A wheat histone H3 promoter confers cell division-dependent and -independent expression of the gus A gene in transgenic rice plants

To investigate developmental regulation of wheat histone H3 gene expression, the H3 promoter, which has its upstream sequence to ?1711 (relative to the cap site as +1), was fused to the coding region of the gus A gene (?1711H3/GUS) and introduced into a monocot plant, rice. Detailed histochemical analysis revealed two distinct types of GUS expression in transgenic rice plants; one is cell division-dependent found in the apical meristem of shoots and roots and in young leaves, and another is cell division-independent detected in flower tissues including the anther wall and the pistil. In this study, replication-dependent expression occurring in non-dividing cells which undergo endoreduplication could not be discriminated from strict replication-independent expression. The observed expression pattern in different parts of roots suggested that the level of the H3/GUS gene expression is well correlated with activity of cell division in roots. To identify 5′ sequences of the H3 promoter necessary for an accurate regulation of the GUS expression, two constructs containing truncated promoters, ?908H3/GUS and ?185H3/GUS, were analyzed in transiently expressed protoplasts, stably transformed calli and transgenic plants. The results indicated that the region from ?909 to ?1711 contains the positive cis-acting element(s) and that the proximal promoter region (up to ?185) containing the conserved hexamer, octamer and nonamer motifs is sufficient to direct both cell division-dependent and -independent expression. The use of the meristem of roots regenerated from transformed calli for the analysis of cell division-dependent expression of plant genes is discussed.     

Anaerobic induction and tissue-specific expression of maize Adh1 promoter in transgenic rice plants and their progeny.

Summary In order to analyze expression of the maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 gene (Adh1), its promoter was fused with the gusA reporter gene and introduced into rice by protoplast transformation. Histochemical analysis of transgenic plants and their progeny showed that the maize Adh1 promoter is constitutively expressed in root caps, anthers, anther filaments, pollen, scutellum, endosperm and shoot and root meristem of the embryo. Induction of expression by the Adh1 promoter was examined using seedlings derived from selfed progeny of the transgenic plants. The results showed that expression of the Adh1 promoter was strongly induced (up to 81-fold) in roots of seedlings after 24 h of anaerobic treatment, concomitant with an increase in the level of gusA mRNA. 2,4-D also induced Adh1 promoter-directed expression of gusA to a similar extent. In contrast, little induction by anaerobic treatment was detected in transformed calli, leaves or roots of primary transformants or shoots of seedlings. A detailed examination of seedling roots during anaerobic treatment revealed that the induction started first at the meristem and after 3 h there was strong induction in the elongation zone which is located 1–2 mm above the meristem; the induction then progressed upward from this region. Our results suggest that transgenic rice plants carring the gusA reporter gene fused with promoters are useful for the study of anaerobic regulation of genes derived from graminaceous species.     

pib基因启动子及其诱导启动性初探

将pib基因上游5.7 kb区段取代pCAMBIA1301中gus基因上游的35S启动子构建了pib拟启动区-GUS+ 35S-hpt 基因表达载体pNAR604。经农杆菌介导转化水稻成熟胚愈伤,获得了转基因抗潮霉素愈伤和36株转基因水稻植株。 转基因抗性愈伤和转基因植株根的组织化学GUS活性检测表明,光照培养下的抗性愈伤和转基因植株根不能使X-gluc显色,而暗处理24 h后的抗性愈伤和定植后转基因植株的根能使X-gluc显色。转基因植株GUS荧光定量分析结果表明,GUS表达具有器官特异性,黑暗处理前根的GUS活性最高、茎次之,分别是是叶片的7倍和3倍,叶片中仅有痕量本底。24 h黑暗处理后根、茎、叶中GUS活性都有增加,且叶片中的增加比例最大,其活性仅次于根。5 mmol/L水杨酸和0.3 mol/L NaCl叶面喷施转基因植株24 h后叶片中GUS活性分别为处理前的2.7和3.6倍。初步确定pib拟启动区是一个诱导型启动子。黑暗、水杨酸和NaCl能诱导该启动子启动活性。     

TM2, a novel strong matrix attachment region isolated from tobacco, increases transgene expression in transgenic rice calli and plants

Nuclear matrix attachment regions (MARs) are thought to influence the expression of the flanking genes. TM2, a new DNA fragment isolated from tobacco, can bind with the rice nuclear matrix in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effect of TM2 on transgene expression under the control of three different promoters in stably transformed rice calli and plants. The presence of TM2 flanking the transgene increased the expression of constructs based on the constitutive CaMV 35S and maize ubiquitin gene promoters in both resistant calli and transformed plants. The GUS expression directed by the photosynthetic-tissue-specific PNZIP promoter was also increased in photosynthetic tissues of transformants. However, TM2 did not change the gene expression pattern controlled by the PNZIP promoter. The effect of TM2 in transgenic plants was stronger than that in transgenic calli based on all three promoters. Our results indicate that TM2, as a novel strong MAR, can be used to increase the transgene expression levels in the whole plant or in particular tissues of monocotyledons.     

