High transformation frequency of tobacco and rice via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer by flanking a tobacco matrix attachment region

Nuclear matrix attachment regions (MARs) are suggested to regulate chromatin structure and influence the expression of flanking genes. Our previous study showed that TM2, a new DNA fragment isolated from tobacco, can bind with the rice nuclear matrix in vitro and increase transgene expression in vivo. Here, we investigated the role of TM2 MAR in improving transformation frequency of Agrobacterium -mediated transformation in tobacco and rice. The gusA reporter gene flanked by TM2 MAR in pBI121 and pCAMBIA-1301 vectors was controlled by a constitutive promoter or a photosynthetic tissue-specific promoter. The presence of TM2 MAR in different expression cassettes significantly increased the numbers of kanamycin-resistant tobacco shoots, hygromycin-resistant rice calli and shoots. Seeds from the independent transgenic lines with TM2 MAR can germinate normally on the medium containing 500 mg l⁻¹ kanamycin, whereas none of the seeds from the transgenic lines without TM2 MAR survived. Furthermore, RNA gel blot analysis revealed that nptII messenger RNA levels are more abundant in the independent transgenic lines with TM2 MAR than in the lines without TM2 MAR. Altogether, these data reveal a possible mechanism that TM2 MAR improves the transformation frequency by increasing nptII gene expression.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of indica rice with chitinase gene for enhanced sheath blight resistance

Four rice indica genotypes of local importance were transformed with RC7, rice chitinase cDNA clone through Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer method using mature seed derived calli as explants. The putative hygromycin resistant calli showed varied level of regeneration efficiency ranging from 2.0 to 7.6 %. The stable integration and expression of RC7 was confirmed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western analysis. Transformation efficiency ranged from 0.9 to 5.2 %. The expression of RC7 (35 kDa chitinase) in different tissues of transgenic plant (root, sheath and leaf) was proved through Western analysis and in terms of increased chitinase activity. The inheritance of transgene was studied through PCR and Western analysis in transgenic plants of Pusa Basmati 1. Bioassays with transgenic plants of local cultivars exhibited enhanced resistance up to 33.3 % to rice sheath blight pathogen Rhizoctonia solani under glasshouse conditions. Enhanced expression or 3-to 4-fold increased activity of chitinase in transgenic plants was correlated with sheath blight resistance.     

Constitutive and tissue-specific differential expression of the cryIA(b) gene in transgenic rice plants conferring resistance to rice insect pest

 The truncated chimeric Bt gene, cryIA(b) of Bacillus thuringiensis, driven by two constitutive promoters, 35S from CaMV and Actin-1 from rice, and two tissue-specific promoters, pith tissue and pepcarboxylase (PEPC) for green tissue from maize, was introduced into several varieties of rice (indica and japonica) by microprojectile bombardment and protoplast systems. A total of 1800 putative transgenic Bt rice plants could be produced. Southern analysis revealed that more than 100 independently transformed plants could be confirmed for integration of the cryIA(b) gene. High levels of CryIA(b) proteins were obtained in the green tissue (leaves and stem) of many plants using the PEPC promoter. There was little difference in Bt protein level in leaves and stems from transgenic plants with the 35 S or Actin-1 promoter. Out of 800 Southern-positive plants that were bioassayed, 81 transgenic plants showed 100% mortality of insect larvae of the yellow stem borer (Scirpophaga incertulas). The transgene, cryIA(b), driven by different promoters showed a wide range of expression (low to high) of Bt proteins stably inherited in a number of rice varieties with enhanced yellow stem borer resistance. This first report of transgenic indica Bt rice plants with the PEPC or pith promoter either alone or in combination should provide a better strategy for providing rice plants with protection against insect pest resistance, minimizing the expression of the CryIA(b) protein in seeds and other tissues. Received: 12 November 1997 / Accepted: 25 November 1997     

Activity of a maize ubiquitin promoter in transgenic rice

We have used the maize ubiquitin 1 promoter, first exon and first intron (UBI) for rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Taipei 309) transformation experiments and studied its expression in transgenic calli and plants. UBI directed significantly higher levels of transient gene expression than other promoter/intron combinations used for rice transformation. We exploited these high levels of expression to identify stable transformants obtained from callus-derived protoplasts co-transfected with two chimeric genes. The genes consisted of UBI fused to the coding regions of the uidA and bar marker genes (UBI:GUS and UBI:BAR). UBI:GUS expression increased in response to thermal stress in both transfected protoplasts and transgenic rice calli. Histochemical localization of GUS activity revealed that UBI was most active in rapidly dividing cells. This promoter is expressed in many, but not all, rice tissues and undergoes important changes in activity during the development of transgenic rice plants.     

