Ntlim1, a PAL-box binding factor,controls promoter activity of the horseradish wound-inducible peroxidase gene

To understand molecular mechanisms underlying wound-induced expression of plant peroxidase genes, the promoter of a horseradish C2 peroxidase (prxC2) gene was analyzed. We had previously isolated a tobacco nuclear protein, Ntlim1, as a trans factor binding to a PAL-box motif of the prxC2 promoter; however, the function of the Ntlim1 trans factor and the PAL-box motif in wound-responsive expression of the prxC2 gene remains unclear. Here, we found that the prxC2 promoter without the intact PAL-box motif failed to direct a normal level of both the basal and the wound-induced expression of -glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in transgenic tobacco plants, indicating that the PAL-box motif functions as an essential cis element of the prxC2 promoter. We also found that antisense expression of Ntlim1 in transgenic plants carrying the prxC2 promoter::GUS chimeric construct decreased not only the level of the basal and the wound-induced expression of the GUSreporter gene but also the extent of wound inducibility of the prxC2 promoter itself. This result indicates that Ntlim1 is required for the basal level of prxC2 promoter activity as well as its up-regulation under wound stress. Moreover, consistent with the results obtained in planta, result from super-shift assay indicates that the Ntlim1 binds to the PAL-box motif independently of wound stress.     

A cis-acting element and a trans-acting factor involved in the wound-induced expression of a horseradish peroxidase gene

The mechanisms that control the wound-induced expression of the prxC2 gene for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been investigated. Analysis of the regulatory properties of 5′-deleted promoters showed that a positive element involved in the response to wounding was located between −307 and −99 bp from the site of initiation of translation. In in vitro binding assays of tobacco nuclear proteins and DNA fragments of prxC2 promoter, the binding site was the Box 1 from −296 to −283 containing the CACGTG motif. To identify the functional role of Box 1, the prxC2 promoter that has been digested from the 5′ end to −289 with a disrupted Box 1 was fused to a reporter gene for β-glucuronidase (GUS). No induction of GUS activity was observed in transgenic tobacco plants with the prxC2(−289)/GUS construct. These data indicated that the expression of prxC2 in response to wounding required the Box 1 sequence from −296 to −283. Furthermore, a tobacco cDNA expression library was screened and a cDNA clone for a protein, designated TFHP-1, that bound specifically to the Box 1 sequence was identified. The putative TFHP-1 protein contains a basic region and leucine zipper (bZip) motif and a helix—loop—helix (HLH) motif. The mRNA for TFHP-1 was abundant in roots and stems, and it was not induced by wounding in leaves. In tobacco protoplasts, antisense TFHP-1 suppressed the expression of prxC2 (−529)/GUS.     

Altering expression of cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase in transgenic plants provides evidence for a feedback loop at the entry point into the phenylpropanoid pathway

Pharmacological evidence implicates trans-cinnamic acid as a feedback modulator of the expression and enzymatic activity of the first enzyme in the phenylpropanoid pathway, L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). To test this hypothesis independently of methods that utilize potentially non-specific inhibitors, we generated transgenic tobacco lines with altered activity levels of the second enzyme of the pathway, cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), by sense or antisense expression of an alfalfa C4H cDNA. PAL activity and levels of phenylpropanoid compounds were reduced in leaves and stems of plants in which C4H activity had been genetically down-regulated. However, C4H activity was not reduced in plants in which PAL activity had been down-regulated by gene silencing. In crosses between a tobacco line over-expressing PAL from a bean PAL transgene and a C4H antisense line, progeny populations harboring both the bean PAL sense and C4H antisense transgenes had significantly lower extractable PAL activity than progeny populations harboring the PAL transgene alone. Our data provide genetic evidence for a feedback loop at the entry point into the phenylpropanoid pathway that had previously been inferred from potentially artifactual pharmacological experiments.     

