檀香NDH脱氢酶基因的克隆、定位与启动子分析

为研究檀香NDH脱氢酶基因的功能和调控机制,该文以檀香心材为材料,利用RACE技术克隆SaNDH6基因的全长序列,利用实时荧光定量PCR(RT-qPCR)技术分析其组织和激素处理后的表达模式,在拟南芥原生质体观测其亚细胞定位,利用PlantCARE分析SaNDH6起始密码子ATG上游2 kb的启动子序列,同时运用PlantRegMap预测可能与其结合的转录因子。结果表明:(1)SaNDH6编码303个氨基酸,为疏水蛋白,亚细胞定位于叶绿体。(2)进化树分析表明,檀香SaNDH6与木本植物NDH6进化关系较近。(3)PlantCARE分析发现,SaNDH6启动子中除含有ACE、AE-box、Box 4、G-Box和GT1-motif等大量光响应元件外,同时还有茉莉酸甲酯(MeJA)反应元件CGTCA-motif和TGACG-motif,赤霉素(GA₃)响应元件P-box,以及防御和胁迫响应元件TC-rich repeats等。(4)PlantRegMap分析发现,有76个转录因子可能与SaNDH6启动子结合,其中ERF家族最多,达40个。(5)SaNDH6在檀香的根、心材、叶片和愈伤组织中均有表达,其中在叶片中的表达量较高; 用1×10^-4 mol·L^-1的MeJA和GA₃分别处理檀香愈伤组织后,与处理前(0 h)相比,SaNDH6的表达均在3 h后显著升高。综上结果表明,檀香SaNDH6为核基因编码的蛋白,受光和激素等诱导表达,SaNDH6可能参与檀香逆境胁迫反应的过程。     

Combinatorial Interactions of Two <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis-</Emphasis>Acting Elements,AT-Rich Regions and HSEs,in the Expression of Tomato <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lehsp23.8</Emphasis> upon Heat and Non-Heat Stresses

We previously cloned and analyzed the 1,893-bp promoter region (−1,915 to −23) of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Lehsp23.8 gene, whose expression is induced by treatment with high or low temperatures, heavy metal, or abscisic acid (ABA). In our present work, we examined how this expression is regulated. A comprehensive quantitative promoter deletion and base-substitution analysis was conducted under various environmental conditions. The proximal region (−565 to −23 bp) of the Lehsp23.8 promoter harbors cis-regulatory elements that conferred high levels of heat-induced expression in transgenic tobacco. Mutation of the five proximal HSEs (HSE1 to 5) of that promoter led to an absence of heat inducibility. The AT-rich regions between −255 bp and −565 bp (AT-rich1 to 4) in the promoter might serve as enhancers for such heat-induced expression. Deletion and HSE mutation analysis indicated that other cis-acting elements also function in response to low temperature, heavy metal, and ABA and that HSE1 to 5 act at least as cis-acting elements in multiple-stress responses of Lehsp23.8. These results reveal that those five proximal HSEs and AT-rich regions function interdependently in the expression of Lehsp23.8 in response to non-heat stresses. Furthermore, the putative elements CRT/DRE, AP-1, and ABRE in that promoter are not required for multiple-stress induction.     

Isolation and functional analysis of cotton universal stress protein promoter in response to phytohormones and abiotic stresses

The 949 bp promoter fragment upstream from the translation initiation site of the GUSP gene encoding a universal stress protein was isolated from the genomic DNA of Gossypium arboreum. Some putative cis-acting elements involved in stress responses including E-box, ABRE, DPBF-box, and MYB-core elements were found in the promoter region. In an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay, strong activation of the GUSP full promoter region occurred in tobacco leaves following dehydration, abscisic acid, salt, heavy metal, gibberellic acid and dark treatments. Deletion analysis of the promoter revealed that the dehydration, abscisic acid and salt responses were affected by the deletion between −208 and −949 bp and showed 2–4-fold induction. However, in response to dark, gibberellic acid and heavy metals the induction was only 2-fold. These findings further our understanding of the regulation of GUSP expression. This is an important study as no report of this universal stress protein promoter is available in literature.     

