Factors affecting transient gene expression in cultured radiata pine cotyledons following particle bombardment

Transfer and expression of the β–glucuronidase gene ( gusA ) in cultured cotyledons of radiata pine ( Pinus radiata D. Don ) were obtained by particle bombardment. Conditions for optimum transient expression were established by using plasmid pB[/12], delivered by gold particles, 1.6 μm in diameter, into 8-day-old cultured cotyledons. Helium pressure of 7.6 MPa, bombardment distance between the stopping screen and the target tissues of 6 cm, and 0.8 μg of plasmid DNA per bombardment proved to be the best parameters for transient expression; using these parameters 79% of bombarded cotyledons showed GUS activity, with 4.3 blue spots per cotyledon. This system was used for studying the expression of several gus-driven promoters the expression of the sunflower ubiquitin gene promoter was higher (99% of positive cotyledons, with 14.2 blue spots per cotyledon) than that of the CaMV 35S promoter, whereas the rice actin and the maize alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoters gave lower gusA expression, as determined histochemically. These results were confirmed by using the gus fluorometric assay. Use of the sunflower ubiquitin gene promoter resulted in gusA expression up to 20 days after bombardment, with a significant level of gus expressing loci per bombarded cotyledon, whereas with the CaMV 35S promoter gusA expression was lost 12 days after bombardment.     

Transient gene expression after electroporation of protoplasts derived from embryogenic maize callus

Protoplasts isolated from embryogenic callus cultures derived from immature embryos ofZea mays L. are suitable for analysis of transient gene expression using electroporation-mediated DNA transfer. Expression of introduced genes is comparable to the levels obtained with protoplasts from Black Mexican Sweet suspension cultures. Two different promoters, that directing synthesis of the 35S RNA of cauliflower mosaic virus and the maizeAdh1 promoter were placed in front of the luciferase reporter gene to assess protoplast gene expression and the impact of an intron on expression level.Abbreviations 35S promoter isolated from CaMV - CaMV cauliflower mosaic virus - Adh1 maize gene encoding Alcohol dehydrogenase-1 enzyme - BMS suspension cultures of the Black Mexican Sweet maize variety     

Optimised DNA delivery into Coffea arabica suspension culture cells by particle bombardment

An optimised bombardment protocol to introduce DNA into Coffea arabica suspension culture cells was developed. Osmotic preconditioning of cells and physical bombardment parameters including Helium pressure, gap and target distances affecting DNA delivery were evaluated by monitoring transient expression of the uidA gene driven by the CaMV35S promoter. The highest transient GUS expression was obtained when cells were subjected to a 0.5 M mannitol–sorbitol pre-treatment 4 h prior to bombardment and a Helium pressure of 1550 psi, a 9-mm gap distance and 12 cm target distance as physical bombardment parameters. The optimised protocol was tested with two coffee promoters: -tubulin and arabicin, which presented similar activity to the CaMV35S promoter in suspension culture cells by fluorometric GUS assays. GUS expression was reduced in bombarded tissue culture leaves, and only the CaMV35S and arabicin promoters showed histochemical activity in coffee endosperms. This is the first report of optimization of particle bombardment on coffee suspension culture cells, equivalent CaMV35S activity for a coffee promoter and transient -glucoronidase expression in coffee endo-sperms.     

A biolistic approach for the transfer and expression of a gusA. reporter gene in embryogenic cultures of Pinus radiata

Summary The biolistic® particle delivery system was used for the delivery of DNA into embryogenic tissue culture cells of Pinus radiata D. Don. Several experiments with varying parameters were performed to increase the delivery efficiency. Six different controlling elements were cloned upstream of the ß-glucuronidase coding sequence (gusA reporter gene) and transient expression of the gusA reporter gene was compared three days after bombardment. The results clearly indicate a decrease in transient expression as follows: pEmu-derivatives with the ocs-enhancer-element > 2x CaMV 35S (with Kozak consensus-sequence) > 2x CaMV 35S (without Kozak consensus sequence) > CaMV 35S (with Kozak consensus-sequence) > CaMV 35S (without Kozak consensus sequence). Time course experiments monitoring gusA expression showed a significant decrease in the number of blue spots 10–14 days after bombardment. A few blue clumps however, were still detected 35 days after shooting. Embryo initials expressing the gusA gene in all cells were also detected. The results suggest that it will be possible to develop a reliable biolistic protocol for stable integration of genes into Pinus radiata embryogenic cultures which are capable of plant regeneration.Abbreviations ccc covalently closed circular DNA - lin linearised DNA - E restriction enzyme Eco RI - Sph restriction enzyme SpH I - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - BAP 6-benzylaminopurine     

