烟草叶片愈伤组织形成过程中的细胞程序性死亡

以烟草叶片在MS培养基上诱导的10个不同时期的愈伤组织为材料,通过荧光染色显微观察到细胞核在形态上发生了缩缢变形,DNA Ladder检测也出现了标志细胞程序性死亡特征的DNA片断,表明了愈伤组织形成过程中发生了细胞程序性死亡（programmed cell death, PCD）,而在诱导的第六个时期（13 d）DNA的脱尾现象最为明显,表明这一时期是PCD发生较为活跃的时期。利用RT-PCR法在诱导的前九个时期,即诱导的第3、5、7、9、11、13、15、17、19 d的叶片的愈伤组织中均扩增出了细胞程序性死亡相关Beclin1基因的cDNA片段(678 bp),Northen杂交结果显示,在诱导的第13 d,类Beclin1基因表达较强。通过酶联免疫法测定诱导前14 d叶片中内源激素ABA的含量变化,在诱导的第六时期ABA含量相对达到了峰值,结果表明：在烟草叶片愈伤组织诱导过程中伴随PCD的发生,在此过程中内源激素ABA与Beclin1基因起到了调节作用。     

Fine Structure of Healthy and TMV-Infected Tobacco Cells Grown in Tissue Culture

Three types of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Havana 38) callus: 1) healthy stem callus, 2) TMV-infected stem callus, 3) TMV-infected leaf callus; and leaves differentiated from healthy stem callus, and from TMV-infected leaf callus were compared for fine structure. In addition, the fine structure was observed of plastids in cells of leaves differentiated from callus isolated from stem sections of TMV-infected hybrid tobacco plants (N. tabacum cv. Havana 38 ×N. glutinosa) grown under high temperature. The cytoplasmic organelles in tissue cultured cells were similar to those in cells of greenhouse-grown tobacco plants. Except for plastids, TMV infection did not noticeably affect morphologically other cellular organelles in tissue culture cells. In TMV-infected leaf callus, numerous small bodies were seen in plastid-like bodies, while vesicle-like structures were observed in the stroma of plastids in leaves differentiated from callus of hybrid tobacco inoculated with TMV. Morphological variations of mitochondria, such as swelling and vacuolization of the inner matrix, occurred frequently in TMV-infected leaf callus. Needle-like crystalline inclusions or looped inclusions composed of many fine, long filaments were considered TMV particles orientated parallel to each other. The TMV particles were detected in the cytoplasm of tissue culture cells.     

Promoter Function of a Rice Repetitive DNA Sequence RRD3 in Transgenic Plants

A 820 bp rice (Oryza sativa L.) repetitive DNA sequence, the RRD3, was cloned by annealing kinetics. From the sequence analysis, there are several conserved promoter motifs in the sequence such as TATA-box, CAAT-box, etc. In order to detect the promoter function of RRD3, RRD3 was inserted into Ti plasmid pBI121 to replace the CaMV 35S promoter DNA fragment. Both transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) G28 and rice callus showed the β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity by histochemical assays, the GUS activities of the transgenic tobacco were primarily localized at or around the vascular tissue in leaf and stem. These results indicated that RRD3 can exercise promoter function. The core sequence of promoter of RRD3 will be located.     

一种强启动子的分离与功能

以棉花曲叶病毒（ＣＬＣｕＶ）侵染的番茄叶片组织总ＤＮＡ为模板,通过ＰＣＲ反应扩增ＣＬＣｕＶ双向启动子片段并插入克隆载体。序列分析和同源性比较表明,克隆的启动子长４３６ｂｐ,与目前发现的４类ＣＬＣｕＶ分离物的启动子序列的同源性最高为９９．３２％。将启动子片段分别以不同方向与ｇｕｓ报告基因和ｎｏｓ终止子融合,构建了瞬时表达载体。通过基因枪法将质粒载体导入烟草（Ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａ ｔａｂａｃｕｍ Ｌ．）     

一种强启动子的分离与功能

A bidirectional promoter of cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) was obtained from the total of DNA CLCuV infected tomato leaves by polymerase chain reaction, and the amplified DNA fragment was cloned into the vector. DNA sequences analysis and homology comparison with the promotor of four kinds of isolates recently found indicated that the cloned promoter fragment composed of 436 bp was 99.32% homolog was up to in nucleotides with that of the isolates. Transient expression vectors were constructed by fusing the promoter fragment with gus reporter gene and nopaline terminator in different orientation. These constructs were delivered into the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) leaf cells for transient expression by particle bombardment. The results indicated that complementary sense promoter was a strong promoter with high activity in leaf mesophyll and vascular tissues, but virion sense promoter was weaker. The experiments suggested that isolated bidirectional promoter, as a novel strong promoter, could be used for dicots and especially cotton genetic transformation.     

