Identification of cis-regulatory sequences that activate transcription in the suspensor of plant embryos

Tomokazu Kawashima, Xingjun Wang, Kelli F. Henry, Yuping Bi, Koen Weterings, Robert B. Goldberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which the embryo proper and suspensor of plant embryos activate specific gene sets shortly after fertilization. We analyzed the upstream region of the scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) G564 gene to understand how genes are activated specifically within the suspensor during early embryo development. Previously, we showed that the G564 upstream region has a block of tandem repeats, which contain a conserved 10-bp motif (GAAAAGC/TGAA), and that deletion of these repeats results in a loss of suspensor transcription. Here, we use gain-of-function (GOF) experiments with transgenic globular-stage tobacco embryos to show that only 1 of the 5 tandem repeats is required to drive suspensor-specific transcription. Fine-scale deletion and scanning mutagenesis experiments with 1 tandem repeat uncovered a 54-bp region that contains all of the sequences required to activate transcription in the suspensor, including the 10-bp motif (GAAAAGCGAA) and a similar 10-bp-like motif (GAAAAACGAA). Site-directed mutagenesis and GOF experiments indicated that both the 10-bp and 10-bp-like motifs are necessary, but not sufficient to activate transcription in the suspensor, and that a sequence (TTGGT) between the 10-bp and the 10-bp-like motifs is also necessary for suspensor transcription. Together, these data identify sequences that are required to activate transcription in the suspensor of a plant embryo after fertilization.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3627-3632
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume106
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 3 2009

Keywords

  • Promoter analysis
  • Scarlet runner bean

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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