Organ-specific and developmental regulation of the nopaline synthase promoter in transgenic tobacco plants

Control regions of the nopaline synthase (nos) gene have been widely used to express foreign genes in plants since the promoter is active in a wide variety of plant tissues. We report here the characteristics of the nos promoter activity in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants at various de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant physiology (Bethesda) 1988-11, Vol.88 (3), p.547-552
Main Authors: An, G.H, Costa, M.A, Mitra, A, Ha, S.B, Marton, L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACIDE AMINE
AMINO ACIDS
AMINOACIDOS
Biological and medical sciences
Calyx
Corolla
Cotyledons
ESCHERICHIA
ESCHERICHIA COLI
Flowering
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
GENE
Gene expression
Gene expression regulation
GENES
GENETIC TRANSFORMATION
Leaves
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
NICOTIANA TABACUM
Plants
PLASMIDE
PLASMIDIOS
PLASMIDS
Seedlings
TRANSFORMACION GENETICA
TRANSFORMATION GENETIQUE
Transgenic plants
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Summary:Control regions of the nopaline synthase (nos) gene have been widely used to express foreign genes in plants since the promoter is active in a wide variety of plant tissues. We report here the characteristics of the nos promoter activity in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants at various developmental stages. The promoter was highly active in the lower parts of a plant and gradually decreased in the upper parts. This vertical gradient was maintained throughout plant growth until the flowering stage when the overall promoter strength decreased significantly in the vegetative organs. However, in various flower organs, the nos promoter activities increased dramatically. Higher activity was observed in calyx, corolla, and stamens although the maximum promoter activity in each organ was found at different stages of flower development. The promoter activity in pistils was low and gradually increased in the ovaries after anthesis. In developing fruits, the nos promoter activity was strongly induced during the mid-stage of embryogenesis. These results indicate that the expression of the nos promoter is developmentally regulated and organ specific in transgenic tobacco plants.
ISSN:0032-0889
1532-2548
DOI:10.1104/pp.88.3.547