title: Spatio-Temporal Imaging of Promoter Activity in Intact Plant Tissues.
abstract: Localization and quantification of expression levels of genes help to determine their function. Localization of gene expression is often achieved through the study of their promoter activity. Three main reporter genes β-glucuronidase (GUS), green fluorescent protein (GFP), and luciferase (LUC) have been intensively used to characterize promoter activities, each having its own specificities and advantages. Among them, the LUC reporter gene is best suitable for the analysis of the promoter activity of genes in intact living plants. Here, we describe a LUC-based method that allows to precisely localize and quantify promoter activity at the whole plant level, and to study the mechanisms that are involved in long-distance regulation of gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. Imaging LUC signals with a low-light CCD camera allows monitoring promoter activity in time and space in the transgenic plant harboring the promoter fused with the LUC gene. In addition, it allows quantifying change of promoter activities in plant during several hours.
authors.affiliation: Montpellier SupAgro, 2 place Pierre Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 02, France. xiong@supagro.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Tou Cheu
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, 2 place Pierre Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, 2 place Pierre Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Briat
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, 2 place Pierre Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gaymard
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, 2 place Pierre Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dubos
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008156:Luciferases; D005966:Glucuronidase
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; AtFer1; Bioimaging; Ferritin; Iron; Luciferase