Major cis-regulatory elements for rice bidirectional promoter activity reside in the 5′-untranslated regions

Bidirectional promoters are defined as those that regulate adjacent genes organized in a divergent fashion (head to head orientation) and separated by < 1 kb. In order to dissect bidirectional promoter activity in a model plant, deletion analysis was performed for seven rice promoters using promoter-reporter gene constructs, which identified three promoters to be bidirectional. Regulatory elements located in or close to the 5′-untranslated regions (UTR) of one of the genes (divergent gene pair) were found to be responsible for their bidirectional activity. DNA footprinting analysis identified unique protein binding sites in these promoters. Deletion/alteration of these motifs resulted in significant loss of expression of the reporter genes on either side of the promoter. Changes in the motifs at both the positions resulted in a remarkable decrease in bidirectional activity of the reporter genes flanking the promoter. Based on our results, we propose a novel mechanism for the bidirectionality of rice bidirectional promoters.     

Immuno-capture differential display method (IDDM) for the detection of environmentally induced promoters in rhizobacteria

A rapid immunological method for trapping and selection of functionally regulated prokaryotic promoters is described. The method is based on application of a novel mini-Tn5 derived promoter probe (pUTTKZY-promoterless lacZY as a reporter and kanamycin resistance) to mutagenise a plant growth promoting fluorescent pseudomonad, Pseudomonas fluorescens 54/96. The transposon allows selection of operon fusion mutants (lacZY(+)) directly on media containing lactose as a sole carbon source as well as selection for kanamycin and lacZ (beta-galactosidase) expression on X-gal indicator media. We have extended the technique to target the surface expression of the induced lactose permease gene (lacY) from mutagenised libraries and the immuno-capture of bacteria with magnetic beads and anti-LacY monospecifc antisera. The benefits of the lacZY reporter are that a library can be rapidly generated and screened in vitro to isolate non-expressed mutants for further in situ screening. Here we demonstrate the development and utility of the technique and its potential as a differential display method for the isolation of promoters that direct regulated gene expression in the phytosphere, or under other imposed conditions.     

细菌中优化冷激启动子的高通量筛选方法的建立

为了优化冷激启动子,分别利用卡那霉素抗性基因kan和荧光蛋白(EGFP)基因为报告基因建立了两种高通量筛选方法。抗性筛选方法是通过观察菌落形态变化判断启动子强弱,适用于筛选强启动子。荧光筛选方法中,对转化子进行平板诱导,使用荧光显微镜拍摄菌落荧光,Matlab软件计算每一个菌落的亮度,实现高通量筛选,操作简单,精确度较好。     

Vectors for ligation-independent construction of lacZ gene fusions and cloning of PCR products using a nicking endonuclease

Several ligation-independent cloning methods have been developed that offer advantages for construction of recombinant plasmids at high efficiency while minimizing cloning artifacts. Here we report new plasmid vectors that use the nicking endonuclease Nt.BspQI to generate extended single stranded tails for direct cloning of PCR products. The vectors include pLacCOs1, a ColE1-derivative plasmid imparting resistance to ampicillin, which allows facile construction of lacZ translational fusions and pKanCOs1, a pSC101-derivative cloning vector that imparts resistance to kanamycin, for cloning of PCR amplicons from genomic DNA as well as from ampicillin-based plasmids. We have successfully used these plasmids to directionally clone and characterize bacterial promoters that exhibit temperature regulated expression, as well as for cloning a variety of PCR products. In all cases, constructs with the correct configurations were generated at high efficiency and with a minimal number of manipulations. The cloning vectors can also be easily modified to incorporate additional reporter genes or to express epitope-tagged gene products.     

报告基因法比较两种放线菌启动子的活性

摘要：【目的】比较启动子Psf与红霉素抗性基因启动子（PermE*）在链霉菌中的表达强度差异。【方法】本文利用卡那霉素抗性梯度以及邻苯二酚2,3-双加氧酶显色系统,比较了两个启动子的表达差异。【结果】两个启动子在棒状链霉菌(Streptomyces clavuligerus) NRRL3585、天蓝色链霉菌（Streptomyces coelicolor）M145,委内瑞拉链霉菌（Streptomyces venezuelae）ISP5230及变铅青链霉菌（Streptomyces lividans TK     

Construction of a reporter vector system for in vivo analysis of promoter activity in Propionibacterium freudenreichii

A beta-galactosidase reporter system for the analysis of promoter elements in Propionibacterium freudenreichii was designed. The pTD210 in vivo reporter vector was constructed using a promoterless lacZ gene from Bifidobacterium longum cloned into the pAMT1 plasmid. The utility of the pTD210 reporter vector was demonstrated by an investigation of six predicted promoters in P. freudenreichii. The system produced accurate and reproducible measurements that facilitated both promoter identification and the quantification of promoter activities.     

Cnidarian and bilaterian promoters can direct GFP expression in transfected hydra

Complete sexual development is not easily amenable to experimentation in hydra. Therefore, the analysis of gene function and gene regulation requires the introduction of exogenous DNA in a large number of cells of the hydra polyps and the significant expression of reporter constructs in these cells. We present here the procedure whereby we coupled DNA injection into the gastric cavity to electroporation of the whole animal in order to efficiently transfect hydra polyps. We could detect GFP fluorescence in both endodermal and ectodermal cell layers of live animals and in epithelial as well as interstitial cell types of dissociated hydra. In addition, we could confirm GFP protein expression by showing colocalisation between GFP fluorescence and anti-GFP immunofluorescence. Finally, when a FLAG epitope was inserted in-frame with the GFP coding sequence, GFP fluorescence also colocalised with anti-FLAG immunofluorescence. This GFP expression in hydra cells was directed by various promoters, either homologous, like the hydra homeobox cnox-2 gene promoter, or heterologous, like the two nematode ribosomal protein S5 and L28 gene promoters, and the chicken beta-actin gene promoter. This strategy provides new tools for dissecting developmental molecular mechanisms in hydra; more specifically, the genetic regulations that take place in endodermal cells at the time budding or regeneration is initiated.