种子特异性启动子研究进展

植物的种子,尤其是油料和谷类作物的种子与人类的生产生活关系非常密切,因此,也成为植物基因工程中进行改良的重要目标材料。转化的外源基因在植物受体组织中能否正确、高效并按照人们的意愿特异地表达是人们非常关注的问题。启动子驱使外源基因在受体植株中启动转录是外源基因能够表达的必要条件。目前人们所广泛研究的种子特异性启动子基本上属于Ⅱ类启动子,它可以驱使外源基因在植物的种子中特异表达,按照人们的意愿改进植物代谢途径,提高种子中营养物质含量等。种子特异性启动子的结构符合Ⅱ类启动子的特点,具有基本启动子、起始子和上游元件。它区别于其它类型启动子的一个显著特点是上游存在一些特异的调控元件与调控种子特异性基因的特异表达有关。本文综述了高等植物种子特异性启动子的结构及其在植物基因工程中的最新研究进展。对这类启动子的结构和功能元件的了解,有助于人们更加深入地理解高等植物基因表达调控机制,提高人们对植物种子发育过程及有机物在种子中积累机制的认识,而且可以为植物基因工程中生物反应器的研究提供有应用价值的启动子元件。     

植物根特异性基因表达研究

植物根中基因表达的调控近几年渐始受到注意,一些分离自植物病原的外源基因启动子能在植物根中特异性地启动编码基因表达,部分植物基因组基因查明存在根特异表达调控元件和反式作用因子,已分离和克隆了部分未知功能的根特异性表达基因。     

一种花生转基因表达载体的构建

通过用一对特异性引物,PCR扩增得到花生（Arachis hypogaea）主要致敏蛋白Arah1的基因的启动子片段1957bp,其序列组成与已发表序列基本一致。用其替换pBIN 35S-mGFP4载体中的35S启动子部分,组成一种花生转基因表达载体pGA1。该载体含有种子特异表达调控元件、增强表达元件和一些与转录因子结合的调控元件,是一个强启动子,便于将外源基因转入花生,实现外源基因在花生中的表达,为建立花生生物反应器奠定了基础。     

大麦与油菜种皮特异启动子表达模式的比较

启动子位于转录起始位点上游并能特异性地结合RNA聚合酶,其作为调控序列驱动外源基因在异源植物中表达,从而实现转基因的高效性,具有时空表达特异性的启动子对获得有效转基因植物及产物具有重要意义。为了解种皮特异启动子的表达模式,该研究基于前期报道的序列,通过同源克隆的方法分别从大麦和油菜中克隆获得Gerb和Bntt两个种皮特异性启动子,并对其进行生物信息学分析,构建了Gerb::GUS和Bntt::GUS植物表达载体并转化拟南芥,通过组织化学染色观察了GUS的表达情况。结果表明:两种启动子序列中都含有多拷贝种皮特异表达启动子元件以及多种胁迫诱导响应元件;转基因拟南芥幼苗期,大麦Gerb种皮特异启动子驱动GUS全株表达且子叶和下胚轴较真叶和根中表达量高;油菜Bntt种皮特异启动子表达较弱;成株期,Gerb在不同组织(叶片、茎、花序和角果)中均有表达,未显示组织特异性;Bntt仅在叶片及角果维管束中有微弱表达。在各种非生物胁迫下,Gerb表达模式未发生显著变化,而Bntt仅在盐胁迫下显示很强的角果和种子特异性表达,其他胁迫未见明显表达。以上结果显示,大麦种皮特异性启动子Gerb和油菜种皮特异性启动子Bntt在时间和空间表达模式上存在差异,这对今后选择种皮特异启动子具有参考作用,但其具体机制仍需进一步研究验证。     

