A convenient set of vectors for expression of multiple gene combinations in plants

A set of vectors has been developed that simplify shuttling expression cassettes between small plasmids of high copy number ideal for experiments involving biolistic transient expression and a binary transformation plasmid. Three cassettes for the expression of a cloned coding sequence behind different promoters have been modified; combinations of these cassettes can be excised withNot I, and sequentially cloned into the transformation vector in a procedure that removes the first cloning site. The system is demonstrated by inducing anthocyanin synthesis with paired regulatory genes of maize biolistically delivered to a maize cell suspension, and then expressed in transformed tobacco.     

Kanamycin rescue: A simple technique for the recovery of T-DNA flanking sequences

We have designed a new method for the recovery of T-DNA flanking sequences from T-DNA-tagged lines ofArabidopsis thaliana. Since most transformation vectors in use contain a plant-selectable marker for kanamycin resistance, we can use the 3′ part of thenptII coding region from the T-DNA to complement the bacterial 5′ region of thenptII gene from Tn5 to reconstruct a functional kanamycin-resistance gene inEscherichia coli. We have constructed a vector that contains the 5′ part of thenptII gene from Tn5 up to the uniquePst I site. By cloning total DNA from transformed lines in this vector, we were able to select directly for clones containing a T-DNA fragment, which reconstitutes a functional kanamycin gene, and a fragment of arabidopsis genomic DNA adjacent to the insertion. Flanking sequences up to 4 kb were rescued by this system.     

Manipulation of saponin biosynthesis by RNA interference-mediated silencing of ��-amyrin synthase gene expression in soybean

Soybean seeds contain substantial amount of diverse triterpenoid saponins that influence the seed quality, although little is known about the physiologic functions of saponins in plants. We now describe the modification of saponin biosynthesis by RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing targeted to β-amyrin synthase, a key enzyme in the synthesis of a common aglycon of soybean saponins. We identified two putative β-amyrin synthase genes in soybean that manifested distinct expression patterns with regard to developmental stage and tissue specificity. Given that one of these genes, GmBAS1, was expressed at a much higher level than the other (GmBAS2) in various tissues including the developing seeds, we constructed two RNAi vectors that encode self-complementary hairpin RNAs corresponding to the distinct regions of GmBAS1 under the control of a seed-specific promoter derived from the soybean gene for the α′ subunit of the seed storage protein β-conglycinin. These vectors were introduced independently into soybean. Six independent transgenic lines exhibited a stable reduction in seed saponin content, with the extent of saponin deficiency correlating with the β-amyrin synthase mRNA depletion. Although some transgenic lines produced seeds almost devoid of saponins, no abnormality in their growth was apparent and the antioxidant activity of their seeds was similar to that of control seeds. These results suggest that saponins are not required for seed development and survival, and that soybean seeds may therefore be amenable to the modification of triterpenoid saponin content and composition through molecular biologic approaches.     

A transgenic locus in soybean exhibits a high level of recombination

Summary We have examined transgene inheritance in over 300 progeny of a line of soybean (Glycine max) transformed by particle bombardment with a construct containing bovine β-casein under the control of the soybean lectin 5′ and 3′ regulatory elements. Four copies of the casein transgene, located at a single locus, exhibit a high frequency of recombination that resulted in novel patterns in approximately 16% of the progeny in both the T₁ and T₂ generations. Characterization of the transgene locus using restriction enzymes that do not cut the transformation plasmid showed that all four transgene copies are at a single locus no larger than approximately 40 kb in size. Therefore, the recombination events resulting in the loss of transgene DNA are taking place within a limited physical distance on the host chromosome. This is the first report extensively documenting transgene instability at the DNA level in a plant transformed via particle bombardment. As this report indicates, a seemingly simple phenotype (presence of the foreign protein) may conceal inherent genetic instability at the DNA level.     

