Cloning and functional validation of early inducible Magnaporthe oryzae responsive CYP76M7 promoter from rice

Cloning and functional characterization of plant pathogen inducible promoters is of great significance for their use in the effective management of plant diseases. The rice gene CYP76M7 was up regulated at 24, 48, and 72 hours post inoculation (hpi) with two isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae Mo-ei-11 and Mo-ni-25. In this study, the promoter of CYP76M7 gene was cloned from rice cultivar HR-12, characterized and functionally validated. The Transcription Start Site of CYP76M7 was mapped at 45 bases upstream of the initiation codon. To functionally validate the promoter, 5' deletion analysis of the promoter sequences was performed and the deletion fragments fused with the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene were used for generating stable transgenic Arabidopsis plants as well as for transient expression in rice. The spatial and temporal expression pattern of GUS in transgenic Arabidopsis plants and also in transiently expressed rice leaves revealed that the promoter of CYP76M7 gene was induced by M. oryzae. The induction of CYP76M7 promoter was observed at 24 hpi with M. oryzae. We report that, sequences spanning -222 bp to -520 bp, with the cluster of three W-boxes, two ASF1 motifs and a single GT-1 element may contribute to the M. oryzae inducible nature of CYP76M7 promoter. The promoter characterized in this study would be an ideal candidate for the overexpression of defense genes in rice for developing durable blast resistance rice lines.

Microarray analysis of laser-microdissected tissues indicates the biosynthesis of suberin in the outer part of roots during formation of a barrier to radial oxygen loss in rice (Oryza sativa)

Internal aeration is crucial for root growth in waterlogged soil. A barrier to radial oxygen loss (ROL) can enhance long-distance oxygen transport via the aerenchyma to the root tip; a higher oxygen concentration at the apex enables root growth into anoxic soil. The ROL barrier is formed within the outer part of roots (OPR). Suberin and/or lignin deposited in cell walls are thought to contribute to the barrier, but it is unclear which compound is the main constituent. This study describes gene expression profiles during ROL barrier formation in rice roots to determine the relative responses of suberin and/or lignin biosyntheses for the barrier. OPR tissues were isolated by laser microdissection and their transcripts were analysed by microarray. A total of 128 genes were significantly up- or downregulated in the OPR during the barrier formation. Genes associated with suberin biosynthesis were strongly upregulated, whereas genes associated with lignin biosynthesis were not. By an ab initio analysis of the promoters of the upregulated genes, the putative cis-elements that could be associated with transcription factors, WRKY, AP2/ERF, NAC, bZIP, MYB, CBT/DREB, and MADS, were elucidated. They were particularly associated with the expression of transcription factor genes containing WRKY, AP2, and MYB domains. A semiquantitative reverse-transcription PCR analysis of genes associated with suberin biosynthesis (WRKY, CYP, and GPAT) confirmed that they were highly expressed during ROL barrier formation. Overall, these results suggest that suberin is a major constituent of the ROL barrier in roots of rice.

Tissue-specific gene expression and regulation in liver and muscle following chronic corticosteroid administration

Although corticosteroids (CSs) affect gene expression in multiple tissues, the array of genes that are regulated by these catabolic steroids is diverse, highly tissue specific, and depends on their functions in the tissue. Liver has many important functions in performing and regulating diverse metabolic processes. Muscle, in addition to its mechanical role, is critical in maintaining systemic energy homeostasis and accounts for about 80% of insulin-directed glucose disposal. Consequently, a better understanding of CS pharmacogenomic effects in these tissues would provide valuable information regarding the tissue-specificity of transcriptional dynamics, and would provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of action for both beneficial and detrimental effects. We performed an integrated analysis of transcriptional data from liver and muscle in response to methylprednisolone (MPL) infusion, which included clustering and functional annotation of clustered gene groups, promoter extraction and putative transcription factor (TF) identification, and finally, regulatory closeness (RC) identification. This analysis allowed the identification of critical transcriptional responses and CS-responsive functions in liver and muscle during chronic MPL administration, the prediction of putative transcriptional regulators relevant to transcriptional responses of CS-affected genes which are also potential secondary bio-signals altering expression levels of target-genes, and the exploration of the tissue-specificity and biological significance of gene expression patterns, CS-responsive functions, and transcriptional regulation. The analysis provided an integrated description of the genomic and functional effects of chronic MPL infusion in liver and muscle.