Plasmalemma hyperpolarity and culture of sense and antisense abp transgenic tobacco protoplasts

Ａｕｘｉｎｉｓａｔｙｐｅｏｆｐｌａｎｔｈｏｒｍｏｎｅｅｘｉｓｔｉｎｇｅｘｔｅｎｓｉｖｅｌｙ[1].Ｉｔｒｅｇｕｌａｔｅｓｍａｎｙｐｒｏｃｅｓｓｅｓｉｎｐｌａｎｔｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔ[2,3].Ａｃｃｏｒｄｉｎｇｔｏｔｈｅ“ａｃｉｄｇｒｏｗｔｈｔｈｅｏｒｙ”,ａｕｘｉｎｓｔｉｍｕｌａｔｅｓａｓｅｒｉｅｓｏｆｒｅａｃｔｉｏｎａｎｄｔｈｅｎｐｒｏｍｏｔｅｓｃｅｌｌｇｒｏｗｔｈｂｙｂｉｎｄｉｎｇｔｈｅＡＢＰｌｏｃａｔｅｄｉｎｃｅｌｌｍｅｍｂｒａｎｅ[4,5].Ｔｈｅｓｔｕｄｉｅｓｏｎｔｏｂａｃｃｏｍｕｔａｎｔｅｘｈｉ…     

Differential expression of antisense in regenerated tobacco plants transformed with an antisense version of a tomato ACC oxidase gene

Ethylene production was measured during vegetative and reproductive development in normal tobacco plants and in transgenic tobacco plants carrying antisense genes for tomato ACC oxidase driven by the 35S CaMV promoter (Hamilton et al., 1990). When expressed in three independently derived transgenic plants, the antisense ethylene gene failed to affect ethylene production in young/mature leaves or in stems but it did inhibit ethylene production in roots by 37–58%. Ethylene production in developing flowers (i.e. from small unopened flower buds up until open flowers at anthesis) was not affected in transgenic plants but ethylene production in fruits was inhibited by 35%. The most dramatic effect on ethylene production in transgenic plants was seen immediately after wounding leaf tissue, in which case the antisense gene inhibited wound ethylene production by 72%. Thus, the antisense gene composed of a 35S CaMV promoter driving a heterologous ACC oxidase sequence had differential effects on ethylene production in tobacco plants.     

Antisense-overexpression of the MsCOMT gene induces changes in lignin and total phenol contents in transgenic tobacco plants

Initially, we isolated the caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene from Miscanthus sinensis (accession number HM062766.1). Next, we produced transgenic tobacco plants with down-regulated COMT gene expression to study its control of total phenol and lignin content and to perform morphological analysis. These transgenic plants were found to have reduced PAL and ascorbate peroxidases expression, which are related to the phenylpropanoid pathway and antioxidant activity. The MsCOMT-down-regulated plants had decreased total lignin in the leaves and stem compared with control plants. Reduced flavonol concentrations were confirmed in MsCOMT-down-regulated transgenic plants. We also observed a morphological difference, with reduced plant cell number in transgenic plants harboring antisense MsCOMT. The transgenic tobacco plants with down-regulated COMT gene expression demonstrate that COMT plays a crucial role related to controlling lignin and phenol content in plants. Also, COMT activity may be related to flavonoid production in the plant lignin pathway.     

甘菊DlNAC1转录因子基因提高烟草耐高温能力

研究针对从甘菊中克隆获得的DlNAC1基因（GenBank登录号为EF602305）进行生物信息学分析,并利用根癌农杆菌介导的叶盘转化法将该基因在烟草中进行过表达研究。结果发现DlNAC1蛋白具有较高亲水性,二级结构中占比最高的为无规则卷曲,并具有N糖基化位点等6类潜在的模体结构和典型的由一个扭曲的反平行β片层和α螺旋组成的NAC结构域。将DlNAC1基因在烟草中过表达后,通过PCR方法从55株转化植株中鉴定出36株为阳性植株,并且转基因烟草T₀代植株在45℃高温胁迫后,转35S：DlNAC1基因阳性植株生长状况良好,而对照植株发生萎蔫,并且转基因植株叶片含水量显著高于对照植株。然而,在4℃低温胁迫后,发现转基因烟草T₁代植株没有提高耐低温能力。甘菊DlNAC1基因能够提高烟草植株耐高温能力,为今后菊花抗逆育种提供了科学依据。