A wheat histone H3 promoter confers cell division-dependent and -independent expression of the gus A gene in transgenic rice plants

To investigate developmental regulation of wheat histone H3 gene expression, the H3 promoter, which has its upstream sequence to ?1711 (relative to the cap site as +1), was fused to the coding region of the gus A gene (?1711H3/GUS) and introduced into a monocot plant, rice. Detailed histochemical analysis revealed two distinct types of GUS expression in transgenic rice plants; one is cell division-dependent found in the apical meristem of shoots and roots and in young leaves, and another is cell division-independent detected in flower tissues including the anther wall and the pistil. In this study, replication-dependent expression occurring in non-dividing cells which undergo endoreduplication could not be discriminated from strict replication-independent expression. The observed expression pattern in different parts of roots suggested that the level of the H3/GUS gene expression is well correlated with activity of cell division in roots. To identify 5′ sequences of the H3 promoter necessary for an accurate regulation of the GUS expression, two constructs containing truncated promoters, ?908H3/GUS and ?185H3/GUS, were analyzed in transiently expressed protoplasts, stably transformed calli and transgenic plants. The results indicated that the region from ?909 to ?1711 contains the positive cis-acting element(s) and that the proximal promoter region (up to ?185) containing the conserved hexamer, octamer and nonamer motifs is sufficient to direct both cell division-dependent and -independent expression. The use of the meristem of roots regenerated from transformed calli for the analysis of cell division-dependent expression of plant genes is discussed.     

Endosperm-specific expression of green fluorescent protein driven by the hordein promoter is stably inherited in transgenic barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants

The expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its inheritance were studied in transgenic barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants transformed with a synthetic green fluorescent protein gene [sgfp(S65T)] driven by either a rice actin promoter or a barley endosperm-specific d-hordein promoter. The gene encoding phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (bar), driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter and intron, was used as a selectable marker to identify transgenic tissues. Strong GFP expression driven by the rice actin promoter was observed in callus cells and in a variety of tissues of T0 plants transformed with the sgfp(S65T)-containing construct. GFP expression, driven by the rice actin promoter, was observed in 14 out of 17 independent regenerable transgenic callus lines; however, expression was gradually lost in T0 and later generation progeny of diploid lines. Stable GFP expression was observed in T2 progeny from only 6 out of the 14 (43%) independent GFP-expressing callus lines. Four of the 8 lines not expressing GFP in T2 progeny, lost GFP expression during T0 plant regeneration from calli; one lost GFP expression in the transition from the T0 to T1 generations and three lines were sterile. Similarly, expression of bar driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter was lost in T1 progeny; only 21 out of 26 (81%) independent lines were Basta-resistant. In contrast to actin-driven expression, GFP expression driven by the d-hordein promoter exhibited endosperm-specificity. All seven lines transformed with d-hordein-driven GFP (100%) expressed GFP in the T1 and T2 generations, regardless of ploidy levels, and expression segregated in a Mendelian fashion. We conclude that the sgfp(S65T) gene was successfully transformed into barley and that GFP expression driven by the d-hordein promoter was more stable in its inheritance pattern in T1 and T2 progeny than that driven by the rice actin promoter or the bar gene driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter.     

不同启动子控制下Ac转座酶基因的表达对玉米Ds因子在水稻中切离频率的影响

用水稻愈伤组织比较了Ac启动子、35S启动子与Ubi启动子控制下Ac转座酶基因（Ts）的表达对Ds因子切离频率的影响。结果表明Ubi启动子与Ac转座酶编码区嵌合基因（Ubipro-Ts）反式激活Ds因子的切离频率最高,达到了72.9%。通过杂交将Ubipro-Ts基因导入Ds因子转化植株,得到9株Ubipro-Ts基因与Ds因子共存的F1代杂交水稻植株,其中有8株Ds因子发生了切离。用Inverse-PCR的方法从其中一株杂交植株中克隆到Ds因子的旁邻序列,其DNA顺序与亲本中Ds因子原插入位点的序列不同,表明Ds因子转座到了新的基因组位点。     

Anaerobic induction and tissue-specific expression of maize Adh1 promoter in transgenic rice plants and their progeny.

