A Comparison of Constitutive Promoters for Expression of Transgenes in Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa)

The activity of constitutive promoters was compared in transgenic alfalfa plants using two marker genes. Three promoters, the 35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), the cassava vein mosaic virus (CsVMV) promoter, and the sugarcane bacilliform badnavirus (ScBV) promoter were each fused to the beta-glucuronidase (gusA) gene. The highest GUS enzyme activity was obtained using the CsVMV promoter and all alfalfa cells assayed by in situ staining had high levels of enzyme activity. The 35S promoter was expressed in leaves, roots, and stems at moderate levels, but the promoter was not active in stem pith cells, root cortical cells, or in the symbiotic zones of nodules. The ScBV promoter was active primarily in vascular tissues throughout the plant. In leaves, GUS activity driven by the CsVMV promoter was approximately 24-fold greater than the activity from the 35S promoter and 38-fold greater than the activity from the ScBV promoter. Five promoters, the double 35S promoter, figwort mosaic virus (FMV) promoter, CsVMV promoter, ScBV promoter, and alfalfa small subunit Rubisco (RbcS) promoter were used to control expression of a cDNA from Trichoderma atroviride encoding an endochitinase (ech42). Highest chitinase activity in leaves, roots, and root nodules was obtained in plants containing the CsVMV:ech42 transgene. Plants expressing the endochitinase were challenged with Phoma medicaginis var. medicaginis, the causal agent of spring black stem and leaf spot of alfalfa. Although endochitinase activity in leaves of transgenic plants was 50- to 2650-fold greater than activity in control plants, none of the transgenic plants showed a consistent increase in disease resistance compared to controls. The high constitutive levels of both GUS and endochitinase activity obtained demonstrate that the CsVMV promoter is useful for high-level transgene expression in alfalfa.     

Altered life cycle in Arabidopsis plants expressing PsUGT1, a UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-encoding gene from pea

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and Arabidopsis were used as model systems to examine molecular mechanisms underlying developmental effects of a microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-encoding gene from pea (Pisum sativum; PsUGT1). Alfalfa expressing PsUGT1 antisense mRNA under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter exhibited delayed root emergence, reduced root growth, and increased lateral root development. The timing of root emergence in wild-type and antisense plants was correlated with the transient accumulation of auxin at the site of root emergence. Cell suspension cultures derived from the antisense alfalfa plants exhibited a delay in cell cycle from 24-h in the wild-type plants to 48-h in the antisense plants. PsUGT1::uidA was introduced into Arabidopsis to demonstrate that, as in alfalfa and pea, PsUGT1 expression occurs in regions of active cell division. This includes the root cap and root apical meristems, leaf primordia, tips of older leaves, and the transition zone between the hypocotyl and the root. Expression of PsUGT1::uidA colocalized with the expression of the auxin-responding reporter DR5::uidA. Co-expression of DR5::uidA in transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing CaMV35S::PsUGT1 revealed that ectopic expression of CaMV35S::PsUGT1 is correlated with a change in endogenous auxin gradients in roots. Roots of ecotype Columbia expressing CaMV35S::PsUGT1 exhibited distinctive responses to exogenous naphthalene acetic acid. Completion of the life cycle occurred in 4 to 6 weeks compared with 6 to 7 weeks for wild-type Columbia. Inhibition of endogenous ethylene did not correct this early senescence phenotype.     

