Cloning of an ovule specific promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana and expression of beta-glucuronidase

Tissue specific expression of transgenes in plant species has several advantages over constitutive expression. Identification of ovule specific promoters would be useful in genetic engineering of plants with a variety of desirable traits such as genetically engineered parthenocarpy, female sterile plants or seedless fruits. Relative inaccessibility and difficulty in harvesting adequate amounts of tissue at known developmental stages has impeded the progress in cloning of promoters involved in ovule development. In the present study an ovule specific promoter was cloned from Arabidopsis AGL11 gene and used to express GUS (beta-glucuronidase) gene in transgenic Arabidopsis. Histochemical staining of GUS appeared in the center of young ovary (ovules), but no detectable GUS activity was observed in vegetative plant tissues, sepals, petals and androecium. AGL11 gene promoter can be useful to modify the developmental path of plants by expressing either plant hormones or lethal genes for agronomic purpose.     

Use of transmissible plasmids as cloning vectors in Caulobacter crescentus

Cloning vectors for studies of Caulobacter crescentus genes should be transferable between Escherichia coli and C. crescentus since a transformation system has not been developed for C. crescentus. We have tested a large number of vectors containing IncP or IncQ replicons and found that many of the vectors containing IncQ replicons, and all but one of the vectors containing IncP replicons, are readily transferred by conjugation into C. crescentus. All of the plasmids tested were maintained in C. crescentus at 1 to 5 copies per cell, but plasmids containing IncP replicons were more stable than plasmids containing IncQ replicons. Further studies with a derivative of the IncQ plasmid R300B showed that when a promoterless kanamycin (Km)-resistance gene (npt2) was inserted into the intercistronic region of the sul-aphC (Su^R-Sm^R) operon, Km resistance was expressed only when the npt2 gene was inserted such that it would be transcribed from the sul promoter. These data indicate that R300B does not contain sequences which would provide promoter function in C. crescentus in the orientation opposite to that of the sul operon and that any genes cloned in this orientation would require native promoters for expression. To provide greater versatility for cloning into R300B, additional vectors were constructed by the addition of multiple cloning sites in the intercistronic region of the sul-aphC operon. In addition, chromosomal DNA libraries were constructed in R300B and in the cosmid vector pLAFR1-7. Specific clones from these libraries containing genes of interest were identified by complementation of the appropriate C. crescentus mutants.     

Phage lambda and plasmid expression vectors with multiple cloning sites and lacZ alpha-complementation

Two new lambda vectors were constructed which permit cloning of genes that are potentially lethal if cloned in analogous plasmid vectors. lambda DL10 and lambda DL11 contain the alpha-complementing fragment of lacZ and multiple cloning sites found in the polylinker region of M13mp10 and M13mp11, respectively. DNA cloned into the unique cloning sites of these vectors can be detected by inactivation of alpha-complementation. These lambda vectors provide a lac promoter for expression of foreign genes as well as the ability to make fusion proteins. Two plasmid expression vectors, pPR110 and pPR111, were constructed from lambda DL10 and lambda DL11 respectively, and pCQV2. These plasmids, which express lacZ alpha-complementing activity from the lambda PR promoter, contain multiple cloning sites immediately downstream of the PR promoter. They allow cloning of genes under the control of the PR promoter and the plasmid-encoded thermosensitive (cI857) repressor, and allow easy detection of inserted fragments by inactivation of alpha-complementation.     

马立克氏病病毒pp38基因和1.8kb转录子之间双向启动子的特性研究

从马立克氏病病毒(MDV)基因组DNA复制原点区某一点,将介于MDVpp38基因和1 8kb转录子之间的双向启动子分割成两个单方向的启动子。以pp38为报告基因,pUC18质粒为载体,构建了含不同方向完整启动子序列的pProfpp38和pProrpp38质粒,以及含分割后单方向启动子序列的pdProfpp38和pdProrpp38质粒。4种质粒分别转染鸡胚成纤维细胞(Chickenembryofibroblast,CEF)后,均能检测到pp38基因的表达。进一步以氯霉素乙酰转移酶(Chloramphenicolacetyltransferase,CAT)为报告基因,构建了含不同方向完整双向启动子的pProfCAT和pProrCAT质粒,以及含分割后单方向启动子序列的pdProfCAT和pdProrCAT质粒。通过转染试验,定量分析了完整启动子和分割后启动子在两个方向上的启动活性。实验结果表明,分割后的启动子在两个方向上的启动活性均比相应方向上完整启动子的活性低,其中1 8kb转录子方向上的活性下降了4 1倍