灰葡萄孢分生孢子产生相关基因的克隆及功能分析

[目的]克隆灰葡萄孢分生孢子产生相关基因,并研究其功能,为进一步研究灰葡萄孢分生孢子产生机理和灰葡萄孢侵染及致病机理奠定基础.[方法]通过筛选灰葡萄孢ATMT突变体库,获得一株不能产生分生孢子的突变菌株BCt78,采用PCR和Southern Blotting技术,对突变菌株BCt78进行分子鉴定.利用TAIL-PCR技术获得T-DNA插入位点的侧翼序列;将所获得侧翼序列与灰葡萄孢基因组数据库中的已知基因序列进行BLAST分析,推测出T-DNA的插入位点;通过PCR进一步验证T-DNA的插入位点,利用RT-PCR技术确定突变基因;最后对突变菌株的菌落形态、生长速度、胞壁降解酶活力、粗毒素的生物活性、对番茄叶片的致病能力及部分致病相关基因的表达情况进行研究.[结果]TAIL-PCR结果证实T-DNA插入到灰葡萄孢BCIG 12707.1基因的ATG起始密码子区;RT-PCR结果证实突变基因为BCIG_12707.1,该基因DNA全长为135 bp,编码一个44个氨基酸的假定蛋白(Hypothetical protein).突变菌株在PDA培养基上菌落呈灰白色,生长速度减慢,不能产生分生孢子及菌核;对番茄叶片的致病性增强,且胞壁降解酶(PG、PMG和Cx)活力增强;突变菌株中参与细胞壁降解的角质酶基因cutA和多聚半乳糖醛酸酶基因Bepg1,信号转导途径基因(PKA1、PKA2、Bac、Bmp3),产毒素基因BcBOT2(Sesquiterpene synthase),漆酶基因Lac1,跨膜蛋白基因Btp1表达都增强.[结论]BC1G_ 12707.1基因在灰葡萄孢分生孢子产生、菌核形成及致病力等方面起重要作用.     

Mesorhizobium loti increases root-specific expression of a calcium-binding protein homologue identified by promoter tagging in Lotus japonicus

A promoter tagging program in the legume Lotus japonicus was initiated to identify plant genes involved in the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia. Seven transformed plant lines expressing the promoterless reporter gene uidA (beta-glucuronidase; GUS) specifically in roots and/or nodules were identified. Four of these expressed GUS in the roots only after inoculation with nodule-forming Mesorhizobium loti. In one line (T90), GUS activity was found in the root epidermis, including root hairs. During seedling growth, GUS expression gradually became focused in developing nodules and disappeared from root tissue. No GUS activity was detected when a non-nodulating mutant of M. loti was used to inoculate the plants. The T-DNA insertion in this plant line was located 1.3 kb upstream of a putative coding sequence with strong homology to calcium-binding proteins. Four motifs were identified, which were very similar to the "EF hands" in calmodulin-related proteins, each binding one Ca2+. We have named the gene LjCbp1 (calcium-binding protein). Northern (RNA) analyses showed that this gene is expressed specifically in roots of L. japonicus. Expression was reduced in roots inoculated with non-nodulating M. loti mutants and in progeny homozygous for the T-DNA insertion, suggesting a link between the T-DNA insertion and this gene.     

Characterization and Fine Mapping of a Novel Rice Narrow Leaf Mutant nal9

A narrow leaf mutant was isolated from transgenic rice （Oryza sativa L.） lines carrying a T-DNA insertion. The mutant is characterized by narrow leaves during its whole growth period, and was named nal9 （narrow leaf 9）. The mutant also has other phenotypes, such as light green leaves at the seedling stage, reduced plant height, a small panicle and increased tillering. Genetic analysis revealed that the mutation is controlled by a single recessive gene. A hygromycin resistance assay showed that the mutation was not caused by T-DNA insertion, so a map-based cloning strategy was employed to isolate the nal9 gene. The mutant individuals from the F2 generations of a cross between the nal9mutant and Longtepu were used for mapping. With 24 F2 mutants, the nal9 gene was preliminarily mapped near the marker RM156 on the chromosome 3. New INDEL markers were then designed based on the sequence differences between japonica and indica at the region near RM156. The nal9 gene was finally located in a 69.3 kb region between the markers V239B and V239G within BAC OJ1212_C05 by chromosome walking. Sequence and expression analysis showed that an ATP-dependent CIp protease proteolytic subunit gene （CIpP） was most likely to be the nal9 gene. Furthermore, the nal9 mutation was rescued by transformation of the CIpP cDNA driven by the 35S promoter. Accordingly, the CIpP gene was identified as the NAL9 gene. Our results provide a basis for functional studies of NAL9 in future work.     

