title: Zinc finger protein genes from Cucurbita pepo are promising tools for conferring non-Cucurbitaceae plants with ability to accumulate persistent organic pollutants.
abstract: Some cultivars of cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and zucchini, which are members of the Cucurbitaceae family, are uniquely subject to contamination by hydrophobic pollutants such as the organohalogen insecticides DDT. However, the molecular mechanisms for the accumulation of these pollutants in cucurbits have not been determined. Here, cDNA subtraction analysis of Cucurbita pepo cultivars that are low and high accumulators of hydrophobic contaminants revealed that a gene for zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) are preferentially expressed in high accumulators. The cloned CpZFP genes were classified into 2 types: (1) the PBG type, which were expressed in C. pepo cultivars Patty Green, Black Beauty, and Gold Rush, and (2) the BG type, which were expressed in Black Beauty and Gold Rush. Expression of these CpZFP genes in transgenic tobacco plants carrying an aryl hydrocarbon receptor-based inducible gene expression system significantly induced β-glucuronidase activity when the plants were treated with a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compound, indicating that highly hydrophobic PCBs accumulated in the plants. In transgenic tobacco plants carrying CpZFPs, accumulation of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds increased in their aerial parts when they were cultivated in the dioxin-contaminated soil. In summary, we propose that addition of CpZFP genes is a promising tool for conferring noncucurbits with the ability to accumulate hydrophobic contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Environmental Genomics, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan; Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan. Electronic address: hinui@kobe-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inui
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Matashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Environmental Genomics, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryouhei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.affiliation: Chemical Analysis Research Center, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8604, Japan.
authors.forename: Heesoo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eun
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D028464:Cucurbita / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004147:Dioxins / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004147:Dioxins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Cucurbita pepo; Dioxins; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Transgenic plants; Zinc finger proteins