on the medium with 1,2-dichloroethane.

Key words: Haloalkane dehalogenase gene (dhlA), Arabidopsis thaliana, Gene expression, Agrobacterium tumefaciens