Summary In order to analyze expression of the maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 gene (Adh1), its promoter was fused with the gusA reporter gene and introduced into rice by protoplast transformation. Histochemical analysis of transgenic plants and their progeny showed that the maize Adh1 promoter is constitutively expressed in root caps, anthers, anther filaments, pollen, scutellum, endosperm and shoot and root meristem of the embryo. Induction of expression by the Adh1 promoter was examined using seedlings derived from selfed progeny of the transgenic plants. The results showed that expression of the Adh1 promoter was strongly induced (up to 81-fold) in roots of seedlings after 24 h of anaerobic treatment, concomitant with an increase in the level of gusA mRNA. 2,4-D also induced Adh1 promoter-directed expression of gusA to a similar extent. In contrast, little induction by anaerobic treatment was detected in transformed calli, leaves or roots of primary transformants or shoots of seedlings. A detailed examination of seedling roots during anaerobic treatment revealed that the induction started first at the meristem and after 3 h there was strong induction in the elongation zone which is located 1–2 mm above the meristem; the induction then progressed upward from this region. Our results suggest that transgenic rice plants carring the gusA reporter gene fused with promoters are useful for the study of anaerobic regulation of genes derived from graminaceous species.     

水稻受盐抑制基因OsZFP1的转基因分析

OsZFP1(水稻锌指蛋白1)基因编码的蛋白含有3个推测的Cys2/Cys2-型锌指结构域,它的表达受盐胁迫负调控.构建了以35S为启动子的OsZFP1基因的植物表达载体,并将其转入拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana L.)植物和水稻(Oryza sativa L.)愈伤组织中以过量表达OsZFP1基因.转基因的拟南芥植株和水稻愈伤组织对盐处理的敏感性都比野生型要高.这一结果表明OsZFP1基因可能编码一种负调控蛋白,它可能抑制某些盐诱导基因的表达.在ABA处理下,转基因拟南芥植株比野生型植株抽苔晚,说明OsZFP1基因的作用可能受ABA调节.     

Oryzacystatin Exogenously Introduced into Protoplasts and Regeneration of Transgenic Rice

Oryzacystatin (OC) is a proteinaceous cysteine proteinase inhibitor involved in the biodefense of rice seeds. To create transgenic rice plants with increased OC activity, we introduced an OC expressing vector into rice protoplasts and obtained transformed calli. The expression vector contained a bacterial inaA DNA fragment in the 3′-noncoding region as a tag to distinguish the introduced DNA from the intrinsic OC gene. The OC vector and a selection marker gene conferring hygromycin resistance were used together to transfect into rice protoplasts. A number of hygromycin-resistant calli were obtained and studied by polymerase chain reaction and genomic Southern blotting to find if the exogenous OC gene had been integrated. The calli were studied by northern blotting as well to examine mRNA expression. The results showed that integration and expression of the introduced OC gene occurred in 51% and 27%, respectively, of 156 subcultures from 15 hygromycin-resistant calli. As a final step, transgenic rice plants were regenerated from the calli expressing OC. Leaves and seeds from the plants had higher OC activities than those from nontransgenic plants.     

GUS expression driven by constitutive and phloem-specific promoters in citrus hybrid US-802

Transgenic solutions are being widely explored to develop huanglongbing (HLB) resistance in citrus. A critical component of a transgenic construct is the promoter, which determines tissue specificity and level of target gene expression. This study compares the characteristics of five promoters regulating the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in the trifoliate hybrid rootstock US-802. Two of the selected promoters direct high levels of constitutive transgene expression in other dicotyledonous plants: 2X35S, the tandem-repeat promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S gene and bul409S, a truncation of the potato polyubiquitin promoter. Because Candidatus Liberibacter, the Gram-negative bacterium associated with HLB, infects only the phloem tissue, it may be advantageous to limit transgene expression to the vascular tissue and reduce expression in the fruit. Thus, we also tested three promoters that demonstrate phloem specificity when transformed and expressed in other plants: WDV, from wheat dwarf geminivirus; AtSUC2, the sucrose-H+ symporter gene promoter from Arabidopsis; and CsSUS, the sucrose synthase promoter from citrus. Histochemical staining for GUS activity was observed throughout leaf and stem tissues for the constitutive promoters, while the three phloem-specific promoters largely showed the expected tissue-specific staining. Expression of GUS in some individual transformants with promoters CsSUS and WDV appeared leaky, with some laminar tissue staining. Relative quantification of qRT-PCR data revealed a wide range of mRNA abundance from transgenics with each of the five promoters. Fluorometry also revealed that GUS activity differed depending on the promoter used, but mRNA levels and enzyme activity were not highly correlated.