Heat-inducible expression of FLP gene in maize cells

The soybean heat-shock gene promoter ( Gmhsp 17.5-E ) has been used to direct expression of gusA and FLP genes in maize cells. At inducible temperatures, in transient expression assays, gusA gene expression controlled by the heat-shock promoter is about 10-fold higher than the expression directed by the CaMV 35S promoter. The Gmhsp 17.5-E promoter preserves its regulatory functions in heterologous maize cells after random integration into genomic DNA.
Heat-shock inducible expression of the FLP gene was investigated by co-transformation of the FLP expression vector (pHsFLP) and a recombination test vector (pUFNeo-FmG) into maize protoplasts. Co-transformed protoplasts were incubated at 42°C for 2 h. This treatment induced recombination of 20–25% of the available FRT sites in transient assays. As a result of heat-shock treatment of stably co-transformed maize cells, activation of gusA gene expression and an associated decrease or elimination of NPT-II activity in transgenic maize lines was observed. Molecular evidence was obtained of the expected DNA excision process catalyzed by the FLP protein in maize transgenic cells. Thus, the experiments presented in this paper indicate that the FLP protein can recognize and subsequently recombine the FRT target sites that had integrated into plant genomic DNA, and that regulated expression of the FLP gene is possible in maize cells using the soybean heat-shock promoter.     

Optimisation of transformation conditions and production of transgenic sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) via microparticle bombardment

Conditions for microparticle bombardment were optimised for four explant types of sorghum Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench based on transient expression of the uidA reporter gene. The tested physical parameters included acceleration pressure, target distance, gap width and macroprojectile travel distance. The sorghum explants studied were immature and mature embryos, shoot tips and embryogenic calli. In addition, the activity of four heterologous promoters was determined both by GUS histochemical staining and enzymatic activity assay in immature embryos and shoot tips. The strength of these promoters could be placed in the following order: ubi1> act1D> adh1>CaMV 35S. The optimised bombardment conditions were applied for selecting phosphinothricin- or geneticin-resistant in vitro cultures in order to generate transgenic plants. Production of transgenic plants via phosphinothricin-selection was not successful due to the release of phenolic substances from the herbicide-resistant cultures during the regeneration process. After selection on geneticin, however, fertile transgenic sorghum plants were regenerated from immature embryos as well as from shoot tips. Stable integration and Mendelian inheritance of the neo selectable marker gene was demonstrated in all transgenic plants.     

Modifying transient β-glucuronidase expression in pine species using introns

The effect of introns on gene expression was evaluated. Several intron-promoter combinations were introduced by microparticle bombardment into two pine species, stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) and salgareño pine (Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. Salzmannii (Dunal) Franco). Gene expression was evaluated by measuring transient GUS expression. Two promoters (CaMV35S and double CaMV35S modified) and two introns (intron 1 from maize genes alcohol dehydrogenase-1 and Shrunken-1) were used in our study. In both pine species tested, the Sh1-int1 increased transient GUS expression from 2 to 6-fold compared to the intron-less construction. On the contrary, the inclusion of the Adh1-int1 associated with the double CaMV35S modified resulted in a dramatic decrease in the expression in both pine species analyzed. Our results suggest that Sh1-int1 may be useful for the acquisition of the required levels of genetic activity of new agronomic traits introduced into pines.     

Expression of inducible angiosperm promoters in a gymnosperm,Picea glauca (white spruce)

Electrical discharge particle acceleration was used to test the transient expression of numerous inducible angiosperm promoters in a gymnospermPicea glauca (white spruce). Promoter expression was assayed in three different tissues capable ofin vitro regeneration, zygotic embryos, seedlings and embryogenic callus. The promoters tested include the light-inducibleArabidopsis and soybean ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate small subunit promoters and a maize phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase promoter; a soybean heat-shock-inducible promoter, a soybean auxin inducible promoter and a maize alcohol dehydrogenase promoter. Promoters were cloned into a promoter-less expression vector to form a promoter--glucuronidase-nopaline synthase 3 fusion. A similar construct was made using the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV 35S) promoter as a control. All promoters were expressed in white spruce embryos, yet at levels lower than CaMV 35S. In addition, in the embryos the heat-shock and the alcohol dehydrogenase promoters showed inducible expression when given the proper induction stimulus. In seedlings, expression of all promoters was lower than in the embryos and expression was only inducible with the heat-shock promoter in the cotyledons. Of the tissues tested, the expression level of all promoters was lowest in embryogenic callus. Interestingly, the expression of the -glucuronidase gene in embryogenic callus was restricted to the proembryonal head cells regardless of the promoter used. These results clearly demonstrate the use of particle bombardment to test the transient expression of heterologous promoters in organized tissue and the expression of angiosperm promoters in a gymnosperm.     

