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Dynamics of the VIGS-mediated chimeric silencing of the Nicotiana benthamiana ChlH gene and of the tobacco mosaic virus vector.

The ChlH gene, encoding for the H subunit of the magnesium chelatase enzyme, was silenced in Nicotiana bentahamiana plants by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), using tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) expression vector. Strong silencing of the ChlH target gene was initiated only in the apical tissues, in which the endogenous transcription level of the target gene and the level of TMV vector RNA were both very high. The virus vector was also targeted by VIGS, and its suppression was correlated with the silencing of the ChlH mRNA. In the apical tissues, the suppression of both the virus vector and the ChlH mRNA led to a reduction of the silencing pressure and, consequently, to partial recovery of the new growth from the silencing. As the virus vector and the target mRNA levels increased, silencing was reestablished. The feedback regulation system, caused by the transient increase and reduction in levels of the virus vector and ChlH mRNA, led to a fluctuation of the silenced and recovered phenotypes in the plant apex. This TMV-vector mediated silencing system differed from previously analyzed VIGS systems; although the TMV vector was initially targeted by the silencing system, it was not permanently suppressed, indicating that, in this system, TMV was able to effectively escape post-transcriptional gene silencing.

Gene Expression Regulation, Plant↗

A viral movement protein prevents spread of the gene silencing signal in Nicotiana benthamiana.

In plants, viruses induce an RNA-mediated defense that is similar to posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) of transgenes. Here we demonstrate with potato virus X (PVX) that PTGS operates as a systemic, sequence-specific defense system. However, in grafting experiments or with movement defective forms of PVX, we could not detect systemic silencing unless the 25 kDa viral movement protein (p25) was made nonfunctional. Investigation of p25 revealed two branches to the PTGS pathway that converge in the production of 25 nucleotide RNAs corresponding to the target RNA. One of these branches is unique to virus-induced PTGS and is not affected by p25. The second branch is common to both virus- and transgene-induced PTGS, is blocked by p25, and is likely to generate the systemic silencing signal.

Gene Deletion↗

E2F factors rate controls the dual role of CDE/E2F composite element: a model of E2F-regulated gene expression in plant development.

The promoters of several E2F-regulated genes identified in plants contain a variety of E2F motifs, notably a composite element consisting of a "CDE-like element" C/GGCGG on one strand, described as repressor in animals, associated with an E2F element on the complementary strand. This detailed study throughout plant development using ribonucleotide reductase promoters, allows us to propose a model, where E2F and composite elements play a dual role. Such regulation is mainly conditioned by the availability of E2F factors in tissues and during the cell cycle in tobacco.

Animals↗

Regulation of plant gene expression by antisense RNA.

Regulation of gene expression by antisense RNA was first discovered as a naturally-occurring phenomenon in bacteria. Recently natural antisense RNAs have been found in a variety of eukaryotic organisms; their in vivo function is, however, obscure. Deliberate expression of antisense RNA in animal and plant systems has lead to successful down-regulation of specific genes. We will review the current status of antisense gene action in plant systems. The recent discovery that 'sense' genes are able to mimic the action of antisense genes indicates that (anti)sense genes must operate by mechanisms other than RNA-RNA interaction.

Bacteria↗

Retrograde plastid redox signals in the expression of nuclear genes for chloroplast proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Excitation imbalances between photosystem I and II generate redox signals in the thylakoid membrane of higher plants which induce acclimatory changes in the structure of the photosynthetic apparatus. They affect the accumulation of reaction center and light-harvesting proteins as well as chlorophylls a and b. In Arabidopsis thaliana the re-adjustment of photosystem stoichiometry is mainly mediated by changes in the number of photosystem I complexes, which are accompanied by corresponding changes in transcripts for plastid reaction center genes. Because chloroplast protein complexes contain also many nuclear encoded components we analyzed the impact of such photosynthetic redox signals on nuclear genes. Light shift experiments combined with application of the electron transport inhibitor 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1,1'-dimethyl urea have been performed to induce defined redox signals in the thylakoid membrane. Using DNA macroarrays we assessed the impact of such redox signals on the expression of nuclear genes for chloroplast proteins. In addition, studies on mutants with lesions in cytosolic photoreceptors or in chloroplast-to-nucleus communication indicate that the defective components in the mutants are not essential for the perception and/or transduction of light-induced redox signals. A stable redox state of glutathione suggest that neither glutathione itself nor reactive oxygen species are involved in the observed regulation events pointing to the thylakoid membrane as the main origin of the regulatory pathways. Our data indicate a distinct role of photosynthetic redox signals in the cellular network regulating plant gene expression. These redox signals appear to act independently and/or above of cytosolic photoreceptor or known chloroplast-to-nucleus communication avenues.