拟南芥AtGLK-N基因的过量表达对代谢物质积累的影响

AtGLK-N（At2g01060）是拟南芥转录因子Golden2-like基因家族的一个成员,仅存在于植物中。本文通过启动子一GUS和Northem检测分析TAtGLK-N的表达模式,结果显示：AtGLK-N在愈伤组织、球形胚、心形胚、鱼雷胚中表达,在幼叶（真叶）及侧根分生组织中也有表达。此外,Nonhern检测结果还表明AtGLK-N可被高盐胁迫所诱导。通过农杆菌介导转化拟南芥,得到过表达AtGLK-N的转基因植株,其表现为矮小。为弄清AtGLK-N的功能,对过表达AtGLK-N以南芥进行代谢谱分析,结果显示：转基因植物的脯氨酸、棉籽糖和海藻糖以及催化上述代谢产物的蛋白酶的基因表达水平明显比对照植株高。上述结果表明AtGLK-N表达主要分布在分裂细胞或组织,并可能与高盐胁迫反应相关。     

Alfin1 transcription factor overexpression enhances plant root growth under normal and saline conditions and improves salt tolerance in alfalfa

Plant root development is an essential determinant of plant growth and crop yield that could be enhanced by induced changes in the expression of root-specific regulatory factors. We reported previously that Alfin1 binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner and that Alfin1 overexpression in transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) enhances expression of the salt-inducible MsPRP2 gene in roots, suggesting that Alfin1 functions to regulate gene expression in roots. Here we show that Alfin1 is an essential gene for root growth and that its overexpression in transgenic plants confers a many-fold increase in root growth under normal and saline conditions. Alfin1-binding sites occur in promoters of genes expressed in roots of a wide variety of plant species and we propose that it is a general root growth regulator. Even though Alfin1 overexpression was under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, plant shoot growth was not adversely affected. We show further that introduction of the Alfin1 transgene in plants confers a dominant characteristic that significantly increases plant growth and salt tolerance.     

pFGC5941的改造及拟南芥NAC1和SIP1双基因反义表达载体的构建和遗传转化

拟南芥中的SIP1基因编码的蛋白与拟南芥盐胁迫应答中的关键蛋白SOS2存在互作关系,而NAC1为拟南芥中介导生长素信号促进其侧根发生的蛋白。本研究中我们将SIP1基因和NAC1正义基因以及SIP1基因和NAC1反义基因分别整合到一个经改造的具有2个35S启动子的可用于双基因表达的载体pFGC5941S中,构建了两个双基因表达载体pFGC5941S SIP1 NAC1 sense和pFGC5941S SIP1 NAC1 anti。并将这两个载体通过农杆菌介导的方法转化到野生型拟南芥中,共获得15株转基因植株。对这些转基因植株进行盐胁迫实验发现,在含75mmol·L-1 NaCl的MS培养基上,相比于野生型,pFGC5941S SIP1 NAC1 sense转基因植株主根增长,侧根数量明显增多,而pFGC5941S SIP1 NAC1 anti转基因植株长势与野生型苗相似。由此我们推测可能只有当SIP1和NAC1同时过表达时,才会促进盐胁迫下拟南芥侧根的发育。     

pFGC5941的改造及拟南芥NAC1和SIP1双基因反义表达载体的构建和遗传转化

拟南芥中的SIP1基因编码的蛋白与拟南芥盐胁迫应答中的关键蛋白SOS2存在互作关系,而NACl为拟南芥中介导生长素信号促进其侧根发生的蛋白。本研究中我们将SIPl基因和NAC1正义基因以及SIP1基因和NAC1反义基因分别整合到一个经改造的具有2个35S启动子的可用于双基因表达的载体pF—GC5941S中,构建了两个双基因表达载体pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-sense和pFGC5941S-SIP1-NACl-anti。并将这两个载体通过农杆菌介导的方法转化到野生型拟南芥中,共获得15株转基因植株。对这些转基因植株进行盐胁迫实验发现,在含75mnlol·L-1 NaCl的MS培养基上,相比于野生型,pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-sense转基因植株主根增长,侧根数量明显增多,而pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-anti转基因植株长势与野生型苗相似。由此我们推测可能只有当SIP1和NAC1同时过表达时,才会促进盐胁迫下拟南芥侧根的发育。     

Modification of pFGC5941 Construct and Transfer of Double Antisense Genes of NAC1 and SIP1 into Arabidopsis thaliana