拟南芥茎顶端分生组织相关突变体的表型与结构分析

以拟南芥野生型(C24)和T-DNA插入诱发的突变体(155系)为材料,通过表型分析、组织切片、GUS基因表达的组织化学定位等研究方法对155系的形态结构和生长发育进行了较为细致的观察分析,结果发现:(1)T-DNA插入诱发的155系突变体植株矮化,叶片等器官体积减小,营养生长阶段延长,发育较C24缓慢;(2)同一时期155系的茎顶端分生组织面积较C24减小,顶端平坦,细胞层数减少,两侧叶原基基部之间的距离缩短,呈现出发育迟缓、从茎顶端分生组织向花分生组织转变延迟等特征;(3)GUS基因特异性地在155系茎顶端分生组织和维管组织中表达.结果表明,T-DNA诱捕基因可能在茎顶端分生组织中发挥作用,由于T-DNA的插入使该基因的功能受到了影响,进而影响了155系中茎顶端分生组织的发育模式,产生了155系的一系列表型改变.     

水稻剑叶突变体的表型及T-DNA旁邻基因分析

从已构建的水稻（Oryza sativa L.）T-DNA插入突变体中鉴定获得一株穗部额外发育出叶片的突变体,并根据该叶片的形态学位置将其命名为剑叶突变体（J4）。研究表明这种额外发育的叶片呈现明显的缺陷,主要表现为叶片短小、表皮细胞变小、叶片中维管束数目减少等。进一步通过TAIL-PCR和inverse-PCR的方法克隆该突变体中T-DNA插入位置的旁邻序列,从而准确地将T-DNA定位到2号染色体上。基因表达分析显示,T-DNA插入位置附近的AK100376基因在J4突变体以及表型类似突变体neck leaf 1中的表达均被明显下调,可初步将其确定为与剑叶突变体表型相关的候选基因。     

A novel high-throughput genetic screen for stress-responsive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana reveals new loci involving stress responses

Activation sequence-1 (as-1) cognate promoter elements are widespread in the promoters of plant defense-related genes as well as in plant pathogen promoters, and may play important roles in the activation of defense-related genes. The as-1-type elements are highly responsive to multiple stress stimuli such as jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), H(2)O(2), xenobiotics and heavy metals, and therefore provide a unique opportunity for identifying additional signaling components and cross-talk points in the various signaling networks. A single as-1-type cis-element-driven GUS reporter Arabidopsis line responsive to JA, SA, H(2)O(2), xenobiotics and heavy metals was constructed for mutagenesis. A large-scale T-DNA mutagenesis has been conducted in the reporter background, and an efficient high-throughput mutant screen was established for isolating mutants with altered responses to the stress chemicals. A number of mutants with altered stress responses were obtained, some of which appear to identify new components in the as-1-based signal transduction pathways. We characterized a mutant (Delta8L4) with a T-DNA insertion in the coding sequence of the gene At4g24275. The as-1-regulated gene expression and GUS reporter gene expression were altered in the Delta8L4 mutant, but there was no change in the expression of genes lacking as-1 elements in their promoters. The phenotype observed with the Delta8L4 mutant was further verified using RNAi plants for At4g24275 (8L4-RNAi), suggesting the feasibility of use of this high-throughput mutant screening in isolating stress-signaling mutants.     

Phenotypical and structural characterization of the Arabidopsis mutant involved in shoot apical meristem

An Arabidopsis mutant induced by T-DNA insertion was studied with respect to its phenotype, micro-structure of shoot apical meristem (SAM) and histo-chemical localization of the GUS gene in comparison with the wild type. Phenotypical observation found that the mutant exhibited a dwarf phenotype with smaller organs (such as smaller leaves, shorter petioles), and slower development and flowering time compared to the wild type. Optical microscopic analysis of the mutant showed that it had a smaller and more flattened SAM, with reduced cell layers and a shortened distance between two leaf primordia compared with the wild type. In addi-tion, analysis of the histo-chemical localization of the GUS gene revealed that it was specifically expressed in the SAM and the vascular tissue of the mutant, which suggests that the gene trapped by T-DNA may function in the SAM, and T-DNA insertion could influence the functional activity of the related gene in the mutant, lead-ing to alterations in the SAM and a series of phenotypes in the mutant.     

Cloning of higher plant omega-3 fatty acid desaturases.

Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA transformants were screened for mutations affecting seed fatty acid composition. A mutant line was found with reduced levels of linolenic acid (18:3) due to a T-DNA insertion. Genomic DNA flanking the T-DNA insertion was used to obtain an Arabidopsis cDNA that encodes a polypeptide identified as a microsomal omega-3 fatty acid desaturase by its complementation of the mutation. Analysis of lipid content in transgenic tissues demonstrated that this enzyme is limiting for 18:3 production in Arabidopsis seeds and carrot hairy roots. This cDNA was used to isolate a related Arabidopsis cDNA, whose mRNA is accumulated to a much higher level in leaf tissue relative to root tissue. This related cDNA encodes a protein that is a homolog of the microsomal desaturase but has an N-terminal extension deduced to be a transit peptide, and its gene maps to a position consistent with that of the Arabidopsis fad D locus, which controls plastid omega-3 desaturation. These Arabidopsis cDNAs were used as hybridization probes to isolate cDNAs encoding homologous proteins from developing seeds of soybean and rapeseed. The high degree of sequence similarity between these sequences suggests that the omega-3 desaturases use a common enzyme mechanism.     

水稻谷氨酰半胱氨酸合成酶基因的结构和表达分析

利用该实验室T-DNA标签的编号为L395的水稻突变体,克隆了一个编码水稻谷胱苷肽(GSH)合成途径中关键酶即谷氨酰半胱氨酸合成酶(GCs)的基因,将其命名为OsGCS(Genbank accession No.AJ508915).该基因位于水稻第五染色体上,OsGCS基因含有15个外显子和14个内含子,编码492个氨基酸.该基因与拟南芥的GCS基因相比较,编码区域同源性较高,而启动子区域的序列没有显著的相似性.通过RT-PCR的方法确定OsGCS基因的转录起始位点可能位于翻译起始位点(ATG)上游211bp处.在L395突变体中,T-DNA是单拷贝形式插入在OsGCS基因的第二内含子和外显子连接处,并且造成了3个碱基的缺失.在重金属耐受性、OsGCS基因表达以及体内GsH含量方面突变体L395和对照中花11之间没有明显的差别.     

The Lmgpi15 gene, encoding a component of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis pathway, is required for morphogenesis and pathogenicity in Leptosphaeria maculans

Random insertional mutagenesis was used to investigate pathogenicity determinants in Leptosphaeria maculans. One tagged nonpathogenic mutant, termed m20, was analysed in detail here. The mutant phenotype was investigated by microscopic analyses of infected plant tissues and in vitro growth assays. Complementation and silencing experiments were used to identify the altered gene. Its function was determined by bioinformatics analyses, cell biology experiments and functional studies. The mutant was blocked at the invasive growth phase after an unaffected initial penetration stage, and displayed a reduced growth rate and an aberrant hyphal morphology in vitro. The T-DNA insertion occurred in the intergenic region between two head-to-tail genes, leading to a complex deregulation of their expression. The unique gene accounting for the mutant phenotype was suggested to be the orthologue of the poorly conserved Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpi15, which encodes for one component of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis pathway. Consistent with this predicted function, a functional translational fusion with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, the mutant exhibited an altered cell wall and addition of glucosamine relieved growth defects. It is concluded that the GPI anchor biosynthetic pathway is required for morphogenesis, cell wall integrity and pathogenicity in Leptosphaeria maculans.     

Agrobacterium rhizogenes GALLS protein substitutes for Agrobacterium tumefaciens single-stranded DNA-binding protein VirE2

Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes transfer plasmid-encoded genes and virulence (Vir) proteins into plant cells. The transferred DNA (T-DNA) is stably inherited and expressed in plant cells, causing crown gall or hairy root disease. DNA transfer from A. tumefaciens into plant cells resembles plasmid conjugation; single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is exported from the bacteria via a type IV secretion system comprised of VirB1 through VirB11 and VirD4. Bacteria also secrete certain Vir proteins into plant cells via this pore. One of these, VirE2, is an ssDNA-binding protein crucial for efficient T-DNA transfer and integration. VirE2 binds incoming ssT-DNA and helps target it into the nucleus. Some strains of A. rhizogenes lack VirE2, but they still transfer T-DNA efficiently. We isolated a novel gene from A. rhizogenes that restored pathogenicity to virE2 mutant A. tumefaciens. The GALLS gene was essential for pathogenicity of A. rhizogenes. Unlike VirE2, GALLS contains a nucleoside triphosphate binding motif similar to one in TraA, a strand transferase conjugation protein. Despite their lack of similarity, GALLS substituted for VirE2.     

尖镰孢古巴专化型1号生理小种致病相关基因敲除突变体△Focr1-328的生物学特性

由尖镰孢古巴专化型1号生理小种Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 1（Focr1）引起的香蕉枯萎病是粉蕉类香蕉品种（AAB）不能规模化种植的最主要因素,其致病机理至今尚不十分清楚。本实验室前期通过T-DNA插入获得Focr1致病性丧失突变体Focr1-328,从Focr1全基因组序列中定位了因T-DNA插入失活的基因,并从野生型菌株Focr1-N2中敲除了该致病相关基因,获得了敲除突变体△Focr1-328。为了明确该致病相关基因的生物学功能,通过活体叶片、活体根     