DNA uptake by imbibition and expression of a foreign gene in rice

Uptake of DNA by imbibition of dry and viable rice ( Oryza sativa L.) embryos from a DNA solution and expression of a foreign gene were detected using two different vectors contaíning gusA (β-glucuronidase) and hpt (hygromycin phosphotransferase) as reporter genes. The frequency of transient expression of gusA and hpt genes using the CaMV35S promoter was about 30 to 50%. The main sites of gusA gene expression were meristems of roots and vascular bundles of leaves. Also, DNA uptake, integration and expression of the hpt gene in selected rice were investigated by various PCR methods and Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA. It was shown that the hygromycin phosphotransferase (HPT) DNA was present in the rice genome in an integrated form and not as a plasmid form.     

Effects of tissue type and promoter strength on transient GUS expression in sugarcane following particle bombardment

Effects of tissue type and promoter strength on transient GUS expression in the sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) cultivar NCo 310 were evaluated following microprojectile bombardment of leaf explants. GUS expression was histochemically or fluorometrically measured 48 h after delivery of the uidA gene. High levels of GUS expression were obtained in leaf segments isolated from young, expanding sugarcane leaves cultured for 1, 3, or 6 d prior to bombardment. The promoter derived from the maize ubiquitin 1 gene (Ubi-1) produced significantly more GUS foci and higher GUS activity levels compared to the recombinant Emu, rice actin 1 (Act1), and CaMV 35S promoters. Our transient expression system should facilitate efforts to identify promoters and elements which will regulate desired gene expression patterns in sugarcane and aid in development of an efficient stable transformation system.Abbreviations Act1 rice actin 1 gene - CaMV cauliflower mosaic virus - GUS ß-glucuronidase - Ubi-1 maize ubiquitin 1 gene - uidA GUS gene - X-Glu 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoylglucuronide     

Electroporation and PEG delivery of DNA into maize microspores

Summary The ability to deliver and detect reporter gene activity in maize microspores was tested. Tested expression vectors contained the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene and one of the following promoter-intron combinations: 1) cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV 35S), 2) CaMV 35S + maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 intron 6 (Adh1-I6), 3) maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 + intron 1 (Adh1-I1), or 4) maize ubiquitin 1 + intron 1 (Ubiq 1-I1) promoter + intron. The expression vectors were delivered into maize microspores using electroporation or polyethylene glycol (PEG). Both methods were effective for delivering free DNA into microspores. Although all four promoters were active in maize protoplasts, only two promoters were active in maize microspores. The CaMV 35S and the Adh1 promoters did not promote gene expression in maize microspore. The CaMV 35S + Adh1-I6 and Ubiq1-I1 promoters produced high levels of CAT activity in maize microspores.     

利用GFP/RFP双荧光指示载体鉴定特异性启动子功能

在基因表达定位或启动子调控模式的研究中, 多以gusA作为报告基因。但由于部分组织中高内源GUS背景活性或转化手段的限制, 使判断基因表达定位或调控时存在很大误差。为了解决上述问题, 本实验将报道基因绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)和红色荧光蛋白(RFP)融合构建双荧光标记瞬时表达载体pBI221-RFP/GFP。该载体以CaMV35S启动子驱动GFP确定转化效率, 通过鉴定阳性个体的红色荧光活性分析目的基因或启动子的表达模式。并通过番茄E8和西瓜AGPL1果实特异启动子验证了该载体在启动子调控模式研究中的应用可行性。结果表明pBI221-RFP/GFP是一个可以在基因和启动子功能验证中应用的高效瞬时表达载体。     

The effects of promoter on transient expression in conifer cell lines

Summary Protoplasts from suspension cultures of somatic embryos of white spruce (Picea glauca Moench Voss) were electroporated with plasmids containing the chimeric genes for chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) or -glucuronidase (GUS), under control of one of three promoters. Transient CAT gene expression of approximately equal magnitude resulted when the CAT gene was fused to either the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter or the nopaline synthase (NOS) promoter. When the CAT gene was fused to a tandem repeat CaMV 35S promoter (pPBI-363), CAT enzyme activity compared to NOS or 35S promoters increased up to eightfold (cell line WS-34), and were up to 100-fold greater than control (electroporated without plasmid). Comparatively, protoplasts of black spruce (Picea mariana Mill) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), electroporated with pPBI-363, produced increases in CAT activity compared to control of 90-fold and 70-fold, respectively. White spruce (WS-34) protoplasts were subsequently electroporated with the GUS gene fused to the tandem repeat CaMV 35S promoter. Comparatively, GUS enzyme activity increased up to tenfold compared to GUS fused to a CaMV 35S promoter. The results indicated that transient expression of the CAT and GUS genes was influenced by the type of promoter and cell line used, as well as by electroporation conditions.NRCC No. 30498     

