Isolation of tomato proteinase inhibitor Ⅱ gene and the function of its intron

The genomic DNA sequence of tomato proteinase inhibitor Ⅱ gene (named tin2i, whose accession number in GenBank is AF007240) was isolated by PCR techniques. The intron sequence (TPI), with a length of 109 bp, owns typical structures of GT/AG dinucleotides at both ends and high content of AT base pairs which accounts for 80.7% of the total nucleotides. As shown by recombination experiment, the TPI sequence could efficiently promote the expression of the reporter gene gusA and this effect was independent of the position and orientation of the intron, thus showing its role as an enhancer. Such experiments as gel retardation assays, GUS histochemical staining and GUS fluorometric assays further demonstrated that TPI sequence maybe has promoter-like activity.     

Construction of chimeric inducible promoters by elicitors of rice fungal blast pathogen and their expression in transgenic rice

The promoter fragments of wheatGstA1 and potatoGst1 have been amplified by PCR, cloned and fused respectively to the minimal promoter sequence of rice actin gene (Act1)) and its 5′ untranslated leader sequence together withGUS. The constructs with 2 chimeric promoters (WGA and PGA) have been transferred into rice in order to analyze their inducibility patterns in transgenic rice plants. The results show that: WGA and PGA are both inducible by elicitors ofPyricularia oryzae in transgenic rice cells; the intron I of riceAct1 gene is important for the heterogenic expression of monocot and dicot promoter elements in rice; and theAct1 minimal promoter and its 5′ untranslated leader sequence produced low level background expression in rice.     

Functional analysis of cis-acting sequences regulating root-specific expression in transgenic tobacco

Two different length fragments, RSF1 and RSF2 which contained the cis-acting sequences of root-specific gene TobRB7, were isolated from tobacco genome. The abilities of these fragments to direct root-specific expression were studied by fusing them to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) report gene with different directions. After the recombined vectors were transformed into tobacco, the expression pattern was performed by histochemical staining and the quantitative analysis of GUS activity. The data suggested that the cis-acting element of TobRB7 gene direct GUS expression not only as root-specific but also as bidirectional. In our studies, the short fragment, RSF2, performed stronger activity than RSF1 with any direction. The stronger activity of GUS expression was determined by reverse inserting of RSF1 or RSF2 than positive inserting.     

Isolation of a strong matrix attachment region (MAR) and identification of its function in vitro and in vivo

Inclusion of MARs in transgene cassettes enhances their expression and reduces position-effect variations in the transgenic host. Four new MARs (TM2, TM3, AM1 and AM2) were isolated from tobacco and Arabidopsis by PCR method. The nuclei isolated from suspensioncultured cells of rice were used to prepare nuclear matrix. With a characterized MAR (TM1) as a positive control, the Matrix-MAR interactions were tested by an in vitro binding assay to identify the DNA sequences as MARs and their binding strength to nuclear matrix in vitro was compared. The results showed that TM2 and TM3 had stronger binding strength than TM1. To determine the functions of the four new MARs in vivo, binary vectors pBI121 carrying a uidA GUS reporter gene were modified with direct repeat MARs inserted on both sides of the reporter gene cassette and were transferred into tobaccos via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure. Quantitative GUS assays of the transgenic tobaccos showed that when flanking a GUS reporter gene TM1, TM2, TM3 and AM1 increased uidA GUS gene expression level approximately 1.5-fold, 5-fold, 1.35-fold, 1.3-fold respectively and AM2 has no effect on gene expression. TM2 was found to be a strong MAR that could effectively increase gene expression level and could be used as an effective enhancing element to construct high efficient expression vectors. In this note the relations among the sequence features, binding strength in vitro and function in vivo of the five MARs were analyzed, and the potential significance of TM2 in plant genetic engineering was discussed.     

Expression analysis ofgdcsP promoter from C3-C4 intermediate plantFlaveria anomala in transgenic rice

ThegdcsP promoter isolated from C₃-C₄ intermediate plantFlaveria anomala was fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene. The chimeric gene was inserted into the binary vector pBin19 and introduced into the rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. 8706 byAgrobacteriummediated gene transfer. GUS activity can be detected in leaf, leaf sheath, stem and root tissues via fluorometric GUS assay. However, no GUS activity was found in mature endosperm. Histochemical localization revealed that GUS expression was exclusively restricted to vascular tissues in transgenic plants. This promoter also showed spatial-temporal expression patterns that GUS expression declined significantly with the maturity of plants. These expression patterns make thegdcsP promoter extremely valuable in the applied biotechnology that needs target gene expression restricted to vascular tissues.     

