Gene Expression in Bacteria Directed by Plant-specific Regulatory Sequences

The regulation of gene expression represents a specific process which has different structural and functional requirements in different groups of organisms. It is thus assumed that regulatory sequences of eucaryotes cannot be recognized in procaryotes. This assumption is of interest for risk assessments of the environmental impact of deliberate release experiments with genetically modified organisms. In order to analyse the extent of heterologous gene expression caused by the transfer of plant-specific regulatory sequences into bacteria, we constructed fusions between plant-specific regulatory sequences and the coding regions of the luxAB genes for the luciferase of the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio harveyi, transferred the fusions into different bacterial species and measured the luminescence to quantify the expression of the luciferase genes. The regulatory sequences investigated included (a) the 35S promoter of the Cauliflower mosaic virus, (b) the B33 promoter of a class I patatin gene of potatoes, (c) the promoter of the ST-LS1 gene of potatoes and (d) the promoter of the rolC gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. We could show that in addition to the 35S promoter, which has already been described as being recognized in Escherichia coli, the sequences containing the B33 and the ST-LS1 promoters are recognized in bacteria. Luciferase gene expression promoted by the sequence with the ST-LS1 promoter could be observed in E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Comparison of the luminescence caused by fusions between luxAB and different promoters on the chromosome and on an endogenous plasmid of Y. enterocolitica demonstrated that the level of the heterologous gene expression caused by the fragment with the ST-LS1 promoter was within the range of gene expression levels caused by endogenous promoters of Y. enterocolitica.     

Expression of correctly processed human growth hormone in seeds of transgenic tobacco plants

Human growth hormone was expressed in transgenic tobacco seeds using the monocot tissue-specific promoter from sorghum -kafirin seed storage protein gene. During tobacco seed ripening, the expressed hormone was directed to the endoplasmic reticulum by a signal peptide from a Coix prolamin and was secreted into the apoplastic space, where it accounted for 0.16% of total soluble seed protein. The expressed hormone has the same amino acid sequence and receptor-binding properties as the native mature hormone.     

Tissue-specific and temporal regulation of a β-conglycinin gene: roles of the RY repeat and other cis-acting elements

Upstream regulatory sequences (URS) of the gene that encodes the subunit of -conglycinin, the 7S soybean seed storage protein, includes two RY repeat elements. The role of RY elements and sequences that bind soybean embryo factors 3 and 4 (SEF3 and SEF4; Allen et al., Plant Cell 1 (1989) 623–631) in regulating expression of the promoter was studied following site directed mutagenesis. Specific mutations introduced into these sequences abolished the in vitro binding activities of SEF3 and SEF4. The biological activities resulting from the mutations were determined in transgenic plants using two chimeric promoters comprising sequences from the CaMV 35S promoter and the subunit promoter. The uidA reporter gene was used to assess the levels of gene expression in transgenic plants. The mutations in the RY element and SEF3 and SEF4 binding sites had little effect on expression of the promoter. By contrast, mutations in the RY element had significant effect on gene expression when the URS from the promoter was ligated upstream of the core 35S promoter. Mutations in the RY element abolished the seed specific enhancing activity of the URS and caused expression of the chimeric promoter in leaves. These results indicate that the RY element plays a key role in seed-specific gene regulation in coordination with other cis-acting elements.     

拟南芥根特异表达基因启动子在烟草中的表达

以拟南芥为材料,利用PCR技术分离pyk10启动子序列,构建了该启动子GUS植物表达载体,农杆菌介导转化烟草,分析该基因在烟草中的表达,以明确拟南芥根特异表达基因pyk10启动子在烟草中的表达特性.结果表明:克隆的pyk10启动子与已报道的pyk10启动子一致性为100%,GUS基因在烟草的根部特异表达,表明该启动子为根部特异表达启动子,为揭示植物根的发生、分化和发育机制,以及培育抗根部病虫害和营养高效利用型转基因烟草奠定了基础.     

选择标记可去除的植物高效表达载体的构建

在常用的植物组成型表达载体pBI121的选择标记基因NPTII两侧插入同向的lox位点并用多克隆位点(MCS)取代了GUS基因序列,构建了NPTII基因可被去除的和可插入目的基因的通用植物表达载体pBI121-lox-MCS。替换pBI121-lox-MCS中驱动目的基因表达的35S启动子,可构建成一系列具有其他表达特性的植物表达载体,如本文描述的韧皮部特异表达载体pBdENP-lox-MCS。为方便地筛选去除选择标记基因的转基因植物,还构建了绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)表达框与NPTII表达框连锁的pBI121-gfp-lox-MCS载体。上述植物表达载体可广泛应用于培育选择标记可去除的转基因植物。     

天麻抗真菌蛋白基因的克隆及其启动子活性

通过构建和筛选天麻(Gastrodia elata Bl.)基因组文库,克隆了一个天麻抗真菌蛋白基因组DNA.该基因组DNA含有一个516碱基组成的编码区,没有内含子结构.其启动子区含有保守的TATA盒及CAAT盒.为研究启动子活性,构建了-1 157 bp启动子区与GUS基因的融合表达载体.并将其用农杆菌(Agrobacterium tumefaciens)介导的遗传转化方法导入烟草(Nicotiana tabacum)中,获得了稳定转化的烟草.利用荧光检测及组织化学染色法对GUS表达进行了分析.结果表明,该启动子能够启动GUS基因在转基因烟草中组织特异性地表达.GUS基因在根中的表达水平最高,茎中次之,叶中只有低水平表达.而且该启动子具有诱导表达活性,可被真菌及水杨酸、茉莉酸强烈诱导表达.     

