Construction and expression of a metallothionein-beta-glucuronidase gene fusion.
A gene fusion consisting of the Chinese hamster metallothionein II and beta-glucuronidase coding regions was constructed. The fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli retained cadmium-binding capacity and beta-glucuronidase activity. When expressed from the constitutive 35S promoter in transgenic tobacco, the levels of 109Cd accumulation in leaves were reduced to about 70% of those in untransformed control plants. Metallothionin-beta-glucuronidase did not sequester a significant proportion of the leaf 109Cd taken up through the roots in vitro and therefore a sink for Cd was not created.
Plant Research Centre, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, ON.
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J
Hattori
H
H
Labbé
B L
BL
Miki
D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000378:metabolism*
D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D002104:Cadmium; D008668:Metallothionein; D005966:Glucuronidase