SCFP,a novel fiber-specific promoter in cotton

To investigate the expression pattern of GhSCFP which was isolated from cotton fiber cDNA library, a 1006 bp upstream fragment of the gene was cloned by chromosome walking and fused to GUSand GFP respectively. Histochemical GUS and GFP fluorescence analysis revealed that the expression of the report genes driven by the promoter sequence was detectable only in outer layer cells during the seed development in the transgentic tobaccos. In transgenic cotton, strong GUS activity was observed in spherical protrusions on 0 dpa （days post anthesis） ovule surface, and in the 2-36 dpa fiber cells, while no GUS signals were detected in the root, leaves, stem, corolla, anther and stigma. Our data demonstrated that GhSCFP upstream sequence is a cotton fiber-specific promoter and this promoter will be useful in the molecular research on fiber cell development and in cotton fiber improvements by genetic modification.     

Effect of 5′-deletion ofArabidopsis profilin2 promoter on its vascular specific expression

Based on the published sequence of profilin2 promoter ofArabidopsis thaliana, a full-length promoter (1667 bp) was amplified by PCR. The 5′-end deletion fragments with length of 1380, 1153, 969 and 597 bp were then fused withgus (uidA) gene respectively. Constructed plant expression vectors were individually transferred intoKalanchoe laciniata and transgenic plants regenerated. GUS histochemical assay confirmed that the full-length promoter Pfn1.7 was vascular-specific. Deletion assays showed that profilin2 promoter could be divided into three parts. Deletion of fragment 1 (−1667—−1380 bp) resulted in constitutive expression, suggesting that element(s) responsible for vascular-specific expression might exist in this region. Fragment 2 located at −1153—−597 bp strongly inhibitedgus gene expression. Fragment 3 (−597—−1 bp) is considered as a basic domain of profilin2.     

小鼠液胞H~+-ATPase 15 K启动子(M15 K)的克隆及其在植物体内的表达特性研究

PCR克隆了小鼠液胞H+-ATPase 15K启动子,构建具有Kan抗性和GUS intron报告基因的植物表达载体LpPMG.通过M15K启动子指导的GUS intron基因在烟草叶片内的瞬时性表达,比较了其植物表达特性.结果表明:M15K启动子可启动GUS在植物体内的表达.其表达活性相当于2×35S启动子的87.0%±17.3%.     

苦瓜McAG2启动子的克隆与表达研究

文中从苦瓜基因组中克隆得到长为1417 bp的McAG2基因5′上游片段并进行了DNA序列分析.通过PCR得到了其缺失片段,将其插入pBI121载体替换CaMV35S启动子,得到了McAG2基因5′侧翼缺失表达载体.并利用农杆菌介导转化烟草,建立了相应的转基因烟草植株,以研究其在不同器官组织中的表达特性. β-glucuronidase(GUS)染色结果显示该启动子在转基因烟草叶片和根组织中没有表达活性.     

Ubi1 intron-mediated enhancement of the expression of Bt cry1Ah gene in transgenic maize （Zea mays L.）

The cry1Ah gene was one of novel insecticidal genes cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis isolate BT8. Two plant expression vectors containing cry1Ah gene were constructed. The first intron of maize ubiqutinl gene was inserted between the maize Ubiquitin promoter and cry1Ah gene in one of the plant expressing vectors （pUUOAH）. The two vectors were introduced into maize immature embryonic calli by microprojectile bombardment, and the reproductively plants were acquired. PCR and Southern blot analysis showed that foreign genes had been integrated into maize genome and inherited to the next generation stably. The ELISA assay to T1 and T2 generation plants showed that the expression of CrylAh protein in the construct containing the ubil intron （pUUOAH） was 20% higher than that of the intronless construct （pUOAH）. Bioassay results showed that the transgenic maize harboring cry1Ah gene had high resistance to the Asian corn borers and the insecticidal activity of the transgenic maize containing the ubil intron was higher than that of the intronless construct. These results indicated that the maize ubil intron can enhance the expression of the Bt cry1Ah gene in transgenic maize efficiently     

Introducing antisense <Emphasis Type="Italic">waxy</Emphasis> gene into rice seeds reduces grain amylose contents using a safe transgenic technique

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) eating quality is one of themost important traits. Amylose content (AC) in rice en-dosperm is a major index affecting rice eating quality[1,2].It has a negative correlation with gel consistency of rice[3].Based on amylose content, r…     

