Abstract
The 5′-region of the chitinase gene cabch29, derived from Brassica oleracea var. capitata, has been sequenced and analyzed for cis-acting elements important in controlling gene expression in transgenic tobacco plants. Different 5′-deletion fragments were linked to reporter gene β-glucuronidase (GUS) as translational fusions, and the expression of these chimeric genes was analyzed in vegetative organs and tissues. Sequences up to −651 showed some basal GUS activity with nearly equal levels in wounded and intact tissues. The addition of further upstream sequences (−651 to −1284) enhanced expression level, and the expression driven by this fragment was inducible by a factor of two to three-fold by wounding. Histochemical analysis of different tissue from transgenic plants that contain cabch29 promoter-GUS fusion gene demonstrated wound-inducible and tissue-specific cabch29 promoter activity in plants containing the 1308 base pair fragment. The location of GUS activity appears to be cell-specific, being highest in vascular cells and epidermal cells of stem, leaf and roots. Meanwhile, the temporal and spatial expression of cabch29-GUS fusion gene has been investigated. Among the different vegetative organs, a high level of GUS activity was observed in stem and a moderate one in roots; whereas, wounding stress led to a high level of GUS in stem and moderate one in leaf.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Mr. WU Shao Be and Mr. WU Duen Su, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, for their help in detecting GUS activity and taking photography.
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Tang, G., Bai, Y. & Loo, S. Functional properties of a cabbage chitinase promoter from cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). Cell Res 6, 75–84 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/cr.1996.9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/cr.1996.9
