Cloning and characterization of a cathepsin D inhibitor gene from Solanum tuberosum L.

A DNA clone encoding a cathepsin D inhibitor CathInh was isolated from a potato genomic library using a CathInh cDNA as hybridization probe. The amino acid sequence of the coding region is nearly identical with a CathInh cDNA and CathInh proteins previously isolated from a tuber-specific cDNA library and from tubers, respectively. Analysis of GUS activity resulting from expression of chimeric CathInh promoter-GUS genes in transgenic potato plants revealed expression exclusively confined to potato tubers. No GUS activity could be detected in any other organ of the transgenic plants either constitutively or after wounding or treatment with abscisic and jasmonic acid (JA). Interestingly, part of the promoter region of the CathInh gene, essential for GUS activity in tubers, shows striking similarity to promoter regions of tuber-specific class I patatin genes.     

籼稻蜡质基因5＇上游区与GUS基因编码区融合基因的构建和在水稻中的瞬间表达

为了鉴定水稻蜡质基因５＇上游区的顺式作用因子与研究它们在组织专一性表达中的作用,我们对籼稻品种２３２的蜡质基因５＇上游－１１５至－２１２０的区域进行了顺序测定,并将此基因的５＇上游区同报告基因ＧＵＳ构建成融合基因,用基因枪粒子轰击的方法将此融合基因导入水稻未成熟种子的幼胚和糊粉层细胞中,瞬间表达检测的结果表明,我们构建的融合基因中蜡质基因５＇上游区的长度已足以使ＧＵＳ基因在上述组织中表达。     

Cloning an iron-regulated metal transporter from rice

Rice cDNA and genomic libraries were screened in order to clone an Fe(II) transporter gene. A cDNA clone highly homologous to the Arabidopsis Fe(II) transporter gene IRT1 was isolated from Fe-deficient rice roots. The cDNA clone was named OsIRT1. A genomic clone corresponding to the cDNA was also obtained, sequenced and analysed. When expressed in yeast cells, OsIRT1 cDNA reversed the growth defects of the yeast iron-uptake mutant. Northern blot analysis revealed that OsIRT1 mRNA was predominantly expressed in roots and was induced by Fe- and Cu-deficiency. This suggests that OsIRT1 is a functional metal transporter for iron, and is actively engaged in Fe uptake from soils, especially under limiting conditions.     

Isolation of a 1 195 bp 5′-Flanking Region of Rice Cytosolic Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and Analysis of Its Expression in Transgenic Rice

A genomic DNA fragment containing the 5′-upstream sequence and part of the open reading frame corresponding to the cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (cyFBPase) cDNA was isolated by Genome Walking. The 1 195 bp 5′-flanking region which started from the translation initiation ATG codon was fused to reporter gene encoding β-glucuronidase (GUS) and stably transferred to rice via particle bombardment. Strong GUS activity was detected in leaves and leaf sheaths of transgenic rice, but not in culms and roots. Histochemical localization revealed that GUS expression was exclusively restricted to mesophyll cells in transgenic rice. Our results indicate that the 1 195 bp fragment contains all the cis-elements required for directing mesophyll-specific expression pattern in rice. Key words: rice (Oryza sativa); promoter;　cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene; mesophyll-specific expression     

pib基因启动子及其诱导启动性初探

将pib基因上游5.7 kb区段取代pCAMBIA1301中gus基因上游的35S启动子构建了pib拟启动区-GUS+ 35S-hpt 基因表达载体pNAR604。经农杆菌介导转化水稻成熟胚愈伤,获得了转基因抗潮霉素愈伤和36株转基因水稻植株。 转基因抗性愈伤和转基因植株根的组织化学GUS活性检测表明,光照培养下的抗性愈伤和转基因植株根不能使X-gluc显色,而暗处理24 h后的抗性愈伤和定植后转基因植株的根能使X-gluc显色。转基因植株GUS荧光定量分析结果表明,GUS表达具有器官特异性,黑暗处理前根的GUS活性最高、茎次之,分别是是叶片的7倍和3倍,叶片中仅有痕量本底。24 h黑暗处理后根、茎、叶中GUS活性都有增加,且叶片中的增加比例最大,其活性仅次于根。5 mmol/L水杨酸和0.3 mol/L NaCl叶面喷施转基因植株24 h后叶片中GUS活性分别为处理前的2.7和3.6倍。初步确定pib拟启动区是一个诱导型启动子。黑暗、水杨酸和NaCl能诱导该启动子启动活性。     

The first intron of rice EPSP synthase enhances expression of foreign gene

Translatable exon sequences in pre-mRNA often are separated by non-coding introns in eu-karyotic genomes. The removal of non-coding introns from pre-mRNA and the splicing together of translatable exons sequence is an essential requirement of gene expression. DNA size of introns in a gene is 5—10 times larger than that of exon, which can store more information and is helpful for a gene during evolution[1]. In many experiments on gene expression, it is indispensable for a gene to be expresse…     

Tissue-preferential expression of a rice alpha-tubulin gene, OsTubA1, mediated by the first intron

The genomic clone encoding an alpha-tubulin, OsTubA1, has been isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.). The gene consists of four exons and three introns. RNA-blot analysis showed that the gene is strongly expressed in actively dividing tissues, including root tips, young leaves, and young flowers. Analysis of chimeric fusions between OsTubA1 and beta-glucuronidase (GUS) revealed that the intron 1 was required for high-level GUS expression in actively dividing tissues, corresponding with normal expression pattern of OsTubA1. Fusion constructs lacking the intron 1 showed more GUS staining in mature tissues rather than young tissues. When the intron 1 was placed at the distal region from 5'-upstream region or at the 3'-untranslated region, no enhancement of GUS expression was observed. Sequential deletions of the OsTubA1 intron 1 brought about a gradual reduction of GUS activity in calli. These results suggest that tissue-preferential expression of the OsTubA1 gene is mediated by the intron 1 and that it may be involved in a mechanism for an efficient RNA splicing that is position dependent.     