Evaluation and characterization of an endosperm-specific sbeⅡa promoter in wheat

Starch,the main component of the wheat grain,is the product of a complex biochemical pathway. The sbeⅡα gene plays a key role in controlling the synthesis of starch, in particular, the biosynthesis of amylopectin,in maturing wheat grain.To investigate its regulatory mechanisms and endosperm-specific expression pattern, the sbeⅡα promoter (3094 bp in length) was cloned using APCR and sequenced.The effect of a series of deletions was studied using a GUS transient assay system. Results showed that the 3094 bp sequence (sbe.g construct) exhibited full stable promoting activity and that the activities of 5′ or 3′ deletions reduced levels of GUS expression. Some constructs with internal deletions showed only weak activity, however,sbe.e, with a deletion from -1579—--1210 bp resulted in higher levels of expression than the full-length promoter sequence, sbe.g. This indicates that motifs such as the -300 bp element, G-box and/or P-box act as positive elements and are necessary in determining the promoter‘s endosperm-specific pattern and that negative repressor elements or motifs may also be present within the -1579—-1210 bp sequence. The age of wheate ndosperm tissue used in the GUS-transient assay system is shown to be of significant importance.     

Effect of 5'-deletion of Arabi-dopsis profilin2 promoter on its vascular specific expression

Based on the published sequence of profilin2 promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana, a full-length promoter (1667 bp) was amplified by PCR. The 5' -end deletion fragments with length of 1380, 1153, 969 and 597 bp were then fused with gus (uidA.) gene respectively. Constructed plant expression vectors were individually transferred into Kalan-choe laciniata and transgenic plants regenerated. GUS his-tochemical assay confirmed that the full-length promoter Pfn1.7 was vascular-specific. Deletion assays showed that profilin2 promoter could be divided into three parts. Deletion of fragment 1 ( -1667--1380 bp) resulted in constitutive expression, suggesting that element(s) responsible for vascular-specific expression might exist in this region. Fragment 2 located at -1153 - -597 bp strongly inhibited gus gene expression. Fragment 3 ( -597 - -1 bp) is considered as a basic domain of profilin2.     

Introns in higher plant genes

The intron is an important component of eukaryotic gene. Extensive studies have been conducted to get a better understanding of its structure and function. This paper presents a brief review of the structure and function of introns in higher plant genes. It is shown that higher plant introns possess structural properties shared by all eukaryotic introns, however, they also exhibit a striking degree of diversity. The process of intron splicing in higher plant genes involves interaction between multiple cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors, such as 5′ splicing site, 3′ splicing site and many protein factors. The process of intron splicing is an important level at which gene expression is regulated. Especially alternative splicing of intron can regulate time and space of gene expression. In addition, some introns in higher plant genes also regulate gene expression by affecting the pattern of gene expression, enhancing the level of gene expression and driving the gene expression.     

Comparative expression analysis of three genes from the Arabidopsis vacuolar Na^＋/H^＋ antiporter （AtNHX） family in relation to abiotic stresses

Na~ /H~ antiporters (NHX) are ubiquitous transmembrane proteins that play a key role in salt tolerance of plants. In this study, the sequence of 3 Arabidopsis NHX gene (AtNHX2―4) were compared with other AtNHX members. Putative cis-elements analysis identified elements that have been associated with stress responses. The activities of the promoters AtNHX2―4 were studied in transgenic plants carrying corresponding promoter-β-glucuronidase (GUS) fusions. The AtNHX2 promoter-GUS analysis indicated that AtNHX2 was expressed in constitutive pattern with high GUS activity in roots and leaves. AtNHX2 promoter activity was not up-regulated by NaCl or abscisic acid (ABA), in contrast to the AtNHX1 promoter which was previously studied. The AtNHX3 and AtNHX4 promoters showed tissue-specific activities. Strong GUS activity was detected in roots and vascular bundles of the stele in plants carry-ing an AtNHX4 promoter-GUS fusion, and GUS activity increased under salt stress suggesting a func-tion related to salt tolerance. Transgenic plants carrying the AtNHX3 promoter-GUS fusion showed strong GUS activity in petals, stamens and tops of siliques, suggesting a possible role of AtNHX3 in flower and seed development. Results of histochemical analysis suggested that AtNHX2―4 are involved in divergent functions and are differentially regulated under abiotic stress. The structure of AtNHX4 was predicted to include 12 transmembrane regions and a NHX domain. Overexpression of AtNHX4 in Arabidopsis transgenic lines confers greater salt tolerance than in wild type plants. These results suggest that AtNHX4 may encode a putative vacuolar NHX that plays an important role in salt tolerance.     

