高等植物启动子的研究进展

启动子是基因表达调控的重要顺式元件,综述了高等植物启动子的构成,包括转录起始位点、TATA框和上游启动子元件。并着重从组成型、组织特异型和诱导型启动子3个方面介绍了其结构特征、功能,以及它们在植物基因工程中的应用和研究进展,简述了双向启动子、可变启动子和串联启动子的研究情况,提出植物启动子研究中存在的问题与展望。     

Structural and functional analyses of Arabidopsis thaliana chlorophyll a/b-binding protein (cab) promoters

Arabidopsis thaliana carries three functional copies of the chlorophyll a/b-binding protein (cab) gene which code for an identical mature protein. DNA sequence comparison of all three cab promoters indicated that cab2 and cab3 are more closely related compared to cab1. Although the highest degree of homology was found between the TATA box and -256 of cab3 promoter, suggesting that this region plays a major role in promoter function, this promoter regions are only 47% homologous. To study whether these promoters are regulated by identical cis-acting regulatory elements, the promoters were mutated by progressive deletions and the effects on the promoter activity were measured in either transformed plants or cultured cells. It was found that the minimum sequence necessary for the light-dependent tissue-specific promoter activity of the cab3 is the 89 bp DNA fragment (between -74 and -164) at the region of the TATA and the CCAAT boxes. However, an additional 45 bp DNA fragment (between -164 and -209) upstream of the CCAAT box was necessary for the full promoter activity in the leaves. The regulatory element in the 45 bp region appears to be a positive regulator or enhancer which is specific to photosynthetic cells, since the region did not enhance the promoter activity in cultured cells. This region contains an octamer, TGCCACGT (cab2) or TGCCACAT (cab3), which is similar to the previously identified element, TGACACGT from Arabidopsis cab1 promoter. The upstream regions of the cab promoters appear to contain additional elements which are functionally distinct in each promoter since the upstream region of cab1 activated a non-functional nos promoter whereas that of cab3 did not.     

哺乳类细胞基因表达系统

真核基因的转录和转译调控是哺乳类细胞基因表达系统建立和发展的基础,外源基因的表达水平不仅决定于启动子/增强子的强弱,还与剪接信号、终止信号和poly(A)信号以及质粒的拷贝数等因素有关。另外,在基因治疗的研究中,也已寻找到多种具有组织或肿瘤特异性的启动子,来达到特异性肿瘤基因治疗的目的。     

DNA-histone interactions are sufficient to position a single nucleosome juxtaposing Drosophila Adh adult enhancer and distal promoter.

The alcohol dehydrogenase gene (Adh) of Drosophila melanogaster is transcribed from two tandem promoters in distinct developmental and tissue-specific patterns. Both promoters are regulated by separate upstream enhancer regions. In its wild-type context the adult enhancer specifically stimulates only the distal promoter, approximately 400 bp downstream, and not the proximal promoter, which is approximately 700 bp further downstream. Genomic footprinting and micrococcal nuclease analyses have revealed a specifically positioned nucleosome between the distal promoter and adult enhancer. In vitro reconstitution of this nucleosome demonstrated that DNA-core histone interactions alone are sufficient to position the nucleosome. Based on this observation and sequence periodicities in the underlying DNA, the mechanism of positioning appears to involve specific DNA structural features (ie flexibility or curvature). We have observed this nucleosome positioned early during development, before tissue differentiation, and before non-histone protein-DNA interactions are established at the distal promoter or adult enhancer. This nucleosome positioning element in the Adh regulatory region could be involved in establishing a specific tertiary nucleoprotein structure that facilitates specific cis-element accessibility and/or distal promoter-adult enhancer interactions.     

植物基因工程中人工启动子的研究进展

启动子是调控基因转录的一段DNA,也是构建基因工程表达载体的重要元件。天然启动子在表达强度和特异性等方面存在一定的局限性。采用人工构建的方法,有望得到诱导因子广、本底活性低、表达强度高、启动表达快等特点的启动子。本文综述了人工启动子在诱导表达、组织特异性表达、高效表达等方面的研究进展。     

A rice promoter containing both novel positive and negative cis-elements for regulation of green tissue-specific gene expression in transgenic plants