The scutellar vascular bundle-specific promoter of the wheat HD-Zip IV transcription factor shows similar spatial and temporal activity in transgenic wheat, barley and rice

An HD‐Zip IV gene from wheat, TaGL9, was isolated using a Y1H screen of a cDNA library prepared from developing wheat grain. TaGL9 has an amino acid sequence distinct from other reported members of the HD‐Zip IV family. The 3′ untranslated region of TaGL9 was used as a probe to isolate a genomic clone of the TaGL9 homologue from a BAC library prepared from Triticum durum L. cv. Langdon. The full‐length gene containing a 3‐kb‐long promoter region was designated TdGL9H1. Spatial and temporal activity of TdGL9H1 was examined using promoter‐GUS fusion constructs in transgenic wheat, barley and rice plants. Whole‐mount and histochemical GUS staining patterns revealed grain‐specific expression of TdGL9H1. GUS expression was initially observed between 3 and 8 days after pollination (DAP) in embryos at the globular stage and adjacent to the embryo fraction of the endosperm. Expression was strongest in the outer cell layer of the embryo. In developed wheat and barley embryos, strong activity of the promoter was only detected in the main vascular bundle of the scutellum, which is known to be responsible for the uptake of nutrients from the endosperm during germination and the endosperm‐dependent phase of seedling development. Furthermore, this pattern of GUS staining was observed in dry seeds several weeks after harvesting but quickly disappeared during imbibition. The promoter of this gene could be a useful tool for engineering of early seedling vigour and protecting the endosperm to embryo axis pathway from pathogens during grain desiccation and storage.     

Isolation of three novel Drosophila melanogaster genes containing repetitive sequences rich in GCN triplets.

Several cDNA and genomic clones were isolated from Drosophila melanogaster gene libraries by hybridization with a region of a mammalian gene that contains a simple repetitive sequence of six GCN repeats. One of the cDNA clones, E6, was completely sequenced and it was shown that it contains a region of 16 GCN repeats; these repeats encode a polyalanine stretch within a long open reading frame. The sequencing of three different genomic clones (A, B, and D) revealed that all the isolated Drosophila clones are similar to one another in a short region containing variable numbers of the GCN repeat. The genomic clone B was found to be the genomic counterpart of the cDNA clone E6. The other genomic clones, A and D, also hybridize with Drosophila cDNA clones at high stringency. These results indicate that the short GCN repetitive sequences, which we have named ala, are found within transcribed regions of the Drosophila genome. These Drosophila genes containing the ala repeat do not show significant sequence similarity to any presently known gene; we have named these novel genes ala-A, ala-B, and ala-D. The cDNA clone from gene ala-B was named ala-E6.     

A new 9-lipoxygenase cDNA from developing rice seeds

We isolated a novel C9 position specific lipoxygenase (r9-LOX1) cDNA from developing rice seeds. The enzymatic features of r9-LOX1 resembled those of rice LOX-L3 known to be contained in rice germ and to have C9-specific LOX activity. However, the expression level of the r9-LOX1 gene was higher in imbibed seeds rather than developing seeds. A homology search against the rice nucleotide database revealed the r9-LOX1 gene to be on rice chromosome 3 (accession number AC093017). The restriction enzyme map of the reported genomic sequence agreed with the result of the Southern blot analysis for the r9-LOX1. The enzyme could be useful for in vitro synthesis of 9,10-ketol-octadecadienoic acid.     

Characterization of a rice gene family encoding root-specific proteins

Two cDNA clones (RCc2 and RCc3) corresponding to mRNAs highly expressed only in root tissues of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings were characterized. Respectively, they encode polypeptides of 146 (14.5 kDa) and 133 amino acids (13.4 kDa) that share high (<70%) sequence similarity with a polypeptide encoded by a cDNA (ZRP3) encoding an mRNA preferentially expressed in young maize roots. Genomic DNA blot analysis revealed that they are members of a small gene family and RCg2, the gene corresponding to RCc2, was isolated. A 1656 bp 5-upstream sequence of RCg2 was translationally fused to a -glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and stable introduction of the chimeric construct into rice was confirmed by PCR and genomic DNA blot analyses. Histochemical analysis of transgenic rice plants containing the full-length chimeric gene showed high levels of GUS activity in mature cells and the elongation and maturation zones of primary and secondary roots, and in the root caps, but no GUS activity was detected in root meristematic regions. Surprisingly, high GUS activity was also detected in leaves of the same plants. This raises the possibility that the RCg2 5-upstream element may not be sufficient for the proper spatial control of root specificity in transgenic rice.     

The first intron of rice EPSP synthase enhances expression of foreign gene

The first intron (EPI) of rice 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase gene was isolated by PCR from one clone with genomic EPSP synthase gene. Sequence analysis showed that the first intron is 704 bp in length with 36.2% G+C content. To investigate its effect on expression of foreign gene, we inserted the first intron between CaMV35S promoter and β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene. The transient expression results showed that GUS could be expressed effectively with EPI. The GUS activity in transgenic tobacco shows that the EPI can greatly enhance the expression level of β-glucuronidase (P < 0.01) compared with transgenic tobacco without the first intron, and 3-to 6-fold increase in GUS activity in some transgenic tobaccos. Northern blot indicated the first intron was spliced from GUS pre-mRNA, and the steady-state mRNA levels of GUS with EPI in transgenic tobaccos were higher than that in transgenic tobacco without EPI, which suggested that the first intron of EPSP was a non-translated intron.