The type-A response regulator,ARR15, acts as a negative regulator in the cytokinin-mediated signal transduction in Arabidopsis thaliana

The Arabidopsis thaliana AHK4 histidine kinase (also known as CRE1 or WOL) acts as a cytokinin signal transducer, presumably, in concert with downstream components, such as histidine-containing phosphotransfer factors (AHPs) and response regulators (ARRs), through the histidine-to-aspartate (His-->Asp) phosphorelay. Among 10 members of the type-A ARR family, the cytokinin-induced expression of ARR15 in roots is selectively impaired in the cre1-1 mutant, which carries a mutation in the AHK4 gene, suggesting a link between this type-A response regulator and the AHK4-mediated cytokinin signal transduction in roots. To address this issue further, we characterized a T-DNA insertion mutant of ARR15, and also constructed transgenic lines (referred to as ARR15-ox) that overexpress the ARR15 gene in a manner independent of cytokinin. While the T-DNA insertion mutant (arr15-1) showed no apparent phenotype, the cytokinin-independent overexpression of ARR15 in ARR15-ox plants resulted in a reduced sensitivity toward exogenously applied cytokinin, not only in elongation of roots in plants, but also in green callus formation (or shoot formation) in explants. Cytokinin-induced expressions of certain type-A ARRs were also down-regulated in ARR15-ox plants. These results support the view that ARR15 acts as a repressor that mediates a negative feedback loop in the cytokinin and AHK4-mediated His-->Asp phosphorelay.     

Arabidopsis thaliana VTC4 encodes L-galactose-1-P phosphatase, a plant ascorbic acid biosynthetic enzyme

In plants, a proposed ascorbate (vitamin C) biosynthesis pathway occurs via GDP-D-mannose (GDP-D-Man), GDP-L-galactose (GDP-L-Gal), and L-galactose. However, the steps involved in the synthesis of L-Gal from GDP-L-Gal in planta are not fully characterized. Here we present evidence for an in vivo role for L-Gal-1-P phosphatase in plant ascorbate biosynthesis. We have characterized a low ascorbate mutant (vtc4-1) of Arabidopsis thaliana, which exhibits decreased ascorbate biosynthesis. Genetic mapping and sequencing of the VTC4 locus identified a mutation (P92L) in a gene with predicted L-Gal-1-P phosphatase activity (At3g02870). Pro-92 is within a beta-bulge that is conserved in related myo-inositol monophosphatases. The mutation is predicted to disrupt the positioning of catalytic amino acid residues within the active site. Accordingly, L-Gal-1-P phosphatase activity in vtc4-1 was approximately 50% of wild-type plants. In addition, vtc4-1 plants incorporate significantly more radiolabel from [2-(3)H]Man into L-galactosyl residues suggesting that the mutation increases the availability of GDP-L-Gal for polysaccharide synthesis. Finally, a homozygous T-DNA insertion line, which lacks a functional At3g02870 gene product, is also ascorbate-deficient (50% of wild type) and deficient in L-Gal-1-P phosphatase activity. Genetic complementation tests revealed that the insertion mutant and VTC4-1 are alleles of the same genetic locus. The significantly lower ascorbate and perturbed L-Gal metabolism in vtc4-1 and the T-DNA insertion mutant indicate that L-Gal-1-P phosphatase plays a role in plant ascorbate biosynthesis. The presence of ascorbate in the T-DNA insertion mutant suggests there is a bypass to this enzyme or that other pathways also contribute to ascorbate biosynthesis.     

An archaebacterial topoisomerase homolog not present in other eukaryotes is indispensable for cell proliferation of plants

Plants, in contrast to other eukaryotes, possess not only homologs of subunit A (AtSPO11-1, 2, 3) but also of subunit B (AtTOP6B) of the archaebacterial topoisomerase VI. AtTOP6B and AtSPO11-3 are strongly expressed in somatic tissue of Arabidopsis and are able to interact with each other in vitro. A T-DNA insertion in AtTOP6B results in deficient cell proliferation; plants stop growing at the rosette stage, have small crinkled leaves, and die about 4 weeks after germination. Cultured root cells die after a limited number of cell divisions. The mitotic index of the root meristems is strongly reduced. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrates that endoreplication in mutant plants is stopped at the 8C stage; the last cycle is not completed in most cases. Mutant plants show a significant increase in nuclear DNA strand breaks. A T-DNA insertion mutant of AtSPO11-3 has a phenotype that is almost to that of AtTOP6B and the double mutant. Thus, both genes seem to act in vivo as subunits of a functional entity. A loss of this function most likely results in a defect in DNA replication, leading directly, or via the activation of a DNA damage checkpoint, to an arrest of cell division and endoreduplication. The dependence on an archaebacterial topoisomerase VI homolog distinguishes plants from the other eukaryotic kingdoms.