Structural Features of the Telomerase RNA Gene in the Naked Mole Rat Heterocephalus glaber

Telomere length, an important feature of life span control, is dependent on the activity of telomerase (a key enzyme of the telomere-length-maintaining system). Telomerase RNA is a component of telomerase and, thus, is crucial for its activity. The structures of telomerase RNA genes and their promoter regions were compared for the long-living naked mole rat and different organisms. Two rare polymorphisms in Heterocephalus glaber telomerase RNA (hgTER) were identified: A→G in the first loop of pseudoknot P2b-p3 (an equivalent of 111nt in hTR) and G→A in the scaRNA domain CR7-p8b (an equivalent of 421nt in hTR). Analysis of TER promoter regions allowed us to identify two new transcription factor binding sites. The first one is the ETS family site, which was found to be a conserved element for all the analyzed TER promoters. The second site is unique for the promoter region of TER of the naked mole rat and is a binding site for the SOX17 transcription factor. The absence of one Sp1 site in the TER promoter region of the naked small rat is an additional specific feature of the promoter area of hgTER. Such variation in the hgTER transcription regulation region and hgTER itself could provide increased telomerase activity in stem cells and an extended lifespan to H. glaber.

Characterization of the spatial and temporal expression of the OsSSII-3 gene encoding a key soluble starch synthase in rice

BACKGROUND

Starch, the major component of rice grain, consists of amylose and amylopectin. SSIIa, a key soluble starch synthase involved in the biosynthesis of rice amylopectin, is a major factor that controls the gelatinization temperature of rice grain. Extensive work has been done and impressive progress has been made in elaborating the function of the gene encoding SSIIa (OsSSII-3). However, the systematic expression analysis of OsSSII-3 is still rare.

RESULTS

In the present study, we performed a comprehensive expression analysis of OsSSII-3 in both the developing seeds and other tissues of indica rice 9311 by using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that the gene was dominantly expressed in the developing seeds. In addition, the promoter sequence of OsSSII-3 was cloned and fused with the GUS reporter gene and its expression was carefully monitored in the transgenic rice. The data from both histochemical and fluorometric analyses showed that the OsSSII-3 promoter was capable of driving the target gene to have an endosperm-specific expression, which may be due to the existing of several endosperm-specific motifs in the promoter, including the -300 elements, AACA motifs and GCN4 motifs. This result was quite consistent with that of the endogenous transcription analysis of OsSSII-3.

CONCLUSION

This study not only advanced our understanding of the spatial and temporal expression characteristics of OsSSII-3, but also provided a valuable promoter for future application in generating elite rice varieties with high nutritional or medicinal value.

A crystallin gene network in the mouse retina

The present study was designed to examine the regulation of crystallin genes and protein in the mouse retina using the BXD recombinant inbred (RI) strains. Illumina Sentrix BeadChip Arrays (MouseWG-6v2) were used to analyze mRNA levels in 75 BXD RI strains along with the parental strains (C57Bl/6J and DBA/2J), and the reciprocal crosses in the Hamilton Eye Institute (HEI) Retina Dataset (www.genenetwork.org). Protein levels were investigated using immunoblots to quantify levels of proteins and indirect immunohistochemistry to define the distribution of protein. Algorithms in the Genomatix program were used to identify transcription factor binding sites common to the regulatory sequences in the 5' regions of co-regulated set of crystallin and other genes as compared to a set of control genes. As subset of genes, including many encoding lens crystallins is part of a tightly co-regulated network that is active in the retina. Expression of this crystallin network appears to be binary in nature, being expressed either at relatively low levels or being highly upregulated. Relative to a control set of genes, the 5' regulatory sequences of the crystallin network genes show an increased frequency of a set of common transcription factor-binding sites, the most common being those of the Maf family. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of human lens epithelial cells (HLEC) and rat retinal ganglion cells (RGC) confirmed the functionality of these sites, showing that MafA binds the predicted sites of CRYGA and CRYGD in HLE and CRYAB, CRYGA, CRYBA1, and CRYBB3 in RGC cells. In the retina there is a highly correlated group of genes containing many members of the α- β- and γ-crystallin families. These genes can be dramatically upregulated in the retina. One transcription factor that appears to be involved in this coordinated expression is the MAF family transcription of factors associated with both lens and extralenticular expression of crystallin genes.

