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Plant Genes (plant + gene)
Selected AbstractsRegulation of Arabidopsis thaliana 4-coumarate:coenzyme-A ligase-1 expression by artificial zinc finger chimerasPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006Juan Pablo Sánchez Summary The use of artificial zinc finger chimeras to manipulate the expression of a gene of interest is a promising approach because zinc finger proteins can be engineered to bind any given DNA sequence in the genome. We have previously shown that a zinc finger chimera with a VP16 activation domain can activate a reporter gene in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (Sánchez, J.P., Ullman, C., Moore, M., Choo, Y. and Chua, N.H. (2002) Regulation of gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana by artificial zinc finger chimeras. Plant Cell Physiol. 43, 1465,1472). Here, we report the use of artificial zinc finger chimeras to specifically regulate the 4-coumarate:coenzyme-A ligase-1 (At4CL1) gene in A. thaliana. At4CL1 is a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis and the down-regulation of At4CL1 can lead to a decrease in lignin content, which has a significant commercial value for the paper industry. To this end, we designed zinc finger chimeras containing either an activation or a repression domain, which bind specifically to the At4CL1 promoter region. Transgenic lines expressing a zinc finger chimera with the VP16 activation domain showed an increase in At4CL1 expression and enzyme activity. In contrast, transgenic lines expressing a chimera with the KOX (KRAB) repression domain displayed repression of At4CL1 expression and enzyme activity. The activation of At4CL1 expression produced an increase in lignin content, and transgenic plant stems showed ectopic lignin distribution. Repression of the At4CL1 gene resulted in reduced lignin content, and lignin distribution in transgenic stems was severely diminished. Our results confirm and extend previous studies of gene regulation using various artificial zinc finger chimeras in animal and plant systems, and show that this system can be used to up- and down-regulate the expression of an endogenous plant gene such as At4CL1. [source] RLM3, a TIR domain encoding gene involved in broad-range immunity of Arabidopsis to necrotrophic fungal pathogensTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Jens Staal Summary Here, we describe the rapid cloning of a plant gene, Leptosphaeria maculans 3 (RLM3Col), which encodes a putative Toll interleukin-1 receptor-nucleotide binding (TIR-NB) class protein, which is involved in defence against the fungal pathogen L. maculans and against three other necrotrophic fungi. We have, through microarray-based case control bulk segregant comparisons of transcriptomes in pools of Col-0 × An-1 progeny, identified the absence of a locus that causes susceptibility in An-1. The significance of this locus on chromosome 4 for L. maculans resistance was supported by PCR-based mapping, and denoted resistance to RLM3Col. Differential susceptible phenotypes in four independent T-DNA insertion lines support the hypothesis that At4g16990 is required for RLM3Col function. The mutants in RLM3Col also exhibited an enhanced susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria brassicicola and Alternaria brassicae. Complementations of An-1 and T-DNA mutants using overexpression of a short transcript lacking the NB-ARC domain, or a genomic clone, restored resistance to all necrotrophic fungi. The elevated expression of RLM3Col on B. cinerea -susceptible mutants further suggested convergence in signalling and gene regulation between defence against B. cinerea and L. maculans. In the case of L. maculans, RLM3Col is required for efficient callose deposition downstream of RLM1Col. [source] Regulation of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4E and Its Isoform: Implications for Antiviral Strategy in PlantsJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2006Yu-Yang Zhang Abstract In recent years, biotechnology has permitted regulation of the expression of endogenous plant genes to improve agronomically important traits. Genetic modification of crops has benefited from emerging knowledge of new genes, especially genes that exhibit novel functions, one of which is eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). eIF4E is one of the most important translation initiation factors involved in eukaryotic initiation. Recent research has demonstrated that virus resistance mediated by eIF4E and its isoform eIF (iso)4E occurs in several plant-virus interactions, thus indicating a potential new role for eIF4E/eIF(iso)4E in resistance strategies against plant viruses. In this review, we briefly describe eIF4E activity in plant translation, its potential role, and functions of the eIF4E subfamily in plant-virus interactions. Other initiation factors such as eIF4G could also play a role in plant resistance against viruses. Finally, the potential for developing eIF4E-mediated resistance to plant viruses in the future is discussed. Future research should focus on elucidation of the resistance mechanism and spectrum mediated by eIF4E. Knowledge of a particular plant-virus interaction will help to deepen our understanding of eIF4E and other eukaryotic initiation factors, and their involvement in virus disease control. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao) [source] First-generation SNP/InDel markers tagging loci for pathogen resistance in the potato genomePLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 6 2003Andreas M. Rickert Summary A panel of 17 tetraploid and 11 diploid potato genotypes was screened by comparative sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion-deletion polymorphisms (InDels), in regions of the potato genome where genes for qualitative and/or quantitative resistance to different pathogens have been localized. Most SNP and InDel markers were derived from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) insertions that contain sequences similar to the family of plant genes for pathogen resistance having nucleotide-binding-site and leucine-rich-repeat domains (NBS-LRR-type genes). Forty-four such NBS-LRR-type genes containing BAC-insertions were mapped to 14 loci, which tag most known resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) in potato. Resistance QTL not linked to known resistance-gene-like (RGL) sequences were tagged with other markers. In total, 78 genomic DNA fragments with an overall length of 31 kb were comparatively sequenced in the panel of 28 genotypes. 