水稻种子特异表达OsEm基因5'上游调控区的克隆与序列分析

植物分子农场能以低成本大规模生产重组医药蛋白,种子是重组蛋白最理想的积累场所。为了获得分子医药种子特异表达启动子,以取材方便的地方栽培水稻为材料克隆了种子特异Os Em基因767 bp的5'端调控序列。顺式作用元件分析的结果发现5'端调控序列含有50 bp的核心启动子区域和保守的调控元件TATA box及CAAT box,还含有脱落酸和茉莉酸甲酯等激素响应元件、光反应元件、缺氧特异诱导元件以及种子特异性元件。进一步分析发现本研究克隆的序列内部有15 bp的核苷酸缺失,它与Gen Bank收录的野生型水稻Os Em基因5'端调控序列之间的序列相似性为98.08%。上述结果揭示不同来源的Os Em基因5'端调控序列具有序列多样性,它们能够参与激素、光和逆境胁迫防御等反应,可作为植物分子农场种子特异性启动子。     

水稻种子发育期间特异锌指蛋白基因的筛选与分析

.锌指蛋白基因是植物基因组中最大最复杂的基因家族之一.大部分的锌指模体存在于转录因子中,它们在转录水平上参与植物生长发育及植物对生物和非生物胁迫的反应.为了解锌指蛋白基因在水稻种子发育中的作用,本研究通过多种数据库搜索获得了878个水稻锌指蛋白基因.从中选取311个利用RT-PCR技术分析它们在水稻成熟期根、茎、叶、花及不同发育阶段种子中的表达特征.结果发现,共有196个基因能在至少1个水稻器官中表达,其中10个为种子特异性表达基因.进一步分析发现,10个特异表达基因在水稻种子不同发育阶段中的表达具有种子阶段表达特异性.同时分析它们的基因及蛋白结构特点,结果显示它们的结构较简单,其中3个蛋白含有线粒体靶肽,5个蛋白含有CCCH锌指结构域.另外,分析种子特异性表达基因上游调控区的顺式作用元件,结果表明它们都含有TATA-box、CAAT-box和种子特异调控元件,除此之外还发现了光、激素和胁迫反应相关调控元件.这些结果为进一步研究它们在种子发育过程中的生物学功能提供了有用的线索.     

普通野生稻绿色组织特异表达启动子的克隆与鉴定

绿色组织特异表达启动子可调控外源基因只在受体作物的绿色组织中定点、高效地表达。以普通野生稻为实验材料,克隆了绿色组织特异表达启动子Or GSP,构建Or GSP和GUS基因融合的表达载体,转入拟南芥中鉴定功能。启动子Or GSP长度为825 bp,含有基本的转录起始元件TATA-box和CAAT-box,以及光响应元件TCCC-motif、Sp1、G-box、I-box、GA-motif和as-2-box等。转基因拟南芥GUS组织化学染色结果表明,启动子Or GSP调控GUS基因只在绿色组织中特异表达。GUS活性测定结果显示,叶和茎中的GUS活性比根中明显提高。普通野生稻中克隆的启动子Or GSP为绿色组织特异表达启动子,可为作物分子育种提供新的调控元件。     

植物根特异性基因表达研究

植物根中基因表达的调控近几年渐始受到注意,一些分离自植物病原的外源基因启劝子能在植物根中特异性地启动编码基因表达。部分植物基因组基因查明存在根特异表达调控元件和反式作用因子,已分离和克隆了部分未知功能的根特异性表达基因。     

外源基因在植物体内的表达调控机制

外源基因在植物体内的瞬时性或稳定性表达受植物本身代谢及分子水平的调控．同时也受来自受体植物的限制与修饰。通过调控性元件(启动子)可人为对外源基因进行调节。综述了外源基因在转基因植物体内的表达、调控及人为调节策略。     

植物启动子的化学因素诱导元件

启动子是位于结构基因5'端上游区域调控基因转录的一段DNA序列。已在植物启动子中鉴定出许多与诱导表达相关的顺式作用元件,这些元件对各种物理、化学刺激做出反应,调控基因表达。文章从化学因素诱导表达启动子入手,介绍植物表达启动子中激素、伤害、NaCl诱导顺式作用元件研究的进展。     

Seed-specific increased expression of 2S albumin promoter of sesame qualifies it as a useful genetic tool for fatty acid metabolic engineering and related transgenic intervention in sesame and other oil seed crops