Improved Production of the Human Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor in Transgenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> Seeds Using a Dual Sorting Signal Peptide

The human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) containing either an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal or a phaseolin vacuolar sorting signal peptide was expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana under the control of a tissue-specific promoter, derived from the soybean α′ subunit of β-conglycinin. No significant differences in recombinant hGM-CSF (rhGM-CSF) accumulation were detected between transgenic plants carrying either one of the two signal peptides. Hybrid seed from crosses between single-copy transformants tailed with the ER retention signal tetrapeptide and single-copy transformed plants tagged with a phaseolin four carboxy-terminal residues showed gene additive effects. The highest expression level of rhGM-CSF was 0.05% of total soluble protein of immature siliques, indicating that the two signal peptides functioned independently in the protein-sorting pathway. Additionally, TF-1 cell proliferation data demonstrated that rhGM-CSF was biologically active.     

Identification of a signal peptide for oryzacystatin-I

 A previously unidentified extension of an open reading frame from the genomic DNA of Japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) encoding oryzacystatin-I (OC-I; access. M29259, protein ID AAA33912.1) has been identified as a 5′ gene segment coding for the OC-I signal peptide. The signal peptide appears to direct a pre-protein (SPOC-I; Accession No. AF164378) to the endoplasmic reticulum, where it is processed into the mature form of OC-I. The start codon of SPOC-I begins 114 bp upstream from that previously published for OC-I. A putative proteolytic site, which may yield a mature OC-I approximately 12 residues larger than previously described, has been identified within SPOC-I between Ala-26 and Glu-27. The signal peptide sequence was amplified by polymerase chain reaction using genomic DNA from O. sativa seedlings and ligated to the 5′ end of the truncated OC-I gene at the endogenous SalI site. Partially purified protein extracts from Escherichia coli expressing SPOC-I reacted with polyclonal antibodies raised against OC-I and revealed a protein of the expected molecular weight (15,355 Da). In-vitro translation of SPOC-I in the presence of microsomal membranes yielded a processed product approximately 2.7 kDa smaller than the pre-protein. Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Xanthi plants independently transformed with the SPOC-I gene processed SPOC-I and accumulated the mature form of OC-I (approximately 12.6 kDa), which co-migrated with natural, mature OC-I extracted from rice seed when separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Received: 29 July 1999 / Accepted: 25 August 1999     

Expression Enhancement of a Rice Polyubiquitin Gene Promoter

An 808 bp promoter from a rice polyubiquitin gene, rubi3, has been isolated. The rubi3 gene contained an open reading frame of 1140 bp encoding a pentameric polyubiquitin arranged as five tandem, head-to-tail repeats of 76 aa. The 1140 bp 5′ UTR intron of the gene enhanced its promoter activity in transient expression assays by 20-fold. Translational fusion of the GUS reporter gene to the coding sequence of the ubiquitin monomer enhanced GUS enzyme activity in transient expression assays by 4.3-fold over the construct containing the original rubi3 promoter (including the 5′ UTR intron) construct. The enhancing effect residing in the ubiquitin monomer coding sequence has been narrowed down to the first 9 nt coding for the first three amino acid residues of the ubiquitin protein. Mutagenesis at the third nucleotide of this 9 nt sequence still maintains the enhancing effect, but leads to translation of the native GUS protein rather than a fusion protein. The resultant 5′ regulatory sequence, consisting of the rubi3 promoter, 5′ UTR exon and intron, and the mutated first 9 nt coding sequence, has an activity nearly 90-fold greater than the rubi3 promoter only (without the 5′ UTR intron), and 2.2-fold greater than the maize Ubi1 gene promoter (including its 5′ UTR intron). The newly created expression vector is expected to enhance transgene expression in monocot plants. Considering the high conservation of the polyubiquitin gene structure in higher plants, the observed enhancement in gene expression may apply to 5′ regulatory sequences of other plant polyubiquitin genes.     

Use of Physcomitrella patens actin 5′ regions for high transgene expression: importance of 5′ introns

We have isolated four actin (Act) genes from Physcomitrella patens and used their corresponding 5′ regions for recombinant expression of the human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF₁₂₁) in transiently transformed Physcomitrella protoplasts and in stable transformed lines. In the transient system, we found up to 11-fold activity of the corresponding 5′ regions as compared with that of the plant constitutive 35S promoter. Moreover, the use of an optimised expression vector in which the human VEGF signal peptide was exchanged with a plant signal peptide resulted in an additional 7-fold increase in secreted rhVEGF. We found that the 5′ introns of PpAct1, PpAct5 and PpAct7 are essential for high expression. The enhancing mechanisms of the introns, however, seem to be different since in the case of PpAct1, the expression level is stimulated only in the presence of the endogenous promoter, whereas the 5′ introns of PpAct5 and PpAct7 stimulate expression also in combination with the 35S promoter. Beyond this, the isolated 5′ regions are shown to be useful for high expression levels in transgenic moss lines with values of secreted rhVEGF up to 96 μg g^-1 dry weight.A. Weise and M. Rodriguez-Franco have contributed equally to this work.     

