title: Isolation of the promoter of a cotton beta-galactosidase gene (GhGal1) and its expression in transgenic tobacco plants.
abstract: Beta-galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23) constitute a widespread family of glycosyl hydrolases in plants and are thought to be involved in metabolism of cell wall polysaccharides. A cDNA of the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) beta-galactosidase gene, designated GhGal1, has previously been identified and its transcripts are highly abundant at the elongation stage of the cotton fiber. To examine the temporal and spatial control of GhGal1 expression, a transcriptional fusion of the GhGal1 promoter region (1770 bp) with the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was introduced into tobacco plants by the Agrobacterium infection method. The resulting transgenic plants showed higher GUS activity of fruit in the transgenic plants than that in the negative and positive controls. Histochemical localization of GUS activity demonstrated that the expression of the GUS gene could be found in the meristem zones of roots, cotyledons, vascular tissues, fruit and trichomes in transgenic tobacco plants. Additionally, sequence analysis of the regulatory region also revealed several conserved motifs among which some were shared with previously reported fruit/seed-specific elements and the others were related with trichome expression. These results indicated the temporal and spatial expression characterization of the GhGal1 promoter in transgenic tobacco plants and provided an important insight into the roles of GhGal1 in cotton fiber development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Aimin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jinyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003368:Gossypium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics*; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D005966:Glucuronidase