Construction of phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) transformation vectors and evaluation of the effectiveness of vectors in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L)

Phosphomannose isomerase (pmi) gene isolated from Escherichia coli allows transgenic plants carrying it to convert mannose-6- phosphate (from mannose), a carbon source that could not be naturally utilized by plants into fructose-6-phosphate which can be utilized by plants as a carbon source. This conversion ability provides energy source to allow the transformed cells to survive on the medium containing mannose. In this study, four transformation vectors carrying the pmi gene alone or in combination with the β-glucuronidase (gusA) gene were constructed and driven by either the maize ubiquitin (Ubi1) or the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV35S) promoter. Restriction digestion, PCR amplification and sequencing were carried out to ensure sequence integrity and orientation. Tobacco was used as a model system to study the effectiveness of the constructs and selection system. PMI11G and pMI3G, which carry gusA gene, were used to study the gene transient expression in tobacco. PMI3 construct, which only carries the pmi gene driven by CaMV35S promoter, was stably transformed into tobacco using biolistics after selection on 30 g 1(-1) mannose without sucrose. Transgenic plants were verified using PCR analysis. ABBREVIATIONS: PMI/pmi - Phosphomannose isomerase, Ubi1 - Maize ubiquitin promoter, CaMV35S - Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, gusA - β-glucuronidase GUS reporter gene.     

Assessment of Transient Gene Expression in Plant Tissues Using the Green Fluorescent Protein as a Reference

Four different promoters (35S and enhanced 35S of the cauliflower mosaic virus, polyubiquitin of maize and actin1 of rice) were compared in a transient assay using maize leaves and particle bombardment. A gene encoding the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) driven by the 35S promoter was used as an internal standard to monitor the effectiveness of each bombardment. Normalisation of the transient expression assay using the GFP reference significantly reduced the variability between separate bombardments and allowed for a rapid and accurate evaluation of different promoters in microprojectile-bombarded leaves.     

Transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in barley cell cultures and immature embryos through microprojectile bombardment

Transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene has been detected in cultured barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Heartland) cells and freshly isolated immature zygotic embryos (cv. Ellice) following the introduction of the gene by microprojectile bombardment. The DNA expression vector used to introduce the CAT gene, pCaMVI₁CN, is a pUC8 derivative and consisted of a CaMV35S promoter, a fragment of alcohol dehydrogenase intron1, a CAT coding region and NOS polyadenylation region. The inclusion of the Adh1 intron1 was essential for the expression of CAT activity in cultured cells as well as immature zygotic embryos. Expression of CAT activity, which was dependent upon the DNA concentration used, could be detected as early as 20 h after bombardment. The results also suggested that the recipient cells have to be in an active state of cell division in order for the introduced gene to be expressed since mature zygotic as well as somatic embryos failed to reveal any gene expression. The effect of other parameters which influence the expression of the introduced gene as well as the potential of this novel technology for cereal transformation are also discussed.Abbreviations Adh Alcohol dehydrogenase-1 - CaMV35S Cauliflower mosaic virus promoter - CAT Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase - CAP Chloramphenicol - AcCAP Acetylated chloramphenicol derivatives - Dicamba 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - 2,4,5-T. 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid NRCC No. 30706     

Development of an efficient transient transformation protocol for avocado (Persea americana Mill.) embryogenic callus

An efficient protocol for transient transformation of avocado embryogenic callus has been established, using the PDS-1000/He system and the reporter gus gene driven by the sunflower polyubiquitin promoter. Best physical parameters for transient transformation were 900 psi helium pressure and 6 cm target distance. The level of transient gus expression was slightly higher when the amount of DNA per shot was increased from 0.6 to 1.8 μg, but it was not significantly modified by the type of microprojectile used (tungsten vs. gold particles). The transient transformation assay developed in this research was used to test the strength of different promoters and the expression of fluorescent reporter genes. Four constitutive promoters, sunflower polyubiquitin, CaMV35S, CaMV35S with enhancer, and rice actin 1, as well as a trichome-specific promoter, ATP, were analyzed. Polyubiquitin and ATP promoters yielded the highest number of gus expressing foci, while no expression was detected with the Act1 promoter from rice. Embryogenic callus was also bombarded with plasmids pXK7S*NF2 and pXK7RNR2, harboring the enhanced green fluorescent gene, EGFP, and the red fluorescent gene DsRed, respectively. Both fluorescent proteins were detected 24 and 72 h after bombardment, but the observed transformation efficiency was slightly higher in GFP bombarded cells. The transient transformation system described here can be used as a fast way to select suitable promoters and/or fluorescent genes needed to undertake stable transformation studies in avocado using currently available protocols.