The tissue-specific expression of transgenes is essential in plant breeding programmes to avoid the fitness costs caused by constitutive expression of a target gene. However, knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of tissue-specific gene expression and practicable tissue-specific promoters is limited. In this study, we identified the cis -acting elements of a tissue-specific promoter from rice, P_D54O , and tested the application of original and modified P_D54O and its cis -elements in the regulation of gene expression. P_D54O is a green tissue-specific promoter. Five novel tissue-specific cis -elements (LPSE1, LPSE2, LPSRE1, LPSRE2, PSE1) were characterized from P_D54O . LPSE1 activated gene expression in leaf and young panicle. LPSRE2 suppressed gene expression in leaf, root, young panicle and stem, and PSE1 suppressed gene expression in young panicle and stem. LPSRE1 and LPSE2 had dual roles in the regulation of tissue-specific gene expression; both functioned as activators in leaf, but LPSRE1 acted as a repressor in stem and LPSE2 as a repressor in young panicle and root. Transgenic rice plants carrying cry1Ac encoding Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin, regulated by P_D54O , were resistant to leaf-folders, with no Cry1Ac protein found in endosperm or embryo. A reporter gene regulated by a series of truncated P_D54O showed various tissue-specific expression patterns. Different fragments of P_D54O fused with the constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter suppressed 35S -regulated gene expression in various tissues. P_D54O , truncated P_D54O and the tissue-specific cis -elements provide useful tools for the regulation of tissue-specific gene expression in rice breeding programmes.     

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…     

Bi-directional Duplex Promoters with Duplicated Enhancers Significantly Increase Transgene Expression in Grape and Tobacco

Novel bi-directional duplex promoters (BDDP) were constructed by placing two identical core promoters divergently on both upstream and downstream sides of their duplicated enhancer elements. Estimates of promoter function were obtained by creating versions of CaMV 35S and CsVMV BDDPs that contained reporter marker genes encoding beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) interchangeably linked either to the upstream or downstream core promoters. GUS was used for quantitative analysis of promoter function, whereas, EGFP allowed visual qualitative evaluation. In addition, the GUS and EGFP genes placed in downstream positions were modified by translational fusion with neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) to allow simultaneous monitoring of promoter activity and selection of stable transformants. These versions of BDDP were compared with each other and with equivalent unidirectional constructs by evaluating their expression in grape and tobacco. For 35S promoter constructs tested in grape somatic embryos (SE), BDDP exhibited transient GUS expression 206- and 300-fold greater in downstream and upstream configurations, respectively, compared to a unidirectional 35S core promoter. Compared with a unidirectional double enhanced 35S promoter, BDDPs exhibited 0.5- and 3-fold increased GUS expression from downstream and upstream core promoters, respectively. The same differences in expression levels determined quantitatively with GUS were distinguished qualitatively with EGFP. Constructs using CsVMV core promoters yielded results relative to those obtained with 35S promoter. For example, the upstream BDDP CsVMV core promoter provided a 200-fold increase in GUS expression compared to a unidirectional core promoter. However, CsVMV promoter was found to have higher promoter activity than 35S promoter in both BDDP and unidirectional constructs. Incorporation of an additional duplicated enhancer element to BDDPs resulted in increased expression. For example, a 35S BDDP with two divergently arranged duplicated enhancer elements resulted in over a 6-fold increase in GUS expression in stably transformed tobacco plants compared to a BDDP with one duplicated enhancer element. Data demonstrate that BDDP composed of divergently-arranged core promoters separated by duplicated enhancers, all derived from a single promoter sequence, can be used to significantly enhance transgene expression and to direct synchronized expression of multiple transgenes.     

不同异源启动子与MDVgB启动子及其复合启动子的活性比较

为了选择适宜的启动子调控外源基因的表达,以改善马立克氏病病毒为载体的重组病毒的免疫保护力。将hCMV立即早期启动子及增强子、SV40早晚期启动子及增强子或hCMV立即早期增强子的部分序列分别与马立克氏病病毒(MDV)自身的囊膜糖蛋白B基因(gB)启动子核心部分在体外杂合,分别构建复合启动子PhCMV-gB、PSV-gB或Pen-gB;将这些启动子与虫荧光素酶报告基因相连,构建表达载体。利用脂质体将以上质粒与内标质粒(pSV-β-LacZ)共转染鸡胚成纤维次代细胞,于转染后48h,将细胞刮下来,利用荧光素酶测定试剂盒和β-半乳糖苷酶测定试剂盒分别测定转染细胞的荧光素酶和β-半乳糖苷酶的活性,通过荧光素酶和β-半乳糖苷酶活性的比值获得虫荧光素酶的相对活性,利用虫荧光素酶的相对活性进行启动子的活性比较。结果表明,复合启动子相对马立克氏病病毒自身的gB启动子,活性有不同程度的提高,其中复合启动子PhCMV-gB的活性最高,而复合启动子PSV-gB和Pen-gB的活性相当;但与商业强启动子相比,复合启动子活性要弱一些或相当。因此,从某种意义上讲,这些复合启动子既具有gB启动子的一些特性,又有商业强启动子的一些特性,为以马立克氏病毒为载体的新兴疫苗的开发奠定了基础。     