Subdomains of the octopine synthase upstream activating element direct cell-specific expression in transgenic tobacco plants.

Previous work has shown that the octopine synthase (ocs) gene encoded by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti-plasmid contains an upstream activating sequence necessary for its expression in plant cells. This sequence is composed of an essential 16-bp palindrome and flanking sequences that modulate the level of expression of the ocs promoter in transgenic tobacco calli. In this study, we have used RNA gel blot analysis of RNA extracted from transgenic tobacco plants to show that the octopine synthase gene is not constitutively expressed in all plant tissues and organs. This tissue-specific pattern of expression is determined, to a large extent, by the 16-bp palindrome. Histochemical analysis, using an ocs-lacZ fusion gene, has indicated that the 16-bp palindrome directs the expression of the ocs promoter in specific cell types in the leaves, stems, and roots of transgenic tobacco plants. This expression is especially strong in the vascular tissue of the leaves, leaf mesophyll cells, leaf and stem guard cells, and the meristematic regions of the shoots and roots. Sequences surrounding the palindrome in the upstream activating sequence restrict the expression of the ocs promoter to fewer cell types, resulting in a reduced level of expression of beta-galactosidase activity in the central vascular tissue of leaves, certain types of leaf trichomes, and the leaf primordia.     

Structure and expression analyses of the S-adenosylmethionine synthetase gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana

The plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, contains two S-adenosylmethionine synthetase-encoding genes (sam). Here, we analyze the structure and expression of the sam-2 gene and compare it with the previously described sam-1 gene. Northern-blot analysis using gene-specific probes shows that both sam-1 and sam-2 are highly expressed in stem, root, and callus tissue. This similar expression pattern might be mediated by the presence of three highly conserved sequences in the 5' region of both sam genes. Using a chimeric beta-glucuronidase (GUS)-encoding gene, we show that in transgenic tobacco plants, 748 bp of 5' sam-1 sequences generate high GUS activity in the same type of tissues as previously observed in transgenic A. thaliana plants. A deletion analysis of these 5' sam-1 sequences indicates that 224 bp of 5' sam-1 sequences can still induce higher expression of the gene in stem and root relative to leaf. However, the level of expression is reduced when compared to the expression level obtained with the full-length promoter.     

拟南芥钙调素结合蛋白基因启动子的克隆及表达

采用PCR技术从拟南芥中克隆了SCBP60g基因的启动子,并与GUS报告基因融合构建重组表达载体,转化野生型拟南芥,对获得的转基因株系进行GUS组织染色,从基因调控水平上探讨其在功能方面的差异。结果显示:SCBP60g基因的启动子能指导GUS报告基因在拟南芥的根、茎、叶和花中表达,并且在这些部位的维管束表达较强。这种表达方式与LCBP60g基因的启动子指导的GUS基因组织化学染色有差异,表明这个启动子的表达调控具有一定的特异性。     

Isolation of tobacco DNA segments with plant promoter activity.

We constructed a promoter probe vector, pGVL120, to isolate plant DNA segments with promoter activity in tobacco. Plant nuclear DNA Sau3A fragments were inserted in front of the npt-II sequence, and a mixture of recombinant plasmids was mobilized to Agrobacterium sp. and used to transform tobacco protoplasts. By kanamycin selection, transformed plant cell lines containing NPT-II T-DNAs were isolated. Eight of these cell lines were regenerated and analyzed for the levels of NPT-II activity in stem, root, midrib, and leaf. These levels demonstrated novel regulation patterns in each isolate. One cell line, T20, was analyzed in detail and found to contain four different T-DNAs. One of the recloned T-DNAs, T20-2, contains an insert of 401 base pairs in front of the NPT-II sequence, and by reintroducing this T-DNA into plant cells we could demonstrate that this insert provides a promoter sequence. The NPT-II enzyme activity under the control of the P20 promoter is especially high in stem and root, but low in leaf and callus, both in the originally isolated T20 plant and in independently isolated transformants with the T20-2 T-DNA.     