Isolation of a strong matrix attachment region (MAR) and identification of its function in vitro and in vivo

Inclusion of MARs in transgene cassettes enhances their expression and reduces position-effect variations in the transgenic host. Four new MARs (TM2, TM3, AM1 and AM2) were isolated from tobacco and Arabidopsis by PCR method. The nuclei isolated from suspension- cultured cells of rice were used to prepare nuclear matrix. With a characterized MAR (TM1) as a positive control, the Matrix-MAR interactions were tested by an in vitro binding assay to identify the DNA sequences as MARs and their binding strength to nuclear matrix in vitro was compared. The results showed that TM2 and TM3 had stronger binding strength than TM1. To determine the functions of the four new MARs in vivo, binary vectors pBI121 carrying a uidA GUS reporter gene were modified with direct repeat MARs inserted on both sides of the reporter gene cassette and were transferred into tobaccos via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure. Quantitative GUS assays of the transgenic tobaccos showed that when flanking a GUS reporter gene TM1, TM2, TM3 and AM1 increased uidA GUS gene expression level approximately 1.5-fold, 5-fold, 1.35-fold, 1.3-fold respectively and AM2 has no effect on gene expression. TM2 was found to be a strong MAR that could effectively increase gene expression level and could be used as an effective enhancing element to construct high efficient expression vectors. In this note the relations among the sequence features, binding strength in vitro and function in vivo of the five MARs were analyzed, and the potential significance of TM2 in plant genetic engineering was dis- cussed.     

毛白杨4CL基因启动子的克隆及初步功能分析

4CL(4-coumarate:CoA ligase,4-香豆酸:辅酶A连接酶)在植物木质素合成途径中催化羟基香豆酸生成羟基肉桂酰CoA,主要在木质部中表达,对植物木质素生物合成具重要调控作用.为研究4CL基因启动子在转基因植物中的表达特性,探索其在植物基因工程研究中的潜在应用价值,利用PCR方法从毛白杨基因组DNA中扩增得到了4CL启动子片段.序列分析表明与美洲山杨(P.tremuloids)的4CL启动子同源性为95%.采用生物信息学方法对该序列进行分析.与GUS基因融合构建双元表达载体,转化烟草的瞬时表达检测可见明显GUS活性.     

Cloning of fiber-specific cDNAs and their structural variations in 4 fiber mutants

A mRNA preferentially expressed in cotton fiber was cloned from fiber total RNA of normal upland cotton TM-1 (wild-type) by using RT-PCR and corresponding cDNA (signed as TM-E6) was sequenced. TM-E6 gene had no intron and contained an open reading frame of 771 bp long, and might encode a peptide of 246 amino acids. Other 4 genes, Fl-E6, Li-E6, N-E6 and Bl-E6, which were homologous to TM-E6 gene, were also isolated from 4 fiber mutants of Fiberless Xu-zhou 142, Ligon lintless, Naked seed and Brown lint, respectively. Sequence analysis of each of these mutant genes revealed many variations in structure and nucleotide composition of gene when compared with the sequence of TM-E6 gene. (ⅰ) There was a changeable repetitive segment in which GGCTCA (Gly-Ser) was repeated 3—5 times between the 82nd and the 93rd codons in different mutant genes. Since the change of Gly-Ser repetitive segment occurred not only in the mutants but also in the wild-type cotton, the repeat frequency might not be associated with the mutation of fiber characteristics. (ⅱ) Among the 4 mutant genes, the percentage of changed codons was 7.05% in Fl-E6, 4.98% in Li-E6, and 4.15% in N-E6 and Bl-E6. It seems that the percentage of changed codons in E6 sequence was positively correlated to the degree of fiber morphological variation. (ⅲ) E6 polypeptides of two long-fiberless mutants (Fiberless Xuzhou 142 and Ligon lintless) contained high similar (99.4%) variation in the region of 1—174 amino acids from N-terminus, and those of short-fiberless mutants (Fiberless Xuzhou and naked seed) revealed identical variation in the region of 116th—220th amino acids. It also seems that there was a parallel relation between E6 protein variation and fiber phenotype mutation. (ⅳ) Li-E6 and Bl-E6 genes also expressed at low level in seed coat besides at high level in fiber.