Cloning and promoter analysis of the cotton lipid transfer protein gene Ltp3(1)

A cotton Ltp3 gene and its 5' and 3' flanking regions have been cloned with a PCR-based genomic DNA walking method. The amplified 2.6 kb DNA fragment contains sequences corresponding to GH3 cDNA which has been shown to encode a lipid transfer protein (LTP3). The gene has an intron of 80 bp which is located in the region corresponding to the C-terminus of LTP3. The Ltp3 promoter was systematically analyzed in transgenic tobacco plants by employing the Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase gene (GUS) as a reporter. The results of histochemical and fluorogenic GUS assays indicate that the 5' flanking region of the Ltp3 gene contains cis-elements conferring the trichome specific activity of Ltp3 promoter.     

甘蔗 UGPase 5’侧翼序列克隆及缺失表达分析简

以甘蔗(FN95;-1702)为材料,通过接头连接PCR方法克隆该基因不同长度5′侧翼序列。将不同长度的5′侧翼序列连同UGPase基因的外显子片段定向插入到GUS基因上游,在保证其后GUS编码框不发生偏移的情况下,插入的UGPase外显子融合GUS表达成为新的报告基因。根据此策略,构建了一系列表达结构为5′ Flanking Sequence-UGPase Exon-GUS-Nos polyA的5′侧翼序列缺失表达载体,进行启动子活性分析。注射法转染烟草叶片组织检测GUS瞬时表达,分析结果表明,所克隆到的UGPase基因5′端侧翼序列不具有启动子活性。     

Structural characterization and promoter activity analysis of the γ-kafirin gene from sorghum

A genomic clone encoding the γ-kafirin gene from sorghum was isolated and sequenced. A 2938 bp sequenced fragment includes an intronless open reading frame of 636 nucleotides encoding a putative polypeptide of 212 amino acids. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of γ-kafirin with the published sequences of γ-prolamins of maize, and Coix revealed highly conserved domains. The N-terminal region of these proteins contains the conserved hexapeptide PPPVHL, which is repeated eight times in γ-zein, four times in γ-kafirin and three times in γ-coixin. The number of PPPVHL repeats accounts predominantly for the differences in the molecular weights of γ-prolamins. Several putative regulatory sequences common to the γ-kafirin and γ-zein genes were identified in both the 5′ and the 3′ flanking regions. Putative GCN4-like regulatory sequences were found at positions ?192 and ?476 in the 5′ flanking region of γ-kafirin. In the 3′ noncoding region, three putative polyadenylation signals, two AATAAT and one AATGAA, were found at positions + 658, + 716, and + 785, respectively. In order to investigate the role of the putative GCN4-like motifs and other possible cis-acting element(s) of the γ-kafirin promoter, a series of deleted and chimeric promoter constructs were introduced into maize, Coix and sorghum tissues by particle bombardment. Histochemical analysis of β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity in different tissues indicated that the element(s) responsible for tissue specificity is probably located in the 285-bp proximal region of the promoter, while the remaining promoter sequence seems to carry the element(s) responsible for the quantitative response.     

杜氏盐藻硝酸盐还原酶基因5′上游序列的克隆与功能分析

目的:克隆杜氏盐藻硝酸盐还原酶（NR）基因5′上游序列序列,并对其功能进行分析。方法: 利用BamHI、EcoRI、HindIII、PstI、SalI、Xbal 6种限制性内切酶分别酶切盐藻基因组DNA,并与接头连接,构建成盐藻基因组步行文库。采用 LA-PCR方法,从上述盐藻步行基因组文库中扩增NR基因5′上游序列序列,测序并进行分析。为检测其表达特性,构建了该片段与GUS 嵌合基因的表达载体pNR-GUS, 通过电击法将所构建的重组表达载体转化盐藻,组织化学染色法观察GUS的表达。结果: 从盐藻基因组步行文库中扩增出约1200bp特异片段,序列分析表明5′上游序列含有启动子的特征性序列。GUS瞬时表达染色结果显示,该DNA 片段具有硝酸盐诱导和铵抑制的启动子活性。结论：所克隆的盐藻的5′上游序列可能是一种具有"开关"活性的可控性启动子。     