Identification and promoter analysis of PERV LTR subtypes in NIH-miniature pig

Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are integrated into the genomes of all pigs. Since some PERVs can also infect human cells, they represent a potential risk for xenotransplantation involving pig cells or organs. The long terminal repeat (LTR) elements of PERVs show promoter activity that can affect human functional genes; therefore, we examined these elements in this study. We detected several expressed LTRs in the NIH-miniature pig liver, among which we identified 9 different subtypes. When these LTRs were compared, distinct structures that contained several insertion and deletion (INDEL) events and tandem repeats were identified in the U3 region. The transcriptional activity of the 9 LTR subtypes was analyzed in the PK15 porcine cell line and in the HepG2 and Hep3B human liver cell lines, and transcriptional regulation was found to be different in the 3 cell lines. The D LTR subtype was found to have stronger promoter activity than all other types in 4 different human cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, U251, and 293). Using computational approaches, the D type was shown to contain 4 transcription factor-binding sites distinct from those in the U3 regions of the other subtypes. Therefore, deletion mutants were constructed and examined by a transient transfection luciferase assay. The results of this analysis indicated that the binding site for the Hand1:E47 transcription factor might play a positive role in the transcriptional regulation of PERV LTR subtype D in human liver cell lines.

Computational identification of transcriptionally co-regulated genes, validation with the four ANT isoform genes

BACKGROUND

The analysis of gene promoters is essential to understand the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation required under the effects of physiological processes, nutritional intake or pathologies. In higher eukaryotes, transcriptional regulation implies the recruitment of a set of regulatory proteins that bind on combinations of nucleotide motifs. We developed a computational analysis of promoter nucleotide sequences, to identify co-regulated genes by combining several programs that allowed us to build regulatory models and perform a crossed analysis on several databases. This strategy was tested on a set of four human genes encoding isoforms 1 to 4 of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier ANT. Each isoform has a specific tissue expression profile linked to its role in cellular bioenergetics.

RESULTS

From their promoter sequence and from the phylogenetic evolution of these ANT genes in mammals, we constructed combinations of specific regulatory elements. These models were screened using the full human genome and databases of promoter sequences from human and several other mammalian species. For each of transcriptionally regulated ANT1, 2 and 4 genes, a set of co-regulated genes was identified and their over-expression was verified in microarray databases.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the identified genes encode proteins with a cellular function and specificity in agreement with those of the corresponding ANT isoform. Our in silico study shows that the tissue specific gene expression is mainly driven by promoter regulatory sequences located up to about a thousand base pairs upstream the transcription start site. Moreover, this computational strategy on the study of regulatory pathways should provide, along with transcriptomics and metabolomics, data to construct cellular metabolic networks.

Tomato polyphenol oxidase B is spatially and temporally regulated during development and in response to ethylene

Plant polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) are ubiquitous plastid-localized enzymes. A precise analysis of PPO function in plants has been complicated by the presence of several family members with immunological cross reactivity. Previously we reported the isolation of genomic clones coding for the seven members of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) PPO family (A, A', B, C, D, E, and F). Here we report the complex spatial and temporal expression of one of the members, PPO B. The PPO B promoter was sequenced and subjected to homology analysis. Sequence similarities were found to nucleotide sequences of genes encoding enzymes/proteins active in the following systems: phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, signal transduction and responsiveness to hormones and stresses, fruit and seed proteins/enzymes, and photosynthesis. Chimeric gene fusions were constructed linking PPO B 5' flanking regions to the reporter gene, b-glucuronidase (GUS). The resultant transgenic plants were histochemically analyzed for GUS activity in various vegetative and reproductive tissues, and evaluated for PPO B responsiveness to ethylene induction. It was shown that PPO B expression was tissue specific, developmentally regulated, ethylene induced, and localized predominantly to mitotic or apoptotic tissues.

Transient and transgenic analysis of the zebrafish ventricular myosin heavy chain (vmhc) promoter: an inhibitory mechanism of ventricle-specific gene expression

The zebrafish ventricular myosin heavy chain (vmhc) gene exhibits restricted expression in the ventricle. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this chamber-specific expression is unclear. Here, we exploited both transient and transgenic technologies to dissect the zebrafish vmhc promoter. We demonstrated that a combination of two transient assays in this animal model quickly identified chamber-specific cis-elements, isolating a 2.2 kb fragment upstream from the vmhc gene that can drive ventricle-specific expression. Furthermore, deletion analysis identified multiple cis-elements that exhibited cardiac-specific expression. To achieve chamber specificity, a distal element was required to coordinate with and suppress a proximal enhancer element. Finally, we discovered that Nkx2.5-binding sites (NKE) were essential for this repressive function. In summary, our study of the zebrafish vmhc promoter suggests that ventricle-specific expression is achieved through an inhibitory mechanism that suppresses expression in the atrium. Developmental Dynamics 238:1564-1573, 2009. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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

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 (GAAAAG(C)/(T)GAA), 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.