The sesame 2S albumin (2Salb) promoter was evaluated for its capacity to express the reporter gusA gene encoding β-glucuronidase in transgenic tobacco seeds relative to the soybean fad3C gene promoter element. Results revealed increased expression of gusA gene in tobacco seed tissue when driven by sesame 2S albumin promoter. Prediction based deletion analysis of both the promoter elements confirmed the necessary cis-acting regulatory elements as well as the minimal promoter element for optimal expression in each case. The results also revealed that cis-regulatory elements might have been responsible for high level expression as well as spatio-temporal regulation of the sesame 2S albumin promoter. Transgenic over-expression of a fatty acid desaturase (fad3C) gene of soybean driven by 2S albumin promoter resulted in seed-specific enhanced level of α-linolenic acid in sesame. The present study, for the first time helped to identify that the sesame 2S albumin promoter is a promising endogenous genetic element in genetic engineering approaches requiring spatio-temporal regulation of gene(s) of interest in sesame and can also be useful as a heterologous genetic element in other important oil seed crop plants in general for which seed oil is the harvested product. The study also established the feasibility of fatty acid metabolic engineering strategy undertaken to improve quality of edible seed oil in sesame using the 2S albumin promoter as regulatory element.     

An oleosin-fusion protein driven by the CaMV35S promoter is accumulated in Arabidopsis (Brassicaceae) seeds and correctly targeted to oil bodies

Oleosin-fusion technology is used to express desired proteins. It was developed based on the properties of oleosin; the heterologous protein gene is fused to the oleosin gene and the fusion gene is driven by a seed-specific promoter. We replaced the seed specific promoter with the CaMV35S promoter to dive a gfp-oleosin fusion gene in transformed Arabidopsis. The heterologous oleosin-fusion protein was mainly accumulated in the transgenic Arabidopsis seeds and correctly targeted to oil bodies. This provides an alternate choice of promoter in oleosin-fusion technology.     

Cotton α-Globulin Promoter: Isolation and Functional Characterization in Transgenic Cotton,Arabidopsis, and Tobacco

Globulins are the most abundant seed storage proteins in cotton and, therefore, their regulatory sequences could potentially provide a good source of seed-specific promoters. We isolated the putative promoter region of cotton -globulin B gene by gene walking using the primers designed from a cotton staged embryo cDNA clone. PCR amplified fragment of 1108 bp upstream sequences was fused to gusA gene in the binary vector pBI101.3 to create the test construct. This was used to study the expression pattern of the putative promoter region in transgenic cotton, Arabidopsis, and tobacco. Histochemical GUS analysis revealed that the promoter began to express during the torpedo stage of seed development in tobacco and Arabidopsis, and during cotyledon expansion stage in cotton. The activity quickly increased until embryo maturation in all three species. Fluorometric GUS analysis showed that the promoter expression started at 12 and 15 dpa in tobacco and cotton, respectively, and increased through seed maturation. The strength of the promoter expression, as reflected by average GUS activity in the seeds from primary transgenic plants, was vastly different amongst the three species tested. In Arabidopsis, the activity was 16.7% and in tobacco it was less than 1% of the levels detected in cotton seeds. In germinating seedlings of tobacco and Arabidopsis, GUS activity diminished until it was completely absent 10 days post imbibition. In addition, absence of detectable level of GUS expression in stem, leaf, root, pollen, and floral bud of transgenic cotton confirmed that the promoter is highly seed-specific. Analysis of GUS activity at individual seed level in cotton showed a gene dose effect reflecting their homozygous or hemizygous status. Our results show that this promoter is highly tissue-specific and it can be used to control transgene expression in dicot seeds.     