1498 SNPs and 127 InDels were identified, which corresponded, on average, to one SNP every 21 base pairs and one InDel every 243 base pairs. The nucleotide diversity of the tetraploid genotypes (, = 0.72 × 10,3) was lower when compared with diploid genotypes (, = 2.31 × 10,3). RGL sequences showed higher nucleotide diversity when compared with other sequences, suggesting evolution by divergent selection. Information on sequences, sequence similarities, SNPs and InDels is provided in a database that can be queried via the Internet. [source] Expression and promoter activity of the desiccation-specific Solanum tuberosum gene, StDS2PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 9 2002R. Dóczi Abstract Environmental stresses induce the expression of several plant genes via multiple and cross-talking signalling pathways. Previously it was shown that ScDS2, a gene of the wild potato species, Solanum chacoense, is highly inducible by dehydration but not by abscisic acid (ABA), the mediator of many plant stress responses. Herein it is shown that ScDS2 -related genes are present in the cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum (StDS2) and also in the non-tuberizing Solanum species, Solanum brevidens (SbDS2). We show that expression of StDS2 is dehydration-specific, is not inducible by cold, heat, salt, hypoxia or oxidative stresses, and is independent of ABA. Signalling of StDS2 induction, however, is dependent on the synthesis of novel proteins because cycloheximide can block StDS2 expression. To analyse the promoter region of StDS2 a genomic library of Solanum tuberosum was established and 1140 and 498 bp regions of the StDS2 promoter were isolated. The promoter fragments were fused to the , -glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and tested in transgenic potato plants. Both promoter fragments were able to induce GUS activity in response to dehydration. This result suggests that drought-specific cis -elements are located within 498 bp upstream to the StDS2 coding sequence. [source] Detailed analysis of the DNA recognition motifs of the Xanthomonas type III effectors AvrBs3 and AvrBs3,rep16THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009Sabine Kay Summary The Gram-negative phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) employs a type III secretion system to translocate effector proteins into plant cells where they modulate host signaling pathways to the pathogen's benefit. The effector protein AvrBs3 acts as a eukaryotic transcription factor and induces the expression of plant genes termed UPA (up-regulated by AvrBs3). Here, we describe 11 new UPA genes from bell pepper that are induced by AvrBs3 early after infection with Xcv. Sequence comparisons revealed the presence of a conserved AvrBs3-responsive element, the UPA box, in all UPA gene promoters analyzed. Analyses of UPA box mutant derivatives confirmed its importance for gene induction by AvrBs3. We show that DNA binding and gene activation were strictly correlated. DNase I footprint studies demonstrated that the UPA box corresponds to the center of the AvrBs3-protected DNA region. Type III delivery of AvrBs3 and mutant derivatives showed that some UPA genes are induced by the AvrBs3 deletion derivative AvrBs3,rep16, which lacks four repeats. We show that AvrBs3,rep16 recognizes a mutated UPA box with two nucleotide exchanges in positions that are not essential for binding and activation by AvrBs3. [source] In vitro specificities of Arabidopsis co-activator histone acetyltransferases: implications for histone hyperacetylation in gene activationTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Keith W. Earley Summary In genetic hybrids displaying nucleolar dominance, acetylation of lysines 5, 8, 12 and 16 of histone H4 (H4K5, H4K8, H4K12, H4K16) and acetylation of histone H3 on lysines 9 and 14 (H3K9, H3K14) occurs at the promoters of active ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, whereas silenced rRNA genes are deacetylated. Likewise, histone hyperacetylation correlates with the active state of transgenes and of endogenous plant genes involved in physiological processes, including cold tolerance, light-responsiveness and flowering. To investigate histone hyperacetylation dynamics we used sodium butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor known to switch silent rRNA genes on, in order to enrich the pool of acetylated histones. Mass spectrometric analyses revealed unique mono- (K16Ac), di- (K12Ac, K16Ac), tri- (K8Ac, K12Ac, K16Ac), and tetra-acetylated (K5Ac, K8Ac, K12Ac, K16Ac) histone H4 isoforms, suggesting that H4 hyperacetylation occurs in a processive fashion, beginning with lysine 16 and ending with lysine 5. Using a combination of molecular and mass spectrometric assays we then determined the specificities of seven of the nine functional co-activator type histone acetyltransferases (HATs) in Arabidopsis thaliana: specifically HATs of the CBP (HAC1, HAC5, HAC12), GNAT (HAG1, HAG2), and MYST families (HAM1, HAM2). Specific HATs acetylate histone H4K5 (HAM1, HAM2), H4K12 (HAG2), and H3K14 (HAG1), suggesting that acetylation of these lysines may have special regulatory significance. Other acetylation events, including histone H3K9 acetylation, are likely to result from the activities of the broad-specificity HAC1, HAC5, and HAC12 histone acetyltransferases. [source] | ||||||||||