Analysis of the Cotton E6 Promoter

An E6 gene from sea island cotton （Gossypium barbadense） was expressed specifically in cotton fiber cells to transfer functions to cultivated species for better transgenic engineering. The regulatory activity of the E6 promoter region was then studied by isolating a 614-bp fragment of the 5＇-flanking region from upland cotton （Gossypium hirsutum CR1-12） to produce a green fluorescent protein （GFP） reporter construct for analysis of tissue-specific expression in transgenic tobacco seedlings. Fluorescent analyses indicate that the relatively short E6 promoter is sufficient to direct green fluorescent protein expression specifically in the leaf trichomes （hair cells） of the transgenic tobacco plants. As cotton fibers are also unicellular trichomes that differentiate from epidermal cells of developing cotton ovules, the result suggests that the relatively short E6 promoter can serve as a fiber-specific expression promoter for genetic engineering to improve cotton fiber quality.     

团花树NcIRX9基因在木聚糖生物合成中的功能保守性

【目的】木聚糖是双子叶植物中次生壁半纤维素的主要成分,在维持植物次生壁的完整性和植物生长方面有重要作用。在木本植物中,木聚糖对木材性质和生物质能源的利用有重要影响。本研究探索我国南方速生树种团花树NcIRX9基因及其在木聚糖合成中的功能。【方法】结合生物信息学方法,分析团花树NcIRX9亲缘关系和蛋白质结构;构建 YFP( 黄色荧光蛋白) 融合蛋白,观察其亚细胞定位;通过qRT-PCR分析团花树NcIRX9基因的表达特性及组织特异性;通过切片显微观察、化学免疫、单糖分析及H¹-NMR分析团花树NcIRX9基因在拟南芥突变体irx9体内的功能。【结果】团花树NcIRX9在进化上保守,其N端存在一个信号肽,定位于高尔基体内,与拟南芥AtIRX9密切相关。NcIRX9基因在根、茎、叶、木质部、韧皮部均有表达,且在木质部中的表达量较高。互补分析表明NcIRX9能部分互补拟南芥突变体irx9表型,是AtIRX9的直系同源基因。此外,本研究还表明在拟南芥突变体irx9过度表达NcIRX9木糖含量升高,侧链信号增强,与此同时还原末端侧链信号增强。【结论】团花树NcIRX9基因行使与拟南芥AtIRX9相似的生物学功能,与木聚糖的合成密切相关。