Isolation and functional characterization of a novel rice constitutive promoter

Key message

A novel rice constitutive promoter (P _OsCon1 ) was isolated. The molecular mechanism of the promoter activity was investigated. P _OsCon1 could be used as an alternative constitutive promoter for crop transgenic engineering.

Abstract

Monocot constitutive promoter is an important resource for crop transgenic engineering. In this report, we isolated a novel promoter, Oscon1 promoter (P _OsCon1 ), from the 5′ upstream region of a constitutively expressed rice gene OsDHAR1. In P _OsCon1 ::GUS transgenic rice, we showed that P _OsCon1 had a broad expression spectrum in all tested tissues. The expression of the promoter was further analyzed in comparison with the previously characterized strong constitutive promoters. P _OsCon1 exhibited comparable activity to OsCc1, OsAct1 or ZmUbi promoters in most tissues, and more active than 35S promoter in roots, seeds, and calli. Further quantitative assays indicated that P _OsCon1 activity was not affected by developmental stages or by environmental factors. Further, 5′-deletions analysis indicated that the distinct regions might contribute to the strong expression of P _OsCon1 in different tissues. Overall, our results suggest that P _OsCon1 is a novel constitutive promoter, which could potentially use in transgenic crop development.     

Comparison of promoters and selectable marker genes for use in Indica rice transformation

The effectiveness of different promoters for use in Indica rice transformation was compared. Plasmids encoding the Escherichia coli uidA (gus) gene under the control of CaMV 35S, Emu, Act1 or Ubi1 promoters were delivered into cell suspension cultures by particle bombardment. Transient gene expression, 48 h after delivery, was greatest from plasmids utilising the constitutive promoters, Act1 and Ubi1. Gene expression in stably transformed tissue was examined by bombarding embryogenic Indica rice calli with a pUbi1-gas plasmid and a plasmid containing either the selectable marker gene, hph, which confers hygromycin resistance, or bar, which confers resistance to the herbicide phosphinothricin (BASTA) each under the control of the CaMV 35S, Emu, Act1 or the Ubi1 promoters. The bombarded calli were placed on the appropriate selection media and stained for GUS activity at 1 day, 3 weeks and 5 weeks after shooting. Callus bombarded with the pUbi1-hph or the pEmu-hph constructs gave a dramatic increase in the size of the GUS staining areas with time. No such increase in the size of GUS staining areas was observed in calli co-bombarded with pUbi1-gus and any of the bar containing constructs.Co-bombardment of calli with either the pEmu-hph or pUbi1-hph construct and a virus minor coat protein (cp) gene construct resulted in many fertile transgenic Indica rice plants, containing one to eight copies of both the hph and cp genes. These genes were stably inherited by the T1 generation.     

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.     

Activity of a maize ubiquitin promoter in transgenic rice

We have used the maize ubiquitin 1 promoter, first exon and first intron (UBI) for rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Taipei 309) transformation experiments and studied its expression in transgenic calli and plants. UBI directed significantly higher levels of transient gene expression than other promoter/intron combinations used for rice transformation. We exploited these high levels of expression to identify stable transformants obtained from callus-derived protoplasts co-transfected with two chimeric genes. The genes consisted of UBI fused to the coding regions of the uidA and bar marker genes (UBI:GUS and UBI:BAR). UBI:GUS expression increased in response to thermal stress in both transfected protoplasts and transgenic rice calli. Histochemical localization of GUS activity revealed that UBI was most active in rapidly dividing cells. This promoter is expressed in many, but not all, rice tissues and undergoes important changes in activity during the development of transgenic rice plants.     

水稻 ADP-葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶小亚基 I 基因的启动子分析

水稻（Oryce sativa L．）基因组中的ADP-葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶小亚基（ADP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase small subunit,OsAgpS）由两个基因编码,即OsAgpSl和OsAgpS2。其中OsAgpSl基因产生两个转录本OsAgpSla和OsAgpSlb,区别在第一个外显子的位置不同。通过RT—PCR方法分析了两个转录本在水稻组织和胚乳不同发育时期的表达特性;同时通过报告基因GUS检测了两个转录本上游转录调节区DNA片段的转录启动特性。结果表明,两个启动子与其下游转录本的表达模式完全一致,即OsAgpSla转录本和OsAgpSla上游启动子控制的GUS基因主要在胚乳中高水平表达,在叶片中有很低水平的表达;而OsAgpSlb转录本和OsAgpSlb上游启动子控制的GUS基因主要在叶片和胚乳发育早期低水平表达。这说明OsAgpSl基因产生的两个转录本是由不同的启动子控制转录的,OsAgpSla上游启动子可以作为胚乳表达用启动子。     