Cloning and expression of the Apa LI, Nsp I, Nsp HI, Sac I, Sca I, and Sap I restriction-modification systems in Escherichia coli

The genes encoding the ApaLI (5′-G^TGCAC-3′), NspI (5′-RCATG^Y-3′), NspHI (5′-RCATG^Y-3′), SacI (5′-GAGCT^C-3′), SapI (5′-GCTCTTCN1^-3′, 5′-^N4GAAGAGC-3′) and ScaI (5′-AGT^ACT-3′) restriction-modification systems have been cloned in E.␣coli. Amino acid sequence comparison of M.ApaLI, M.NspI, M.NspHI, and M.SacI with known methylases indicated that they contain the ten conserved motifs characteristic of C5 cytosine methylases. NspI and NspHI restriction-modification systems are highly homologous in amino acid sequence. The C-termini of the NspI and NlaIII (5′-CATG-3′) restriction endonucleases share significant similarity. 5mC modification of the internal C in a SacI site renders it resistant to SacI digestion. External 5mC modification of a SacI site has no effect on SacI digestion. N4mC modification of the second base in the sequence 5′-GCTCTTC-3′ blocks SapI digestion. N4mC modification of the other cytosines in the SapI site does not affect SapI digestion. N4mC modification of ScaI site blocks ScaI digetion. A DNA invertase homolog was found adjacent to the ApaLI restriction-modification system. A DNA transposase subunit homolog was found upstream of the SapI restriction endonuclease gene. Received: 15 April 1998 / Accepted: 3 August 1998     

Role of O-acetyl-l-serine in the coordinated regulation of the expression of a soybean seed storage-protein gene by sulfur and nitrogen nutrition

The composition of seed storage proteins is regulated by sulfur and nitrogen supplies. Under conditions of a low sulfur-to-nitrogen ratio, accumulation of the β-subunit of β-conglycinin, a sulfur-poor seed storage protein of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), is elevated, whereas that of glycinin, a sulfur-rich storage protein, is reduced. Using transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana [L.] Heynh., it was found that the promoter from the gene encoding the β-subunit of β-conglycinin up-regulates gene expression under sulfur deficiency and down-regulates gene expression under nitrogen deficiency. To obtain an insight into the metabolic control of this regulation, the concentrations of metabolites related to the sulfur assimilation pathway were determined. Among the metabolites, O-acetyl-l-serine (OAS), one of the precursors of cysteine biosynthesis, accumulated to higher levels under low-sulfur and high-nitrogen conditions in siliques of transgenic A. thaliana. The pattern of OAS accumulation in response to various levels of sulfur and nitrogen was similar to that of gene expression driven by the β-subunit promoter. Elevated levels of OAS accumulation were also observed in soybean cotyledons cultured under sulfur deficiency. Moreover, OAS applied to in-vitro cultures of immature soybean cotyledons under normal sulfate conditions resulted in a high accumulation of the β-subunit mRNA and protein, whereas the accumulation of glycinin was reduced. These changes were very similar to the responses observed under conditions of sulfur deficiency. Our results suggest that the level of free OAS mediates sulfur- and nitrogen-regulation of soybean seed storage-protein composition. Received: 6 February 1999 / Accepted: 16 March 1999     

5′ Untranslated region of the Hsp12 gene contributes to efficient translation in Aspergillus oryzae

We describe a 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) that dramatically increases the expression level of an exogenous gene in Aspergillus oryzae. Using a series of 5′UTR::GUS (uidA) fusion constructs, we analyzed the translation efficiency of chimeric mRNAs with different 5′UTRs at different temperatures. We found that the 5′UTR of a heat-shock protein gene, Hsp12, greatly enhanced the translation efficiency of the chimeric GUS mRNA at normal temperature (30°C). Moreover, at high temperature (37°C), the translation efficiency of the mRNA containing the Hsp12 5′UTR was far superior to that of mRNAs containing nonheat-shock 5′UTRs, resulting in much more efficient expression of GUS protein (about 20-fold higher GUS activity compared to the control construct). This 5′UTR can be used in combination with various strong promoters to enhance the expression of foreign proteins in A. oryzae.     