Tissue culture-induced DNA methylation polymorphisms in repetitive DNA of tomato calli and regenerated plants

The propagation of plants through tissue culture can induce a variety of genetic and epigenetic changes. Variation in DNA methylation has been proposed as a mechanism that may explain at least a part of these changes. In the present study, the methylation of tomato callus DNA was compared with that of leaf DNA, from control or regenerated plants, at MspI/HpaII sites around five middle-repetitive sequences. Although the methylation of the internal cytosine in the recognition sequence CCGG varied from zero to nearly full methylation, depending on the probe used, no differences were found between callus and leaf DNA. For the external cytosine, small differences were revealed between leaf and callus DNA with two probes, but no polymorphisms were detected among DNA samples of calli or DNA samples of leaves of regenerated plants. When callus DNA cut with HindIII was studied with one of the probes, H9D9, most of the signal was found in high-molecular-weight DNA, as opposed to control leaf DNA where almost all the signal was in a fragment of 530 bp. Also, an extra fragment of 630 bp was found in the callus DNA that was not present in control leaf DNA. Among leaves of plants regenerated from tissue culture, the 630-bp fragment was found in 10 of 68 regenerated plants. This 630-bp fragment was present among progeny of only 4 of these 10 plants after selfing, i.e. it was partly inherited. In these cases, the fragment was not found in all progeny plants, indicating heterozygosity of the regenerated plants. The data are interpreted as indicating that a HindIII site becomes methylated in callus tissue, and that some of this methylation persists in regenerated plants and is partly transmitted to their progeny.     

Developmental control of the β-phaseolin gene requires positive, negative, and temporal seed-specific transcriptional regulatory elements and a negative element for stem and root expression

To identify cis-acting regulatory elements responsible for developmental control of the common bean seed storage protein β-phaseolin, a series of 5′-deletion mutants of the 782 bp upstream sequence together with the coding and 3′-regions of the β-phaseolin gene were used to transform tobacco. One major positive regulatory element (?295/?228) and a putative minimal promoter (?64/?14) were indicated by large reductions in phaseolin mRNA and protein concentrations in seeds of plants deficient for these regions. In addition, minor negative (?422/?296) and positive (?782/?423) elements also influenced the level of phaseolin mRNA expression in seeds. One temporal element (?295/?107) governed late expression of phaseolin mRNA in seeds, and possibly a second (?64/?14) regulated early expression. The ?64/?14 promoter containing two TATA boxes conferred spatially regulated gene expression, and was sufficient for a low level of expression in root and stem. Significant levels of phaseolin mRNA and protein were detected in stem cortices and secondary roots of plants lacking the ?295/?107 negative element. No significant expression in leaf tissue was detected. Results demonstrate that developmental control of β-phaseolin requires a minimal promoter, one element for the suppression of expression in root and stem tissue, three elements governing quantitative expression in seeds, and at least one temporal element controlling expression in seeds.     

Functional analysis of a Douglas-fir metallothionein-like gene promoter: transient assays in zygotic and somatic embryos and stable transformation in transgenic tobacco

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb] Franco) metallothionein (PmMT) cDNA encodes a novel cysteine- and serine-rich MT, indicating a new subtype or prototype MT from which other plant MTs may have evolved. A genomic library of Douglas-fir was screened using MT cDNA probes, and genomic sequences that mediate tissue-specific, temporal as well as inducible expression of the embryo-specific MT-gene were analyzed. The promoter region of the PmMT genomic clone (gPmMT) contained a hexameric G-box, two putative ethylene-responsive elements and an inverted repeat of a motif similar to the core metal regulatory element. Interestingly, comparison of the upstream region of Douglas-fir gPm2S1 and gPmMTa genes revealed a conserved motif, CATTATTGA, not found in any known angiosperm gene promoter. Chimeric gene constructs containing a series of deletions in the gPmMTa promoter fused to the uidA reporter gene were assayed in Douglas-fir and transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Transient-expression assays in Douglas-fir megagametophyte and zygotic embryos indicated that the sequence –190 to +88 of gPmMTa was sufficient to drive the expression of the reporter gene and that the 225-bp fragment (–677 to –453) contained sequences necessary for high-level expression. In transgenic tobacco seedlings the -glucuronidase activity was localized in the vacuolar tissue and proliferating tissue of the auxiliary buds and stem elongation zone. The gPmMTa promoter was not active in the seeds of transgenic tobacco or in the roots of seedlings up to 3 weeks old. Detailed studies of transient expression and stable transformation provided important information on evolutionary conservation as well as novel features found in the conifer promoter. This is the first report of an MT-like gene promoter from conifers.