SIP1 encodes the protein which show interact with SOS2, the protein involving in plant responding to saline stress while NAC1 encodes the protein which involves in auxin signal and promoting the development of lateral root of Arabidopsis thaliana. In present study SIP1 and NAC1-sense and NAC1-anti were inserted into pFGC5941S constructs, making the expression vectors pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-sense and pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-anti, respectively. Fifteen transgenic A.thaliana harboring these two constructs (pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-sense and pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-anti) were then generated via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The phenotypes of homozygous transformants which were grown on MS medium with 75mmol·L-1 NaCl showed that compared with wild-type A.thaliana, pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-sense transgenic plants exhibited longer main root and increasing amounts of lateral roots, while no obvious differences were observed in pFGC5941S-SIP1-NAC1-anti transgenic plants. These results indicated that the development of A.thaliana lateral roots under salt stress was specifically promoted by both overexpression of SIP1 gene and NAC1 gene.     

Arabidopsis and tobacco plants ectopically expressing the soybean antiquitin-like ALDH7 gene display enhanced tolerance to drought, salinity, and oxidative stress

Despite extensive studies in eukaryotic aldehyde dehydrogenases, functional information about the ALDH7 antiquitin-like proteins is lacking. A soybean antiquitin homologue gene, designated GmTP55, has been isolated which encodes a dehydrogenase motif-containing 55 kDa protein induced by dehydration and salt stress. GmTP55 is closely related to the stress-induced plant antiquitin-like proteins that belong to the ALDH7 family. Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants constitutively expressing GmTP55 have been obtained in order to examine the physiological role of this enzyme under a variety of stress conditions. Ectopic expression of GmTP55 in both Arabidopsis and tobacco conferred tolerance to salinity during germination and to water deficit during plant growth. Under salt stress, the germination efficiency of both transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis seeds was significantly higher than that of their control counterparts. Likewise, under progressive drought, the transgenic tobacco lines apparently kept the shoot turgidity to a normal level, which contrasted with the leaf wilt phenotype of control plants. The transgenic plants also exhibited an enhanced tolerance to H(2)O(2)- and paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Both GmTP55-expressing Arabidopsis and tobacco seeds germinated efficiently in medium supplemented with H(2)O(2), whereas the germination of control seeds was drastically impaired. Similarly, transgenic tobacco leaf discs treated with paraquat displayed a significant reduction in the necrotic lesions as compared with control leaves. These transgenic lines also exhibited a lower concentration of lipid peroxidation-derived reactive aldehydes under oxidative stress. These results suggest that antiquitin may be involved in adaptive responses mediated by a physiologically relevant detoxification pathway in plants.     

Seven in absentia proteins affect plant growth and nodulation in Medicago truncatula

Protein ubiquitination is a posttranslational regulatory process essential for plant growth and interaction with the environment. E3 ligases, to which the seven in absentia (SINA) proteins belong, determine the specificity by selecting the target proteins for ubiquitination. SINA proteins are found in animals as well as in plants, and a small gene family with highly related members has been identified in the genome of rice (Oryza sativa), Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), Medicago truncatula, and poplar (Populus trichocarpa). To acquire insight into the function of SINA proteins in nodulation, a dominant negative form of the Arabidopsis SINAT5 was ectopically expressed in the model legume M. truncatula. After rhizobial inoculation of the 35S:SINAT5DN transgenic plants, fewer nodules were formed than in control plants, and most nodules remained small and white, a sign of impaired symbiosis. Defects in rhizobial infection and symbiosome formation were observed by extensive microscopic analysis. Besides the nodulation phenotype, transgenic plants were affected in shoot growth, leaf size, and lateral root number. This work illustrates a function for SINA E3 ligases in a broad spectrum of plant developmental processes, including nodulation.     