An efficient plasmid vector for expression cloning of large numbers of PCR fragments in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

The described plasmid pEamTA was designed for parallel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cloning of open reading frames (ORFs) in Escherichia coli. It relies on the well-known TA-cloning principle, and the “T-vector” can be generated from a plasmid preparation by digestion with the restriction enzyme Eam1105I. The single 3′-T-overhangs of the vector fragment are positioned in a way that A-tailed PCR-products beginning with the start-ATG of an ORF end up in optimal position for expression from a strong tac-promoter when ligated in correct orientation. The orientation of the insert can be checked via a reconstituted NdeI site (catATG) present in correct clones. The protocol works regardless of internal restriction sites of the PCR fragment, a major advantage when cloning a number of fragments in parallel. It also does not require 5′-primer extensions and finally delivers an expression clone for the preparation of untagged protein in less than a week.     

Transgene Organisation in Potato After Particle Bombardment-mediated (co-)Transformation Using Plasmids and Gene Cassettes

Protocols for efficient co-transformation of potato internodes with genes contained in separate plasmids or gene cassettes (i.e., linear PCR fragments comprising a promoter-gene-terminator) using particle bombardment were established. Twenty-eight out of 62 (45%) and 11 out of 65 (17%) plants transformed with a plasmid containing the selectable marker contained one and two additional non-selected genes, respectively. When gene cassettes were used in transformation, six out of eight plants were co-transformed. Expression analysis showed that 75–80% of the plants transformed with two transgenes expressed both of them, irrespective of the use of plasmids or gene cassettes. Thirty-eight plants containing the gusA reporter-gene and the nptII selectable-marker have been characterised with respect to the molecular organisation of the donor DNAs. Seventeen out of 49 (35%) gusA sites of integration contained one copy of the gene. Only 11 gusA sites (22%) were linked to the site of integration of the selectable marker. When one site of integration contained several copies of the transgene, a predominance of 3–3 inverted re-arrangement repeats was observed.     

Variables Controlling the Expression Level of Exogenous Genes in Dictyostelium

Ectopic expression of genes from recombinant plasmids is commonly used to study gene function. In Dictyostelium, three drug resistance cassettes are commonly used as selectable markers in vectors. We report here a comparative study of the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene from vectors containing each of the drug-resistant cassettes. The expression was highest in cells transformed with the vectors containing the neomycin-resistant cassette (pDNeoGFP), followed by the hygromycin-resistant cassette (pDHygGFP) and the blasticidin-resistant cassette (pDBsrGFP). The level of GFP expression was directly related to the copy number of the vector in transformants. In turn, the copy number of the vector depended on the drug resistance cassette as well as the concentration of the drug used in selection. In general, cells with higher copy numbers could be selected by a higher drug concentration. The expression of GFP was also affected by the method of transformation. For pDHygGFP, expression of GFP was much higher in cells transformed by electroporation than those transformed by calcium phosphate coprecipitation. However, only a slight difference was observed for pDNeoGFP or pDBsrGFP.     

Complementation of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> cysteine auxotrophic mutant for the structural modification study of 3′(2′),5′-bisphosphate nucleotidase

The Arabidopsis AHL gene encodes a 3′(2′),5′-bisphosphate nucleotidase (BPNTase) involved in the reductive sulfate activation pathway. A bacterial expression vector containing AHL cDNA was randomly mutagenized with hydroxylamine and transformed into the E. coli cysteine auxotrophic mutant cysQ. Bacterial colonies that did not show evidence of complementation, i.e. those that exhibited slower growth on cysteine-free medium, were selected for further study. Sequencing of the AHL cDNA in one such clone revealed the conversion of cytosine 635 (C₆₃₅) to thymine, resulting in an Alanine (A₂₁₂) to Valine substitution. This microbial complementation procedure is useful in BPNTase structure-activity studies for biotechnological applications.