Isolation and functional analysis of a strong specific promoter in photosynthetic tissues

Constitutive promoters such as CaMV (cauliflower mosaic virus) 35S and nos (nopaline syn-thase) have been used extremely as useful tools in many plant transgenic researches. Because of lacking temporal and spatial regulation, constitutive promoters have a number of potential drawbacks in genetically improved crops[1]. For example, constitutive expression of viral capsid proteins in plants may increase the risk of transvapsidation or viral recombination to generate new strains of phytopathogen…     

高羊茅FaChit1基因启动子的功能分析

用含有不同长度FaChitl基因启动子区域与GUS基因融合构建植物表达载体pFaChitlP—I、pFaChitlP-Ⅱ以及pFaChitlP-Ⅲ并分别对烟草进行转化,经真菌激发子、干旱、机械损伤以及乙烯等多种胁迫处理后测定GUS活性。启动子缺失分析实验结果显示,真菌激发子对FaChitl基因启动子所介导的GUS诱导表达效果最强,而机械损伤只能微弱地诱导GL靥基因表达;FaChitl基因启动子-651bp以内的序列均能介导GUS基因的诱导表达,同时-935bp与-233bp之间的区域是该启动子响应真菌激发子、乙烯以及机械损伤胁迫所必需的。表明FaChitl启动子是一个多胁迫诱导型启动子。     

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.     

Cloning of the promoter region of plasma membrane aquaporin BnPIP1 from Brassica napus and its functional analysis

Aquaporins make water-selective channels in plants, facilitating the permeation of water through membranes and adjusting water fast transport during seed germination, cell elongation, stoma movement, fertilization and responses to environmental stresses. They belong to the MIP (major intrinsic protein) family with molecular weight of 2629 kD and are characterized by six membrane-spanning a-helixes connected by five loops and short N-terminal and C-terminal domains in the cytoplasm[13]. The p…     

Transgenic Bt cotton driven by the green tissue-specific promoter shows strong toxicity to lepidopteran pests and lower Bt toxin accumulation in seeds

A promoter of the PNZIP(Pharbitis nil leucine zipper)gene(1.459 kb)was cloned from Pharbitis nil and fused to the GUS(b-glucuronidase)and Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin(Cry9C)genes.Several transgenic PNZIP::GUS and PNZIP::Cry9C cotton lines were developed by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.Strong GUS staining was detected in the green tissues of the transgenic PNZIP::GUS cotton plants.In contrast,GUS staining in the reproductive structures such as petals,anther,and immature seeds of PNZIP::GUS cotton was very faint.Two transgenic PNZIP::Cry9C lines and one transgenic cauliflower mosaic virus(Ca MV)35S::Cry9C line were selected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)and insect bioassays.Expression of the Cry9C protein in the 35S::Cry9C line maintained a high level in most tissues ranging from24.6 to 45.5μg g~(-1) fresh weight.In green tissues such as the leaves,boll rinds,and bracts of the PNZIP::Cry9C line,the Cry9C protein accumulated up to 50.2,39.7,and 48.3μg g~(-1) fresh weight respectively.In contrast,seeds of the PNZIP::Cry9C line(PZ1.3)accumulated only 0.26μg g~(-1) fresh weight of the Cry9C protein,which was 100 times lower than that recorded for the seeds of the Ca MV 35S::Cry9C line.The insect bioassay showed that the transgenic PNZIP::Cry9C cotton plant exhibited strong resistance to both the cotton bollworm and the pink bollworm.The PNZIP promoter could effectively drive Bt toxin expression in green tissues of cotton and lower accumulated levels of the Bt protein in seeds.These features should allay public concerns about the safety of transgenic foods.We propose the future utility of PNZIP as an economical,environmentally friendly promoter in cotton biotechnology.     

盐角草磷酸乙醇胺N-甲基转移酶基因（SePEAMT）启动子的克隆及瞬时表达

磷酸胆碱是合成磷脂酰胆碱和甘氨酸甜菜碱的重要前体,磷酸乙醇胺N-甲基转移酶（PEAMT）是磷酸胆碱合成的关键酶。根据已知的SePEAMT cDNA5'端序列设计两个基因特异的反向引物(PP1,PP2),通过锚定PCR获得了PEAMT起始密码子上游1249bp的序列。RLM-RACE反应确定其转录起始位点A位于起始密码子上游301bp处,由此获得了948bp的SePEAMT启动子序列。PlantCARE和PLACE在线启动子预测工具分析表明：该序列除了含有启动子的基本元件TATA-box和CAAT-box外,还含有一些胁迫诱导元件（如ABRE、HSE、LTR）和花粉特异的激活元件AGAAA。构建了SePEAMT启动子与报告基因GUS 融合的表达载体pPro,并通过农杆菌介导的叶盘法转化烟草,染色结果表明SePEAMT启动子可以有效地驱动GUS基因的瞬时表达。     

竹节花黄斑驳病毒启动子的缺失分析及功能

竹节花黄斑驳病毒(CoYMV)是侵染单子叶植物竹节花的一 种双链环状DNA病毒,它的启动子可介导外源基因在烟草韧皮部特异表达。为了研究其组织 特异性表达的最佳启动子区域,对CoYMV启动子进行了5′端五种不同长度的缺失分析,用不同长度的启动子片段与GUS基因及NOS3′端转录中止序列构建了全长启动子及5 个缺失启动子序列的六个嵌合GUS基因植物表达载体。利用农杆菌将上述嵌合基因转化烟草 外植体后,每种表达载体都获得了一批转基因烟草植株。转化再生烟草植株的PCR分析、GUS 酶活测定及GUS组织染色的结果表明六种类型的嵌合基因已整合到烟草染色体中,并有五种 表达出GUS活性。缺失到870bp的启动子比全长启动子(1040bp)的活性约高78%,870bp比585bp启动子介导的GUS活性略高但差别不明显,缺失到447和232时GUS活性有明显下 降,但仍具有韧皮部特异表达的特性。当缺失到TATA box附近的44bp时启动子丧失组织特 异性,GUS活性也降低到测不出来的水平。以上结果表明CoYMV启动子从转录起始位点上游 870bp～230bp及232bp下游区分别与启动子的活性和韧皮部组织特异性密切相关,870bp上游可能存在一个负调控序列,所以该启动子的活性和组织特异性的最佳调控区应在87 0bp或585bp的下游区。CoYMV启动子与35S启动子驱动GUS基因在烟草中表达的活性相比, 前者为后者的70%左右,考虑到前者仅在韧皮部细胞表达而后者为组成型表达,所以CoYMV启 动子在韧皮部的活性可能与35S启动子相当或更高。CoYMV启动子在其它转基因植物中驱动外 源基因表达的特点正在研究中。