Acclimatization↗

A transcription activation system for regulated gene expression in transgenic plants.

A widely applicable promoter system is described that allows a gene of interest to be activated in specific plant tissues after a cross between defined transgenic lines. The promoter, pOp, consists of lac operators cloned upstream of a minimal promoter. No expression was detected from this promoter when placed upstream of a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in transgenic plants. Transcription from the promoter was activated by crossing reporter plants with activator lines that expressed a chimeric transcription factor, LhG4. This factor comprised transcription-activation domain-II from Gal4 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fused to a mutant lac-repressor that binds its operator with increased affinity. When LhG4 was expressed from the CaMV 35S promoter, the spatial and quantitative expression characteristics of the 35S promoter were exhibited by the GUS reporter. The LhG4/pOp system may be used to study toxic or deleterious gene products, to coordinate the expression of multiple gene products, to restrict transgene phenotypes to the F1 generation, and to generate hybrid seed. The LhG4 system offers spatially regulated gene expression in the tissues of whole plants growing under normal conditions without the need for external intervention. It complements inducible expression systems that offer temporal control of gene expression in tissues that can be treated with inducing chemicals.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Translational regulation of gene expression in plants.

Translational regulation plays a major role in plant gene expression. Recent advances have been made in understanding how this mechanism of control is directed in the chloroplast as well as in the cytoplasm. Our knowledge of translational regulation in plant mitochondria, however, is limited. Translational control of gene expression in yeast mitochondria suggests that similar mechanisms will also play a significant role in the expression of plant mitochondrial genes.

Journal Article↗

Light regulation of plant gene expression by an upstream enhancer-like element.

Light regulates many varied physiological and developmental phenomena during plant growth and differentiation, including the formation of a photosynthetically competent chloroplast from a proplastid. The expression of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit (rbcS) genes is regulated by light in a development- and tissue-specific manner2,3. In some plant species, phytochrome has been demonstrated to mediate this response, and photoregulation of rbcS expression occurs at least in part at the level of transcription. We have shown previously that a 5'-noncoding fragment (4-973 base pairs (bp) upstream of the messenger RNA cap site) of the pea rbcS ss3.6 gene contains all of the nucleotide sequence information necessary to direct the photoregulated expression of a bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene in tobacco. Consistent with these findings, Morelli et al.11 have shown by deletion analysis of a second rbcS gene promoter, that the sequences required for photoregulated expression of rbcS E9 reside within the 5'-noncoding region. They identified an upstream region of approximately 700 bp needed for maximum transcription but not light-dark regulation, and a region from -35 to -2 bp which included the TATA box and contained the necessary information for light responsiveness. We now demonstrate that regulatory sequences 5' distal to the rbcS ss3.6 TATA box and transcriptional start site not only contain the information necessary for maximum expression, but also confer photoregulation. These upstream regulatory sequences function independently of orientation when fused to their homologous promoter or a heterologous promoter.

Acetyltransferases↗

Transcriptional regulation of sorghum defense determinants against a phloem-feeding aphid.