Isolation of four rice seed-specific promoters and evaluation of endosperm activity

Cereal grains are major targets for genetically improving the nutritional value of food and for producing recombinant proteins. Strong and tissue-specific promoters are highly desired for effectively controlling expression in the seed or endosperm. In this study, we isolated four rice promoters from the 5′ upstream region of putative seed-specifically expressed genes: PROLAM26, RAL2, RAL4 and CAPIP. By generating transgenic rice plants carrying promoter-reporter constructs, we found these four promoters to be specifically expressed in seeds, with three having endosperm-specific or -preferential activity. The strength of each promoter in the endosperm was determined and compared to a constitutively expressed OsACTIN promoter and an endosperm-specifically expressed Glu4-B promoter in single-copy transgenic plants. The promoter of RAL2 exhibited relatively high activity, and the promoters of RAL4 and CAPIP exhibited activities comparable with those of OsACTIN and Glu4-B. In addition, monitoring activities in high-generation (T₃–T₄) homozygous progeny of single-copy plants revealed maintenance of expression for all four promoters, with no evidence of silencing. Taken together, our findings offer four stable rice seed-specific promoters of different strengths for endosperm expression.     

Cis-analysis of a seed protein gene promoter: the conservative RY repeat CATGCATG within the legumin box is essential for tissue-specific expression of a legumin gene

A 2.4 kb fragment containing the 5'-flanking region and the 5'-noncoding sequence of the Vicia faba legumin gene LeB4 mediates high level seed-specific expression in transgenic tobacco plants. Deleted derivatives of this legumin upstream sequence were fused to the npt-II reporter gene to determine the tissue-specific activity of the chimeric constructs in stably transformed tobacco plants. The results indicate the presence of positive regulatory, enhancer-like cis elements within 566 bp of the upstream sequence. Most importantly, however, these elements are only fully functional in conjunction with the core motif CATGCATG of the legumin box around position -95, since destruction of the motif by a 6 bp deletion in an otherwise intact 2.4 kb upstream sequence drastically reduces expression in seeds. At the same time, low level expression in leaves is observed. The occurrence of similar CATGCATG consensus cis elements with alternating purine and pyrimidine base pairs in front of several other plant genes suggests a functional role of the motif in a wider range of plant promoters.     

Isolation and Activity Analysis of a Seed-Abundant soyAP1 Gene Promoter from Soybean

The soybean aspartic proteinase gene soyAP1 has previously been shown to be expressed specifically in soybean seeds. To investigate the expression pattern and active cis-elements of the soyAP1 promoter, the 1,650-bp 5??-upstream genomic DNA fragment named PS-552 was isolated by PCR walking. Sequence analysis revealed that this fragment contains a series of motifs related to seed-specific promoters and some pollen-expressed elements. Stable expression in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana showed that the PS-552 promoter can regulate beta-glucuronidase gene accumulation in mature seeds at much higher levels than other tissues, especially vegetative tissues, and exhibits similar activity to the 35S promoter in mature seeds. These results show that the PS-552 promoter is a highly active promoter controlling downstream gene expression, mainly in mature seeds. The 5??-end deletion studies of PS-552 showed that the cis-elements of CAAACAC, AACA, E-box, and CCAA play a role in increasing the seed-specific activity. The proportion of mature seed activity and flower activity was increased as the deletion fragment lengthened, indicating that seed cis-elements possibly lessen or suppress the effect of pollen-expressed elements, increasing the activity of PS-552 in mature seeds.     

Alterations of Root and Fiber in Transgenic Cotton Plants with Chimeric Ph/P-ipt Gene Expression

The seed-specific phaseolin promoter (Ph/P) was fused to an ipt gene, then was cloned to a plant expression vector containing a gus gene driven by a 35S promoter. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants were transformed through pollen tube pathway methods. After seed germination, histochemical staining of the roots demonstrated that 32 GUS positive plants were obtained and three of which contained the chimeric Ph/P-ipt transgene as confirmed by PCR analysis. An immunosorbent assay showed that two of the three transgenic cotton lines contained higher levels of zeatin equivalents in seeds than the control. Seedling development of these two transgenic lines differed from the control in a reduction of the shoot growth, showing a stunted phenotype as expected, but a surprisingly developed root system with a 3-4 fold fast-growing lateral roots. In addition, fibers (seed-hairs) of the two transgenic cotton lines were considerably shorter than those of the control. These results indicate that genetic engineering may be used to manipulate the development of cotton plants, particularly cotton fibers.