Systemic induction of a potato pin2 promoter by wounding,methyl iasmonate,and abscisic acid in transgenic rice plants

To address the question whether common signal(s) and transduction pathways are used to mediate a systemic wound response in monocot and dicot plants, a fusion of the potato proteinase inhibitor II gene (pin2) promoter and the bacterial -glucuronidase gene (Gus)-coding region was introduced into rice. In transgenic rice plants, the expression of the pin2-Gus fusion gene displays a systemic wound response, although the expression level is relatively low. Incorporation of the first intron from the rice actin 1 gene (Act1) into the 5-untranslated region of the pin2-Gus construct results in high-level, systemically wound-inducible expression of the modified construct in transgenic rice plants. Histochemical analysis shows that this high-level, wound-inducible expression is associated with the vascular tissue in both leaves and roots. Furthermore, the expression of the pin2-Act1 intron-Gus fusion gene in transgenic rice plants can be systemically induced by both methyl jasmonate (MJ) and the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). These results suggest that the signal(s) mediating the observed systemic wound response and certain steps of the transduction pathways are conserved between dicot and monocot plants. Transient expression assays show that the pin2-Act1 intron-Gus construct is also actively expressed in transformed cells and tissues of several other monocot plants. Thus, the wound-inducible pin2 promoter in combination with the rice Act1 intron 1 might be used as an efficient regulator for foreign gene expression in transgenic monocot plants.     

Expression pattern conferred by a glutamic acid-rich protein gene promoter in field-grown transgenic cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

A major constraint for incorporating new traits into cassava using biotechnology is the limited list of known/tested promoters that encourage the expression of transgenes in the cassava’s starchy roots. Based on a previous report on the glutamic-acid-rich protein Pt2L4, indicating a preferential expression in roots, we cloned the corresponding gene including promoter sequence. A promoter fragment (CP2; 731 bp) was evaluated for its potential to regulate the expression of the reporter gene GUSPlus in transgenic cassava plants grown in the field. Intense GUS staining was observed in storage roots and vascular stem tissues; less intense staining in leaves; and none in the pith. Consistent with determined mRNA levels of the GUSPlus gene, fluorometric analyses revealed equal activities in root pulp and stems, but 3.5 times less in leaves. In a second approach, the activity of a longer promoter fragment (CP1) including an intrinsic intron was evaluated in carrot plants. CP1 exhibited a pronounced tissue preference, conferring high expression in the secondary phloem and vascular cambium of roots, but six times lower expression levels in leaf vascular tissues. Thus, CP1 and CP2 may be useful tools to improve nutritional and agronomical traits of cassava by genetic engineering. To date, this is the first study presenting field data on the specificity and potential of promoters for transgenic cassava.     

高赖氨酸蛋白基因导入水稻及可育转基因植株的获得

构建了一个植物高效表达质粒,使来源于四棱豆（Psophocarpus tetragonolobus(L.)DC)的高赖氨酸蛋白基因（lys）受控于单子叶植物ubiqutin强启动子下表达。用基因枪法将其导入水稻(Oryza sativa L.)幼胚诱导的愈伤组织,经潮霉素抗性筛选,得到可育的再生植株。经PCR和Southem blotting检测,表明该基因已整合到水稻的基因组织。GUS组织化学染色表明转基因水稻植株的叶、茎和根中均有gus基因的表达。测定112株转基因水稻叶片中赖氨酸叶量,大部分植株有不同程度的提高,最高幅度为16．04％。     

A promoter derived from taro bacilliform badnavirus drives strong expression in transgenic banana and tobacco plants

Taro bacilliform virus (TaBV) is a pararetrovirus of the genus Badnavirus which infects the monocotyledonous plant, taro ( Colocasia esculenta). A region of the TaBV genome spanning nucleotides 6,281 to 12 (T1200), including the 3' end of open reading frame 3 (ORF 3) and the intergenic region to the end of the tRNA(met)-binding site, was tested for promoter activity along with four different 5' deletion fragments (T600, T500, T250 and T100). In transient assays, only the T1200, T600, T500 fragments were shown to have promoter activity in taro leaf, banana suspension cells and tobacco callus. When these three promoters were evaluated in stably transformed, in vitro-grown transgenic banana and tobacco plants, all were found to drive near-constitutive expression of either the green fluorescent protein or beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in the stem (or pseudostem), leaves and roots, with strongest expression observed in the vascular tissue. In transgenic banana leaves, the T600 promoter directed four-fold greater GUS activity than that of the T1200, T500 and the maize polyubiquitin-1 promoters. In transgenic tobacco leaves, the levels of GUS expression directed by the three promoters was between four- and ten-fold lower than that of the double Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. These results indicate that the TaBV-derived promoters may be useful for the high-level constitutive expression of transgenes in either monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous species.