Analyses of Arabidopsis trr14 T-DNA Insertion Mutants Reveal an Essential Role in Seed Germination

TRR14 is an unknown protein that was first identified as a component of Arabidopsis responses to trehalose treatment. Phylogenic analysis showed that TRR14 belongs to a seven-gene family in Arabidopsis. Close homologues of TRR14 were found in plants and many cyanobacteria. GFP expression analysis showed that TRR14 is located in the chloroplast. GUS::TRR14 expression was found in leaves, flowers, stems and siliques. We investigated the functional roles of TRR14 in Arabidopsis thaliana under salt and drought stress. By a reverse genetic approach, two trr14 T-DNA insertion mutants were isolated from the SALK collection. Functional analysis of the trr14 mutants revealed enhanced sensitivity of the mutants to salt and drought stress, compared with the wild type plants. Further experiments indicated that the trr14 mutants have reduced seed germination, root length, survival rate and chlorophyll content under stress conditions. In addition activity of oxidative enzymes like peroxidase, catalase and polyphenol oxidase was reduced under salt and drought treatments. Thus, the present data indicate that a novel protein, TRR14, is involved in plant salt and drought tolerance.     

化学诱导激活型拟南芥突变体库的构建及分析

利用化学诱导激活XVE（LexA-VP16-ER）系统构建了一个包含40000余个独立转化株系的拟南芥突变体库,并对其中的18000余个株系进行了初步的遗传学和表型分析鉴定。卡那霉素抗性分离比表明,51．6％的株系为单位点插入株系,T-DNA插入的平均拷贝数为每株系1．38个。部分T1代和T2代植株表现出了可见的形态变异,包括下胚轴长度、根长度、植株大小和颜色、叶子颜色和形态、开花时间、种皮颜色及结实情况等对数个代表性突变株系表型及T—DNA插入位点侧翼序列进行了分析,结果表明突变体的表型是由于T—DNA的插入造成的,而且这些突变体中包括前人发现的AP2和AGAMOUS的等位基因。由于T-DNA标记或相邻的基因可被XVE系统诱导性的激活,或被T-DNA破坏导致功能缺失,该突变体库可以用于大规模筛选鉴定功能缺失性和功能获得性突变体。     

Late-Blight-Resistant Tomato Plants Obtained by T-DNA Insertion Mutagenesis

T-DNA insertion mutagenesis, a novel molecular-genetic approach, was used to obtain tomato (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) plants resistant to late-blight disease caused by Phytophthora infestans(Mont.) De Bary. Plants were inoculated with a mixed pathogen population combining isolates from several sites in the Leningrad oblast. Among the plants of the primary transformant and first generation, we discerned forms with a modified leaf pattern and relative resistance to late blight. The plants with the modified leaf pattern were sterile: their bud initials never developed into flowers. The resistant plants were obtained at a frequency of 0.1%.     

拟南芥T-DNA插入突变体atsuc3的PCR鉴定

应用两种植物T-DNA插入突变体PCR鉴定方法,即“三引物法”和“双引物法”对拟南芥T-DNA插入突变体atsuc3（目的基因两条染色体均发生T-DNA插入的纯合突变体）进行鉴定和比较的结果表明,“三引物法”由于易产生非特异性扩增而无法得到PCR鉴定结果,从而导致鉴定失败;“双引物法”则可避免此种现象,得到可靠、有效的鉴定结果。     

Arabidopsis thaliana Mutant with T-DNA Insertion in the Flot1 (At5g25250) Gene Promotor Possesses Increased Resistance to NaCl

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - Flotillin membrane proteins are involved in many cellular processes and physiological functions. However, these proteins’ participation in plant response...     

拟南芥DTX31基因表达研究

以模式植物拟南芥为材料,通过PCR和RT-PCR在DNA和RNA水平上筛选鉴定了DTX31基因对应的T-DNA插入突变体,对其表型变化进行了观察.通过半定量RT-PCR分析检测了DTX31基因在拟南芥不同器官及环境胁迫响应中的表达情况,结果发现:DTX31基因在根中表达最高,而在茎、叶、叶柄、花中的表达则较弱;盐和赤霉素使DTX31基因的表达迅速升高,盐胁迫2 h后的表达量达到最高峰,GA处理1 h时就达到最高峰,热激使DTX31基因的表达变化不明显.因此,推测该基因可能是盐和GA信号传导通路中的一个重要调控因子.     

Cloning of an Arabidopsis patatin-like gene, STURDY, by activation T-DNA tagging

Activation T-DNA tagging can generate dominant gain-of-function mutants by overexpression of a particular endogenous gene. We identified an activation-tagged mutant, sturdy, exhibiting a stiff inflorescence stem, thicker leaves, shorter siliques, larger seeds, round-shaped flowers, and delayed growth. It is most important that unlike its wild-type counterpart, this mutant is less prone to lodging. Cloning of STURDY revealed that in sturdy, there is an open reading frame containing a single intron encoding a patatin-like homolog. The T-DNA is inserted into the 3' region of the second exon. The mutant phenotype was shown to be the result of overexpression of STURDY by mRNA analysis and transgenic studies. Preliminary histological studies have revealed an increase in cell number in the inflorescence stem of mutant plants; however, additional studies are needed to better understand the overexpression phenotype.     