Retinoic acid receptors and GATA transcription factors activate the transcription of the human lecithin:retinol acyltransferase gene

Lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) catalyzes the esterification of retinol (vitamin A). Retinyl esters and LRAT protein levels are reduced in many types of cancer cells. We present data that both the LRAT and retinoic acid receptor beta(2) (RARbeta(2)) mRNA levels in the human prostate cancer cell line PC-3 are lower than those in cultured normal human prostate epithelial cells (PrEC). The activity of the human LRAT promoter (2.0 kb) driving a luciferase reporter gene in PC-3 cells is less than 40% of that in PrEC cells. Retinoic acid (RA) treatment increased this LRAT promoter-luciferase activity in PrEC cells, but not in PC-3 cells. Deletion of various regions of the human LRAT promoter demonstrated that a 172-bp proximal promoter region is essential for LRAT transcription and confers RA responsiveness in PrEC cells. This 172-bp region, contained within the 186 bp pLRAT/luciferase construct, has five putative GATA binding sites. Cotransfection of RARbeta(2) or RARgamma and the transcription factor GATA-4 increased LRAT (pLRAT186) promoter activity in both PrEC and PC-3 cells. In addition, we found that both retinoic acid and retinol induced transcripts for the STRA6 gene, which encodes a membrane receptor involved in retinol (vitamin A) uptake, in PrEC cells but not in PC-3 cells. In summary, our data show that the transcriptional regulation of the human LRAT gene is aberrant in human prostate cancer cells and that GATA transcription factors are involved in the transcriptional activation of LRAT in PrEC cells.

Transcriptome analysis and promoter sequence studies on early adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells

To identify regulatory molecules which play key roles in the development of obesity, we investigated the transcriptional profiles in 3T3-L1 cells at early stage of differentiation and analyzed the promoter sequences of differentially regulated genes. One hundred and sixty-one (161) genes were found to have significant changes in expression at the 2nd day following treatment with differentiation cocktail. Among them, 86 transcripts were up-regulated and 75 transcripts were down-regulated. The 161 transcripts were classified into 10 categories according to their functional roles; cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, immune, defense response, metabolism, protein modification, protein metabolism, regulation of transcription, signal transduction and transporter. To identify transcription factors likely involved in regulating these differentially expressed genes, we analyzed the promoter sequences of up- or -down regulated genes for the presence of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). Based on coincidence of regulatory sites, we have identified candidate transcription factors (TFs), which include those previously known to be involved in adipogenesis (CREB, OCT-1 and c-Myc). Among them, c-Myc was also identified by our microarray data. Our approach to take advantage of the resource of the human genome sequences and the results from our microarray experiments should be validated by further studies of promoter occupancy and TF perturbation.

The human p73 promoter: characterization and identification of functional E2F binding sites

p73, a member of the p53 family, is overexpressed in many cancers. To understand the mechanism(s) underlying this overexpression, we have undertaken a detailed characterization of the human p73 promoter. The promoter is strongly activated in cells expressing exogenous E2F1 and suppressed by exogenous Rb. At least three functional E2F binding sites, located immediately upstream of exon 1 (at -284, -155 and -132) mediate this induction. 5' serially deleted promoter constructs and constructs harboring mutated E2F sites were analyzed for their response to exogenously expressed E2F1 or Rb to establish functionality of these sites. Authenticity of E2F sites was further confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) using E2F1/DP1 heterodimers synthesized in vitro, followed by competition assays with unlabeled wild-type or mutant oligonucleotides and supershift analysis using anti-E2F1 antibodies. In vivo binding of E2F1 to the p73 promoter was demonstrated using nuclear extracts prepared from E2F1-inducible Saos2 cells. The region conferring the highest promoter activity was found to reside between -113 to -217 of the p73 gene. Two of the three functional E2F sites (at -155 and -132) reside within this region. Our results suggest that regulation of p73 expression is primarily mediated through binding of E2F1 to target sites at -155 and -132.