When attacked by a phloem-feeding greenbug aphid (Schizaphis graminum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) activates jasmonic acid (JA)- and salicylic acid (SA)-regulated genes, as well as genes outside known wounding and SA signaling pathways. A collection of 672 cDNAs was obtained by differential subtraction with cDNAs prepared from sorghum seedlings infested by greenbug aphids and those from uninfested seedlings. Subsequent expression profiling using DNA microarray and northern-blot analyses identified 82 transcript types from this collection responsive to greenbug feeding, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), or SA application. DNA sequencing analyses indicated that these encoded proteins functioning in direct defense, defense signaling, oxidative burst, secondary metabolism, abiotic stress, cell maintenance, and photosynthesis, as well as proteins of unknown function. In response to insect feeding, sorghum increased transcript abundance of numerous defense genes, with some SA-dependent pathogenesis-related genes responding to greenbug more strongly than to SA. In contrast, only weak induction of MeJA-regulated defense genes was observed after greenbug treatment. However, infestation tests confirmed that JA-regulated pathways were effective in plant defense against greenbugs. Activation of certain transcripts exclusively by greenbug infestation was observed, and may represent unique signal transduction events independent of JA- and SA-regulated pathways. Results indicate that plants coordinately regulate defense gene expression when attacked by phloem-feeding aphids, but also suggest that aphids are able to avoid triggering activation of some otherwise potentially effective plant defensive machinery, possibly through their particular mode of feeding.

Animals↗

The interaction of light and abscisic acid in the regulation of plant gene expression.

Extended dark treatments of light-grown plants of both Lemna gibba and Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in substantial increases in abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations. The concentration of ABA could be negatively regulated by phytochrome action in Lemna. As has been noted in other species, ABA treatment reduced Lemna rbcS and Lhcb RNA levels, which are positively regulated by phytochrome in many species. In view of these observations, the possibility that phytochrome effects on gene expression may be mediated primarily by changes in ABA was tested using a transient assay in intact plants. The phytochrome responsiveness of the Lemna Lhcb2*1 promoter was still apparent in the presence of exogenous ABA. Additionally, when 2-bp mutations were introduced into this promoter so that phytochrome responsiveness was lost, a response to exogenous ABA was still present. We conclude that phytochrome- and ABA-response elements are separable in the Lhcb2*1 promoter. We tested whether the effects of ABA on RNA abundance could be inhibited by treatment with gibberellin and found no evidence for such an inhibition. We have also found that the ABA-responsive Em promoter of wheat can be negatively regulated by phytochrome action. It is likely that this regulation is mediated at least in part by phytochrome-induced changes in ABA levels. Our results demonstrate that it is essential to take into account that dark treatments and the phytochrome system can affect ABA levels when interpreting studies of light-regulated genes.

Abscisic Acid↗

Identification of new gene expression regulators specifically expressed during plant seed maturation.

A cDNA-AFLP approach on Linum usitatissimum (flax) was used to identify genes specifically expressed during the seed maturation process. Among the 20,000 cDNA-AFLP tags produced, 486 were selected for their seed-specific expression during maturation. When compared with the publicly available databases, half of them presented some significant similarity with known plant sequences. The results obtained confirmed the accuracy of the approach as numerous genes previously described as being expressed exclusively in plant seeds were identified in this screen. The focus was on sequences similar to plant regulators involved in the control of gene expression, either at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, or post-translational levels. Using a real-time RT-PCR approach, seed-specific expression kinetics were confirmed for 13 of these regulators that were never characterized for being expressed during seed maturation. Among these, a flax gene of the non-LEC1-like HAP3 family and a flax MYB factor were shown to be expressed in specialized tissues of flax embryo using an in situ hybridization approach. By expression kinetic comparison between these flax genes and their Arabidopsis counterparts, it was found that the new HAP3 gene should be related to a ubiquitous seed maturation mechanism, while a new MYB factor appears to be related to a more seed-specific maturation mechanism. These results demonstrate the utility of the flax database in not only identifying new genes expressed during seed maturation but also in being able to highlight the distinction between conserved and non-conserved seed maturation mechanisms.

Arabidopsis↗

[Genetic transformation of plants, recombination processes, and gene expression regulation in transgenic plants].

