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Introns are key regulatory elements of rice tubulin expression

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Abstract

The genomic clones containing elements that regulate transcription of the three known rice (Oryza sativa L.) alpha-tubulin isotypes (Ostua1, Ostua2 and Ostua3) have been isolated. We have used these genomic regions to identify the regulatory elements that contribute to the expression of a marker gene (gusA) in transient assays performed on rice calli derived from mature embryos. In all cases, we found that the first intron was required to achieve high levels of expression. This is consistent with data already reported for the α-tubulin isotype1 and indicates that a common regulatory mechanism is active on all the members of the rice α-tubulin gene family. The enhancing effect of the first intron was then tested by constructing illegitimate combinations of α-tubulin promoter and intron sequences (Ostua1pro–Ostua2intro; Ostua1pro–Ostua3intro; Ostua2pro–Ostua3intro; Ostua3pro–Ostua2intro) and then by assaying β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity in transformed rice calli. All illegitimate combinations expressed GUS at high level, suggesting that rice α-tubulin promoters and introns can be exchanged among the different isotypes. This did not occur when the intron of the rice β-tubulin isotype16, known to enhance transcription of its own gene, was used in place of the α-tubulin intron. We have also analysed the effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on GUS expression in rice calli transformed with chimeric tubα2pro-intro::gusA and tubα3pro-intro::gusA constructs. ABA was able to reduce GUS expression only in the presence of the tubα2pro-intro sequence. We discuss these data in terms of mechanisms that in rice, as opposed to other plants, may control tubulin isotype-specific expression and the involvement of ABA in the regulation of α-tubulin expression.

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Fig. 1a–c
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Fig. 4a, b
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Fig. 6a–d

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Abbreviations

ABA :

cis-Abscisic acid

GFP :

Green fluorescent protein

GUS :

Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase

MT :

Microtubule

UTR :

Untranslated region

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by contract N. QLK3-2000-00060 from the European Commission. We also acknowledge the support we had from the Italian Ministery of Education and Research (MIUR) within the FIRB programme frameshift (project N. RBNE01TYZF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR, Via Bassini 15, 20133, Milano, Italy

    Silvia Gianì & Diego Breviario

  2. Molecular Biotechnology Unit, Fraunhofer Institute, Auf dem Aberg 1, 57329, Schmallenberg-Grafschaft, Germany

    Elisa Fiume & Paul Christou

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  1. Elisa Fiume
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  2. Paul Christou
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  3. Silvia Gianì
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  4. Diego Breviario
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diego Breviario.

Additional information

EBI GenBank Accession numbers for Ostua1, Ostua2 and Ostua3 promoter, first exon and first intron sequences are AJ488065, AJ488063 and AJ488064, respectively.

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Fiume, E., Christou, P., Gianì, S. et al. Introns are key regulatory elements of rice tubulin expression. Planta 218, 693–703 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1150-0

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