Alterations of Root and Fiber in Transgenic Cotton Plants with Chimeric Ph/P-ipt Gene Expression

The seed-specific phaseolin promoter (Ph/P) was fused to an ipt gene, then was cloned to a plant expression vector containing a gus gene driven by a 35S promoter. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants were transformed through pollen tube pathway methods. After seed germination, histochemical staining of the roots demonstrated that 32 GUS positive plants were obtained and three of which contained the chimeric Ph/P-ipt transgene as confirmed by PCR analysis. An immunosorbent assay showed that two of the three transgenic cotton lines contained higher levels of zeatin equivalents in seeds than the control. Seedling development of these two transgenic lines differed from the control in a reduction of the shoot growth, showing a stunted phenotype as expected, but a surprisingly developed root system with a 3-4 fold fast-growing lateral roots. In addition, fibers (seed-hairs) of the two transgenic cotton lines were considerably shorter than those of the control. These results indicate that genetic engineering may be used to manipulate the development of cotton plants, particularly cotton fibers.     

种子特异表达ipt转基因棉花根和纤维的改变

将种子特异表达的菜豆蛋白启动子（Ｐｈ／Ｐ）与ｉｐｔ基因融合,构建了植物表达载体。该载体含有由３５Ｓ启动子驱动的ｇｕｓ报告基因。应用该载体通过花粉管通道法转化棉花（Ｇｏｓｓｙｐｉｕｍ ｈｉｒｓｕｔｕｍ Ｌ．）,种子萌发后剪取幼根进行ＧＵＳ染色,获得ＧＵＳ阳性植株２３棵。ＰＣＲ检测证明有３棵ＧＵＳ阳性植株中含有Ｐｈ／Ｐ－ｉｐｔ基因,并进一步用地高辛标记的ＤＮＡ探针作杂交验证了上述结果。分析表明２棵转基     

Biodegradation of atrazine in transgenic plants expressing a modified bacterial atrazine chlorohydrolase (atzA) gene

Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the USA. Atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA), the first enzyme in a six-step pathway leading to the mineralization of atrazine in Gram-negative soil bacteria, catalyses the hydrolytic dechlorination and detoxification of atrazine to hydroxyatrazine. In this study, we investigated the potential use of transgenic plants expressing atzA to take up, dechlorinate and detoxify atrazine. Alfalfa, Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco were transformed with a modified bacterial atzA gene, p-atzA, under the control of the cassava vein mosaic virus promoter. All transgenic plant species actively expressed p-atzA and grew over a wide range of atrazine concentrations. Thin layer chromatography analyses indicated that in planta expression of p-atzA resulted in the production of hydroxyatrazine. Hydroponically grown transgenic tobacco and alfalfa dechlorinated atrazine to hydroxyatrazine in leaves, stems and roots. Moreover, p-atzA was found to be useful as a conditional-positive selection system to isolate alfalfa and Arabidopsis transformants following Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Our work suggests that the in planta expression of p-atzA may be useful for the development of plants for the phytoremediation of atrazine-contaminated soils and soil water, and as a marker gene to select for the integration of exogenous DNA into the plant genome.     

Functional analysis of the metallothionein gene cgMT1 isolated from the actinorhizal tree Casuarina glauca

cgMT1 is a metallothionein (MT)-like gene that was isolated from a cDNA library of young nitrogen-fixing nodules resulting from the symbiotic interaction between Frankia spp. and the actinorhizal tree Casuarina glauca. cgMT1 is highly transcribed in the lateral roots and nitrogen-fixing cells of actinorhizal nodules; it encodes a class I type 1 MT. To obtain insight into the function of cgMT1, we studied factors regulating the expression of the MT promoter region (PcgMT1) using a beta-glucuronidase (gus) fusion approach in transgenic plants of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that copper, zinc, and cadmium ions had no significant effect on the regulation of PcgMT1-gus expression whereas wounding and H2O2 treatments led to an increase in reporter gene activity in transgenic leaves. Strong PcgMT1-gus expression also was observed when transgenic plants were inoculated with a virulent strain of the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing cgMT1 under the control of the constitutive 35S promoter were characterized by reduced accumulation of H2O2 when leaves were wounded and by increased susceptibility to the bacterial pathogen X. campestris. These results suggest that cgMT1 could play a role during the oxidative response linked to biotic and abiotic stresses.     