Dramatic Increase in Expression of a Transgene by Insertion of Promoters Downstream of the Cargo Gene

For expression of genes in mammalian cells, various vectors have been developed using promoters including CMV, EF-1α, and CAG promoters and have been widely used. However, such expression vectors sometimes fail to attain sufficient expression levels depending on the nature of cargo genes and/or on host cell types. In the present study, we aimed to develop a potent promoter system that enables high expression levels of cargo genes ubiquitously in many different cell types. We found that insertion of an additional promoter downstream of a cargo gene greatly enhanced the expression levels. Among the constructs we tested, C-TSC cassette (C: CMV-RU5′ located upstream; TSC: another promoter unit composed of triple tandem promoters, hTERT, SV40, and CMV, located downstream of the cDNA plus a polyadenylation signal) had the most potent capability, showing far higher efficiency than that of potent conventional vector systems. The results indicate that the new expression system is useful for production of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells and for application as a gene therapeutic measure.     

Aberrant Splicing and Transcription Termination Caused by P Element Insertion into the Intron of a Drosophila Gene

Insertional mutagenesis screens using the P[lacZ, rosy(+)] (PZ) transposable element have provided thousands of mutant lines for analyzing genes of varied function in the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster. As has been observed with other P elements, many of the PZ-induced mutations result from insertion of the P element into the promoter or 5'' untranslated regions of the affected gene. We document here a novel mechanism for mutagenesis by this element. We show that sequences present within the element direct aberrant splicing and termination events that produce a mRNA composed of 5'' sequences from the mutated gene (in this case, pipsqueak) and 3'' sequences from within the P[lacZ, rosy(+)] element. These truncated RNAs could yield proteins with dominant mutant effects.     

一个推测的拟南芥漆酶基因在巴斯德毕赤酵母中的表达

At5g01040基因是一个推测的拟南芥漆酶基因。根据其编码序列设计引物,利用RT—PCR方法扩增出1755bp的片段。测序结果表明,该片段存在3个突变位点,其中一个突变位点改变了所编码的氨基酸。将该片段克隆到表达载体pPICZaB上,电击转化毕赤酵母。经筛选获得80个候选重组菌株,其中18个菌株的培养液中存在漆酶活性,说明所克隆的基因在毕赤酵母中实现了分泌表达,证实了At5g01040编码的蛋白具有漆酶活性。     

Pollen of a Male-Sterile Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana Isolated from a T-DNA Insertion Pool is Not Effectively Released from The Anther Locule

We have isolated a male-sterile mutant from a pool of T-DNAinsertional lines of Arabidopsis thaliana generated by an inplanta transformation procedure [Chang et al. (1994) Plant J.5: 551]. Pollen in this mutant is not effectively released fromanther locules after cleavage of the stomium. Most mutant pollengrains are round, in contrast to the tricolpate wild-type pollen,and some pollen grains show an abnormal surface structure. Manuallyreleased mutant pollen grains are not fertile and show defectsin pollen tube germination in vitro. Genetic analysis disclosedthat this lesion is due to a single recessive nuclear mutationlocated on chromosome 3 closely linked to the gl1 locus. Themutation locus is tightly linked to the inserted T-DNA. ¹Present address: CSIRO, Division of Plant Industry, GPO Box1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia     

Herbicide Safener-Inducible Gene Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana

The potential use of a new chemical-inducibie gene expressionsystem in Arabidopsis thaliana has been examined. The systemis based on the maize In2-2 promoter which is activated by benzenesulfonamideherbicide safe-ners. Plants transformed with the ß-glucuronidase(gus) reporter gene under the control of the In2-2 promoterwere grown in the presence of different safeners and the inducedGUS activity pattern was studied histochemically. In the absenceof safeners, the In2-2 promoter was not active. Applicationof different safeners induced distinct gus expression patterns,including expression in the root, hy-dathodes, and the shootapical meristem. Plants maintained continuously on inducingconcentrations of the safeners were retarded in growth. Thegrowth inhibition effects of the Sa5 safener could be overcomein a sul-fonylurea-resistant background. In2-2 promoter activitycould also be induced by the sulfonylurea herbicide chlor-sulfuron.In the sulfonylurea-resistant background, which derives fromherbicide-resistant acetolactate synthase activity, inductionof the In2-2 promoter by chlorsulfuron was lower. Furthermore,branched-chain amino acids, known to inhibit acetolactate synthaseactivity, also induced In2-2 promoter activity. Our data suggesta strong correlation between In2-2 expression and inhibitionof the acetolactate synthase activity. (Received November 12, 1996; Accepted February 21, 1997)     

拟南芥AtJ50基因表达特性的研究

以拟南芥野生型和AtJ50∷GUS转基因株系为材料,通过半定量RT-PCR和GUS组织化学染色法探索AtJ50基因的时空表达特性.结果表明:(1)AtJ50基因在根、茎、叶、花和果实中都有表达,花和叶中表达最高,茎和根中次之,成熟的长角果中几乎没有表达;随着植株的成熟和衰老,AtJ50基因的表达量逐渐下降.(2)半定量RT-PCR法分析结果表明,AtJ50基因表达受0.2 mol·L-1的NaCl诱导,随着NaCl处理时间的延长表达量增加,12 h后表达量达到最高,24 h后又有所下降;水分胁迫也可诱导AtJ50基因的表达,水分胁迫0.5 h后AtJ50基因表达量开始增加,1 h后达到最高,2 h后又开始下降.