The Tall Fescue Turf Grass Class I Chitinase Gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">FaChit1</Emphasis> Is Activated by Fungal Elicitors,Dehydration, Ethylene,and Mechanical Wounding

The cDNA, genomic DNA, and promoter sequence of FaChit1, a class I chitinase gene from Festuca arundinacea, were isolated and characterized in the present work. The deduced amino acid sequence of FaChit1 contains the chitin binding, catalytic, and proline and glycine-rich domains characteristic for most class I chitinases, but no C-terminal extension region. FaChit1 is induced effectively by fungal elicitors, dehydration, and ethylene, but only slightly by mechanical wounding. To identify potential stress-related cis-acting elements, 5′ sequences 935, 651, and 233 bp upstream of the FaChit1 start codon were fused to the GUS reporter gene and analyzed in transgenic tobacco. The results indicated that the 935 bp fragment closely mirrored endogenous gene expression and that the 651 bp fragment was sufficient to direct reporter the gene expression in response to fungal elicitors, ethylene, dehydration, or mechanical wounding due to both known and presently uncharacterized cis-acting elements. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the promoter for the multiple stress-inducible gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">BjCHI1</Emphasis> from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis>

We have previously isolated a Brassica juncea cDNA encoding a novel chitinase BjCHI1 with two chitin-binding domains (Zhao and Chye in Plant Mol Biol 40:1009–1018, 1999). The expression of BjCHI1 was highly inducible by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, wounding, caterpillar feeding, and pathogenic fungal infection. These observations suggest that the promoter of BjCHI1 gene might contain specific cis-acting elements for stress responses. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of the BjCHI1 promoter. A 1,098 bp BjCHI1 genomic DNA fragment upstream of the ATG start codon was isolated by PCR walking and various constructs were made by fusing the BjCHI1 promoter or its derivatives to β-glucuronidase reporter gene. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed that the BjCHI1 promoter responded to wounding and MeJA treatment, and to treatments with either NaCl or polyethyleneglycol (PEG 6000), indicating that the BjCHI1 promoter responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses. A transient gene expression system of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves was adopted for promoter deletion analysis, and the results showed that a 76 bp region from −695 to −620 in the BjCHI1 promoter was necessary for MeJA-responsive expression. Furthermore, removal of a conserved T/G-box (AACGTG) at −353 to −348 of the promoter greatly reduced the induction by MeJA. This is the first T/G-box element identified in a chitinase gene promoter. Gain-of-function analysis demonstrated that the cis-acting element present in the 76 bp region requires coupling with the T/G-box to confer full magnitude of BjCHI1 induction by MeJA.     

The promoter of the pepper pathogen-induced membrane protein gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">CaPIMP1</Emphasis> mediates environmental stress responses in plants

The promoter of the pepper pathogen-induced membrane protein gene CaPIMP1 was analyzed by an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay in tobacco leaves. Several stress-related cis-acting elements (GT-1, W-box and ABRE) are located within the CaPIMP1 promoter. In tobacco leaf tissues transiently transformed with a CaPIMP1 promoter-β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene fusion, serially 5′-deleted CaPIMP1 promoters were differentially activated by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci, ethylene, methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid, and nitric oxide. The −1,193 bp region of the CaPIMP1 gene promoter sequence exhibited full promoter activity. The −417- and −593 bp promoter regions were sufficient for GUS gene activation by ethylene and methyl jasmonate treatments, respectively. However, CaPIMP1 promoter sequences longer than −793 bp were required for promoter activation by abscisic acid and sodium nitroprusside treatments. CaPIMP1 expression was activated in pepper leaves by treatment with ethylene, methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid, β-amino-n-butyric acid, NaCl, mechanical wounding, and low temperature, but not with salicylic acid. Overexpression of CaPIMP1 in Arabidopsis conferred hypersensitivity to mannitol, NaCl, and ABA during seed germination but not during seedling development. In contrast, transgenic plants overexpressing CaPIMP1 exhibited enhanced tolerance to oxidative stress induced by methyl viologen during germination and early seedling stages. These results suggest that CaPIMP1 expression may alter responsiveness to environmental stress, as well as to pathogen infection. The nucleotide sequence data reported here has been deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number DQ356279.     

Effect of inducers on the interaction of the positive and negativecis-acting elements of theCYP2B2 gene with rat liver nuclear proteins

A study was made of the interaction of the negative (−127…−160) and positive (−69…−98)cis-acting elements of the minimal promoter of the cytochrome P4502B2 gene with nuclear proteins of rats injected with phenobarbital and triphenyldioxane. On evidence of the gel retardation assay, binding of nuclear proteins to the negative element is suppressed, and that to the positive one is enhanced 6–9 h after injection. Binding to both elements is maximal 18–48 h after injection and decreases to the control level 72 h after injection. It is assumed that, when derepressed, the negative element acts as a positive one. Thein vitro binding proved to correlate with changes in theCYP2B1/2 mRNA content. The data obtained with triphenyldioxane testify to the involvement of the proximal promoter in the inducer-dependent activation of cytochrome P4502B2.