麻疯树苯丙氨酸解氨酶启动子的克隆和表达载体的构建

苯丙氨酸解氨酶（phenylalanine ammonia lyase, PAL）是苯丙烷类代谢途径的关键酶,催化苯丙氨酸转化为肉桂酸,促进黄酮、香豆素等次生代谢物的生成。本文根据已克隆的麻疯树苯丙氨酸解氨酶基因JcPAL的序列设计引物,通过DNA步移技术,克隆出长度为1 334 bp的JcPAL基因起始密码子上游序列。序列分析显示其不仅具备CAAT、TATA盒这些保守元件,而且包含多种胁迫诱导元件,特别是在序列中发现一些苯丙氨酸解氨酶特有的元件。为了鉴定JcPAL基因的启动子元件,分别将长度不同的5′端侧翼区缺失体定向插入载体pBI121中, 取代原有的CaMV35S启动子,构建了4个驱动报告基因GUS的植物表达载体。     

Developmental and pathogen-induced activation of an msr gene,str246C,from tobacco involves multiple regulatory elements

A family of genes, the so-called msr genes (multiple stimulus response), has recently been identified on the basis of sequence homology in various plant species. Members of this gene family are thought to be regulated by a number of environmental or developmental stimuli, although it is not known whether any one member responds more specifically to one stimulus, or whether each gene member responds to various environmental stimuli. In this report, we address this question by studying the tobacco msr gene str246C. Using transgenic tobacco plants containing 2.1 kb of 5′ flanking DNA sequence from the str246C gene fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) coding region, the complex expression pattern of the str246C promoter has been characterized. Expression of the str246C promoter is strongly and rapidly induced by bacterial, fungal and viral infection and this induction is systemic. Elicitor preparations from phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi activate the str246C promoter to high levels, as do wounding, the application of auxin, auxin and cytokinin, salicylic acid or copper sulfate, indicating the absence of gene specialization within the msr gene family, at least for str246C. In addition, GUS activity was visualized. histochemically in root meristematic tissues of tobacco seedlings and is restricted to roots and sepals of mature plants. Finally, analysis of a series of 5′ deletions of the str246C promoter-GUS gene fusion in transgenic tobacco plants confirms the involvement of multiple regulatory elements. A region of 83 by was found to be necessary for induction of promoter activity in response to Pseudomonas solanacearum, while auxin inducibility and root expression are apparently not controlled by this element, since its removal does not abolish either response. An element of the promoter with a negative effect on promoter activation by P. solanacearum was also identified.     

Structure and expression of the barley lipid transfer protein gene Ltp1

We have characterized a gene (Ltp1) encoding a barley lipid transfer protein. Northern blot analysis showed that Ltp1 mRNA accumulates specifically in the aleurone layer of developing and germinating seeds. Southern blot analysis indicated that LTP1 protein is encoded by a single gene in barley. Sequence analysis of Ltp1 showed that it contains an open reading frame of 351 bp interrupted by a single intron of 133 bp. Transient expression assays indicated that 702 bp of the 5 upstream region of Ltp1 is sufficient to direct aleurone-specific expression during late seed development and early germination.     

T-DNA tagging of the translation initiation factor eIF-4A1 of Arabidopsis thaliana

A transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana line, generated using a T-DNA vector carrying a promoterless gus reporter gene, showed intense GUS expression in young leaves and rapidly growing stem tissues. The gus fusion has tagged the 3′ region of the gene encoding the A. thaliana eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF-4A1. Comparison of the genomic and cDNA sequence shows that the eIF-4A1 gene contains four introns. Three introns interrupt the translated region, whereas the largest intron splits the 5′-untranslated region. In plants homozygous for the T-DNA markers, the eIF-4A1 and gus genes are expressed as different mature mRNAs. The gus gene is possibly expressed from a cryptic promoter downstream the eIF-4A1 gene.