人工合成根特异启动子SRSP的功能分析

根负责吸收水分和养分,是重要的植物组织,但易受生物及非生物胁迫,影响作物的生长发育和产量。设计合成根特异启动子,可为与胁迫相关的抗性基因在作物根部的功能研究及高效表达提供候选启动子。文中将4拷贝的根特异性顺式作用元件(OSE1ROOTNODULE、OSE2ROOTNODULE、SP8BFIBSP8AIB和ROOTMOTIFAPOX1)以串联排列方式设计合成了一个根特异性模块(pro-SRS),并与来自CaMV35S启动子的最小启动子融合,合成一个人工合成启动子SRSP。通过替换CaMV35S启动子将SRSP启动子克隆到pCAMBIA2300.1中以驱动GUS表达。将携带SRSP启动子的构建体通过农杆菌介导的方法转化到烟草中。GUS组织化学染色分析和实时PCR (RT-PCR)分析显示SRSP启动子在转基因烟草中赋予根特异性表达。说明顺式作用元件重复排列可实现启动子预期功能,本研究为理性设计植物组织特异启动子奠定了理论基础。     

Highly interactive nature of flower‐specific enhancers and promoters,and its potential impact on tissue‐specific expression and engineering of multiple genes or agronomic traits

Molecular stacking enables multiple traits to be effectively engineered in crops using a single vector. However, the co‐existence of distinct plant promoters in the same transgenic unit might, like their mammalian counterparts, interfere with one another. In this study, we devised a novel approach to investigate enhancer–promoter and promoter–promoter interactions in transgenic plants and demonstrated that three of four flower‐specific enhancer/promoters were capable of distantly activating a pollen‐ and stigma‐specific Pps promoter (fused to the cytotoxic DT‐A gene) in other tissues, as revealed by novel tissue ablation phenotypes in transgenic plants. The NtAGI1 enhancer exclusively activated stamen‐ and carpel‐specific DT‐A expression, thus resulting in tissue ablation in an orientation‐independent manner; this activation was completely abolished by the insertion of an enhancer‐blocking insulator (EXOB) between the NtAGI1 enhancer and Pps promoter. Similarly, AGL8 and AP1Lb1, but not AP1La, promoters also activated distinct tissue‐specific DT‐A expression and ablation, with the former causing global growth retardation and the latter ablating apical inflorescences. While the tissue specificity of the enhancer/promoters generally defined their activation specificities, the strength of their activity in particular tissues or developmental stages appeared to determine whether activation actually occurred. Our findings provide the first evidence that plant‐derived enhancer/promoters can distantly interact/interfere with one another, which could pose potential problems for the tissue‐specific engineering of multiple traits using a single‐vector stacking approach. Therefore, our work highlights the importance of adopting enhancer‐blocking insulators in transformation vectors to minimize promoter–promoter interactions. The practical and fundamental significance of these findings will be discussed.     

Transgenic analysis of sugar beet xyloglucan endo-transglucosylase/hydrolase Bv-XTH1 and Bv-XTH2 promoters reveals overlapping tissue-specific and wound-inducible expression profiles

The identification and analysis of tissue-specific gene regulatory elements will improve our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that control the growth and development of different plant tissues and offer potentially useful tools for the genetic engineering of plants. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based 5'-genome walk from sequences of an isolated sugar beet xyloglucan endo-transglucosylase hydrolase (XTH) gene led to the isolation of two independent upstream fragments. They were 1332 and 2163 base pairs upstream of the XTH ATG start site, respectively. In vivo transgenic assays in sugar beet hairy roots and Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that both fragments had promoter function and, in A. thaliana, directed expression in vascular tissues within the root, leaves and petals. Promoter activity was also observed in the leaf trichomes and within rapidly expanding stem internodes. Expression driven by both promoters was found to be wound inducible. Overall, the spatial and temporal expression pattern of these promoters suggested that the corresponding Bv-XTH genes (designated Bv-XTH1 and Bv-XTH2) may be involved in secondary cell wall formation. This work provides new insights on molecular mechanisms that could be exploited for the genetic engineering of sugar beet crops.