Bacillus thuringiensis: from biodiversity to biotechnology

Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive bacterium, widely used in agriculture as a biological pesticide. The biocidal activity mainly resides in a parasporal protein inclusion body, or crystal. The inclusion is composed of one or more types of δ-endotoxins (Cry and Cyt proteins). Cry proteins are selectively toxic to different species from several invertebrate phyla: arthropods (mainly insects), nematodes, flatworms and protozoa. The mode of action of the insecticidal proteins is still a matter of investigation; generally, the active toxin is supposed to bind specific membrane receptors on the insect midgut brush-border epithelium, leading to intestinal cell lysis and subsequent insect death by starvation or septicemia. The toxin-encoding cry genes have been extensively studied and expressed in a large number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The expression of such genes in transgenic plants has provided a powerful alternative for crop protection. Received 25 February 1997/ Accepted in revised form 15 August 1997     

天麻抗真菌蛋白基因的克隆及其启动子活性

通过构建和筛选天麻（Gastrodia elata Bl)基因组文库,克隆了一个天麻抗真菌蛋白基因组DNA。该基因组DNA含有一个516碱基组成的编码区。没有内含子结构。其启动子区含有保守的TATA盒及CAAT盒。为研究启动子活性。构建了-1157bp启动子区与GUS基因的融合表达载体。并将其用农杆菌（Agrobacterium tumefaciens)介导的遗传转化方法导入烟草（Nicotiana tabacum)中,获得了稳定转化的烟草。利用荧光检测及组织化学染色法对GUS表达进行了分析。结果表明,该启动子能够启动GUS基因在转基因烟草中组织特异性地表达。GUS基因在根中的表达水平最高。茎中次之,叶中只有低水平表达,而且该启动子具有诱导表达活性。可被真菌及水杨酸,茉莉酸强烈诱导表达。     

High levels of ripening-specific reporter gene expression directed by tomato fruit polygalacturonase gene-flanking regions

The 1.4 kb 5 polygalacturonase (PG) gene-flanking region has previously been demonstrated to direct ripening-specific chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) expression in transgenic tomato plants. The steady state level of CAT mRNA in these plants was estimated to be less than 1% of the endogenous PG mRNA. Further constructs containing larger PG gene-flanking regions were generated and tested for their ability to direct higher levels of reporter gene expression. A 4.8 kb 5-flanking region greatly increased levels of ripening-specific reporter gene activity, while a 1.8 kb 3 region was only shown to have a positive regulatory role in the presence of the extended 5 region. Transgenic plants containing the CAT gene flanked by both of these regions showed the same temporal pattern of accumulation of CAT and PG mRNA, and steady-state levels of the transgene mRNA were equivalent to 60% of the endogenous PG mRNA on a per gene basis. The proximal 150 bp of the PG promoter gave no detectable CAT activity. However, the distal 3.4 kb of the 4.8 kb 5 PG promoter was shown to confer high levels of ripening-specific gene expression when placed in either orientation upstream of the 150 bp minimal promoter. The DNA sequence of the 3.4 kb region revealed a 400 bp imperfect reverse repeat, and sequences which showed similarity to functionally significant sequences from the ripening-related, ethylene-regulated tomato E8 and E4 gene promoters. The possible roles of the flanking regions in regulating PG gene expression are discussed.     

转双抗虫基因烟草的研究

用改造的雪花莲凝集素基因GNAmm与合成的苏云金芽孢杆菌(Bt)毒蛋白cry1Ac基因构建了带有双价基因的植物表达载体,在该表达载体中这两个基因的转录分别受笋瓜PP2启动子(SPP2P)和CaMV 35S启动子的调控。通过根癌土壤杆菌介导转化法,获得了一批抗卡那霉素的转化再生烟草植株。PCR检测及基因组DNA Southern blot,Slot blot杂交分析的结果表明Gna基因和Bt基因已整合到烟草总DNA中。用Bt毒蛋白抗血清进行Western blot分析,转基因植株均有Bt杀虫蛋白的不同程度的表达。对转化再生烟草的虫试结果表明,在所受试的19株烟草中60%的植株上的棉铃虫在5天内死亡率达到100%,而且存活幼虫的生长发育受到明显抑制;蚜虫抑制生长试验表明,多数转化再生植株具有较强的抗蚜活性,平均能够抑制桃蚜50%～60%的蚜口密度,有的高达80%以上。以上结果表明利用这两个改造过的抗虫基因可以获得既抗虫又耐蚜的转双抗虫转基因植物。     

氨基酸生物合成抑制剂类除草剂作用机理及耐除草剂转基因植物研究进展

氨基酸是植物体内必不可少的物质,在植物的生长代谢中发挥着重要作用。与动物不同,植物的氨基酸供给全部靠自身来合成,一旦植物的氨基酸合成受阻,植物便难以继续生存。因此,植物氨基酸合成中的关键酶一直是新型除草剂研发中重要的靶标酶。在目前已经商品化的除草剂中,通过抑制植物氨基酸生物合成中的关键酶活性而发生作用的除草剂占很大比重;与此同时,随着植物转基因技术的不断发展完善,大批耐氨基酸生物合成抑制剂类除草剂转基因植物相继问世,成为了耐除草剂类转基因植物的主体。本文综述了常用的耐氨基酸生物合成抑制剂类除草剂、作用机理及耐除草剂转基因植物的研究进展。