Recent studies in molecular biology and gene engineering were conducive to accumulation of numerous facts which help better understand the processes of plant genome functioning and follow up the effects of recombination processes in purposefully modified genome of a transformed plant on its expression. This review analyzes the major approaches to studies and results attained in plant gene engineering and plant genome imprinting.

DNA Methylation↗

Chemically regulated gene expression in plants.

Chemically inducible systems that activate or inactivate gene expression have many potential applications in the determination of gene function and in plant biotechnology. The precise timing and control of gene expression are important aspects of chemically inducible systems. Several systems have been developed and used to analyze gene function, marker-free plant transformation, site-specific DNA excision, activation tagging, conditional genetic complementation, and restoration of male fertility. Chemicals that are used to regulate transgene expression include the antibiotic tetracycline, the steroids dexamethasone and estradiol, copper, ethanol, the inducer of pathogen-related proteins benzothiadiazol, herbicide safeners, and the insecticide methoxyfenozide. Systems that are suitable for field application are particularly useful for experimental systems and have potential applications in biotechnology.

Copper↗

Light-regulated expression of the pea plastocyanin gene is mediated by elements within the transcribed region of the gene.

Expression of the pea plastocyanin gene (PetE) is regulated by light in both pea and transgenic tobacco plants. However, the PetE promoter with the 5' untranslated leader region does not direct light-regulated expression of the GUS reporter gene in transgenic tobacco. This suggested that sequences downstream of the translation start of the PetE gene are required for light-regulated expression. To investigate this possibility the expression of a series of chimeric gene constructs in transgenic tobacco plants was examined to assess the contributions of the promoter, the 5' untranslated leader region, the coding region and the 3' region of the PetE gene to light-regulated expression. Both the coding region and the 5' untranslated leader region of the PetE gene were found to be required for full light regulation. Full light regulation of chimeric gene constructs containing the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter required the deletion of CaMV 5' leader and polylinker sequences from the constructs. The presence of CaMV and polylinker sequences at the 5' end of the PetE leader masked the light regulation directed by the transcribed region of the pea PetE gene.

Base Sequence↗

Leaf-specific suppression of deoxyhypusine synthase in Arabidopsis thaliana enhances growth without negative pleiotropic effects.

Deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS) mediates the first of two enzymatic reactions required for the post-translational activation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A), which in turn is thought to facilitate translation of specific mRNAs. Analyses of GUS activity in transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the GUS reporter gene under regulation of the promoter for AtDHS revealed that the expression of DHS changes both spatially and temporally as development progresses. In particular, DHS is expressed not only in rosette leaves, but also in the anthers of developing flowers. To determine the role of DHS in leaves, transgenic plants in which DHS was selectively suppressed in rosettes of Arabidopsis plants were prepared. This was achieved by expressing AtDHS 3'-UTR cDNA as a transgene under regulation of the promoter for AtRbcS2, a gene encoding the small subunit of Rubisco. The dominant phenotypic traits of the DHS-suppressed plants proved to be a dramatic enhancement of both vegetative and reproductive growth. As well, the onset of leaf senescence in the DHS-suppressed plants was delayed by approximately 1 week, but there was no change in the timing of bolting. In addition, there was no evidence for the negative pleiotropic effects, including stunted reproductive growth and reduced seed yield, noted previously for transgenic plants in which DHS was constitutively suppressed. The results indicate that DHS plays a pivotal role in both growth and senescence.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Evidence for cross-pathway regulation of metabolic gene expression in plants.

In Arabidopsis thaliana, blocking histidine biosynthesis with a specific inhibitor of imidazoleglycerol-phosphate dehydratase caused increased expression of eight genes involved in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids, histidine, lysine, and purines. A decrease in expression of glutamine synthetase was also observed. Addition of histidine eliminated the gene-regulating effects of the inhibitor, demonstrating that the changes in gene expression resulted from histidine-pathway blockage. These results show that plants are capable of cross-pathway metabolic regulation.

Arabidopsis↗