Cytokinins play opposite roles in lateral root formation, and nematode and Rhizobial symbioses

We used the cytokinin-responsive Arabidopsis response regulator (ARR)5 gene promoter fused to a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene, and cytokinin oxidase (CKX) genes from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtCKX3) and maize (ZmCKX1) to investigate the roles of cytokinins in lateral root formation and symbiosis in Lotus japonicus. ARR5 expression was undetectable in the dividing initial cells at early stages of lateral root formation, but later we observed high expression in the base of the lateral root primordium. The root tip continues to express ARR5 during subsequent development of the lateral root. These results suggest a dynamic role for cytokinin in lateral root development. We observed ARR5 expression in curled/deformed root hairs, and also in nodule primordia in response to Rhizobial inoculation. This expression declined once the nodule emerged from the parent root. Root penetration and migration of root-knot nematode (RKN) second-stage larvae (L2) did not elevate ARR5 expression, but a high level of expression was induced when L2 reached the differentiating vascular bundle and during early stages of the nematode-plant interaction. ARR5 expression was specifically absent in mature giant cells (GCs), although dividing cells around the GCs continued to express this reporter. The same pattern was observed using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter driven by the ARR5 promoter in tomato. Overexpression of CKX genes rendered the transgenic hairy roots resistant to exogenous application of the cytokinin [N6-(Delta2 isopentenyl) adenine riboside] (iPR). CKX roots have significantly more lateral roots, but fewer nodules and nematode-induced root galls per plant, than control hairy roots.     

Investigation of cytokinin-deficient phenotypes in Arabidopsis by ectopic expression of orchid DSCKX1

The plant hormone cytokinin plays a major role in regulating plant growth and development. Here we generated cytokinin-reduction Arabidopsis plants by overexpressing a heterologous cytokinin oxidase gene DSCKX1 from Dendrobium orchid. These transgenic plants exhibited reduced biomass, rapid root growth, decreased ability to form roots in vitro, and reduced response to cytokinin in growing calli and roots. Furthermore, the expression of KNAT1, STM, and CycD3 genes was significantly reduced in the transgenic plants, suggesting that cytokinin may function to control the cell cycles and shoot/root development via regulation of these genes.     

Serotonin, a tryptophan-derived signal conserved in plants and animals, regulates root system architecture probably acting as a natural auxin inhibitor in Arabidopsis thaliana

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is a well-known neurotransmitter in mammals and is widely distributed in plants. This compound is synthesized from tryptophan and shares structural similarity with IAA. To date, little is known about the morphological, physiological and molecular responses of plants to serotonin. In this study, we characterized the effects of serotonin on growth and development in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that plants are able to take up serotonin from the growth medium, which coincided with greatly stimulated lateral root development at concentrations from 10 to 160 μM. In contrast, higher doses of serotonin repressed lateral root growth, primary root growth and root hair development, but stimulated adventitious root formation. To investigate the role of serotonin in modulating auxin responses, we performed experiments using transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing the auxin-responsive marker constructs DR5:uidA, BA3:uidA and HS::AXR3NT-GUS, as well as a variety of Arabidopsis mutants defective at the AUX1, AXR1, AXR2 and AXR4 auxin-related loci. We found that serotonin strongly inhibited both DR5:uidA and BA3:uidA gene expression in primary and adventitious roots and in lateral root primordia. This compound also abolished the effects of IAA or naphthaleneacetic acid on auxin-regulated developmental and genetic responses, indicating an anti-auxin activity in the plant. Mutant analysis further showed that lateral root induction elicited by serotonin was independent of the AUX1 and AXR4 loci but required AXR1 and AXR2. Our results show that serotonin regulates root development probably by acting as a natural auxin inhibitor.