Cis-acting motifs in artificially synthesized expression cassette leads to enhanced transgene expression in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Flavonols improve tomato pollen thermotolerance during germination and tube elongation by maintaining reactive oxygen species homeostasis

Elevated temperatures impair pollen performance and reproductive success, resulting in lower crop yields. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) anthocyanin reduced (are) mutant harbors a mutation in FLAVANONE 3-HYDROXYLASE (F3H), resulting in impaired flavonol antioxidant biosynthesis. The are mutant has reduced pollen performance and seed set relative to the VF36 parental line, phenotypes that are accentuated at elevated temperatures. Transformation of are with the wild-type F3H gene, or chemical complementation with flavonols, prevented temperature-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in pollen and restored the reduced viability, germination, and tube elongation of are to VF36 levels. Overexpression of F3H in VF36 prevented temperature-driven ROS increases and impaired pollen performance, revealing that flavonol biosynthesis promotes thermotolerance. Although stigmas of are had reduced flavonol and elevated ROS levels, the growth of are pollen tubes was similarly impaired in both are and VF36 pistils. RNA-seq was performed at optimal and stress temperatures in are, VF36, and the F3H overexpression line at multiple timepoints across pollen tube elongation. The number of differentially expressed genes increased over time under elevated temperatures in all genotypes, with the greatest number in are. These findings suggest potential agricultural interventions to combat the negative effects of heat-induced ROS in pollen that lead to reproductive failure.

Plant Synthetic Promoters: Advancement and Prospective

Native/endogenous promoters have several fundamental limitations in terms of their size, Cis-elements distribution/patterning, and mode of induction, which is ultimately reflected in their insufficient transcriptional activity. Several customized synthetic promoters were designed and tested in plants during the past decade to circumvent such constraints. Such synthetic promoters have a built-in capacity to drive the expression of the foreign genes at their maximum amplitude in plant orthologous systems. The basic structure and function of the promoter has been discussed in this review, with emphasis on the role of the Cis-element in regulating gene expression. In addition to this, the necessity of synthetic promoters in the arena of plant biology has been highlighted. This review also provides explicit information on the two major approaches for developing plant-based synthetic promoters: the conventional approach (by utilizing the basic knowledge of promoter structure and Cis-trans interaction) and the advancement in gene editing technology. The success of plant genetic manipulation relies on the promoter efficiency and the expression level of the transgene. Therefore, advancements in the field of synthetic promoters has enormous potential in genetic engineering-mediated crop improvement.

Improvement in Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by the inhibition of polyphenolics released during wounding of cotyledonary node explants

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) has been performed using cotyledonary node explants (CNs), which release phenolics upon excision that are detrimental to the viability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and result in low transformation frequency. Twelve low molecular weight phenolic compounds and salicylic acid were identified in the exudates released upon excision during the preparation of cotyledonary nodes by reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Zone inhibition assays performed with the explant exudates released at periodic intervals after excision showed the inhibition of A. tumefaciens. Agroinoculation of freshly excised cotyledonary nodes of chickpea showed 98-99 % inhibition of colony forming units (cfu). Osmium tetraoxide fixation of excised tissues showed enhanced accumulation of phenolics in the sub-epidermal regions causing enzymatic browning, affecting the viability and performance of A. tumefaciens for T-DNA delivery. The periodic analysis of exudates released from excised CNs showed enhanced levels of gallic acid (0.2945 ± 0.014 μg/g), chlorogenic acid (0.0978 ± 0.0046 μg/g), and quercetin (0.0971 ± 0.0046 μg/g) fresh weight, which were detrimental to A. tumefaciens. Quantitative assays and the elution profile showed the maximum leaching of phenolics, flavonoids, and salicylic acid immediately after the excision of explants and continued till 4 to 8 h post-excision. Pre-treatment of excised explants with inhibitors of polyphenol oxidase like L-cysteine, DTT, and sodium thiosulfate before co-cultivation showed the recovery of A. tumefaciens cfu, decreased the accumulation of phenolics, and improved transformation frequency. Our results show the hypersensitive response of excision stress for the expression of defense response-related genes and synthesis of metabolites in grain legume chickpea against pathogen infestation including Agrobacterium.

Comparative performance of modified full-length and truncated Bacillus thuringiensis-cry1Ac genes in transgenic tomato

BACKGROUND

Bt-cry1Ac gene has been reputedly effective against Helicoverpa armigera a notorious lepidopteran pest. Reports on the expression of full-length and truncated cry1Ac genes in plants for effective resistance against Helicoverpa sp. have been documented however, their performance is still ambiguous. Moreover, the question remains to be addressed that truncation of 3' end of the native gene was documented and suggested for active insecticidal toxin production while the most successful transgenic event(s) of commercialized-cotton are based on full-length of the cry gene. Therefore, we performed a comparative study on the efficacy of the two versions of cry1Ac genes (full-length: 3,510 bp and truncated: 1,845 bp) in T0 and T1 transgenic tomato plants and analyzed the extent of protection against H. armigera and also compared the results with our previous findings related to a successful transgenic tomato line Ab25E, expressing cry1Ab gene. The integration of cry1Ac gene(s) in T0 transgenic plants and its inheritance in T1 progeny was observed by PCR, RT-PCR and Southern blot hybridization analysis while, the toxin integrity, expression and toxicity was monitored by Western immunoassay, DAS-ELISA and insect bioassay respectively.

RESULTS

An average transformation frequency and Bt-Cry protein content of 16.93 ± 2.10 and 0.0020-0.0128% of total soluble protein (TSP) was obtained with pRD400 vector (Trcry1Ac) while, a much lower value of 9.30 ± 2.041 and 0.0001 - 0.0026% of TSP was observed with pNBRI-1 vector (Flcry1Ac), respectively. The promising Trcry1Ac T0 transgenic plants and their T1 progeny gave full protection from H. armigera. Although Flcry1Ac gene showed lower transformation frequency and lower expression, it showed higher toxicity to H. armigera when compared with truncated Trcry1Ac gene.

CONCLUSIONS

The full-length cry1Ac gene can be redesigned for higher expression and performance in dicots or a hybrid gene could be designed having a blend of strong receptor binding and stable expression characteristics for enhanced efficacy and toxicity to the susceptible insects.

Cloning and characterization of a novel Athspr promoter specifically active in vascular tissue

The vascular system--xylem, phloem and the cambium--is essential for water supply, nutrient transport, and physical support in higher plants. Although it is known that vascular-specific gene expression is regulated by cis-acting regulatory sequences in promoters, it is largely unknown how many regulatory elements exist and what their roles are in promoters. To understand the regulatory elements of vascular-specific promoters and their roles in vascular development, a T-DNA insertion mutant showing delayed growth and diminished resistance to environmental stress was isolated using promoter trap strategy. The novel gene, Arabidopsis thaliana heat shock protein-related (Athspr), was cloned from Arabidopsis ecotype C24. Strong GUS (β-glucuronidase) staining in the original promoter trap line was found in the vascular tissues of all organs in the mutant. The Athspr promoter was cloned and fused with GUS and eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) reporter genes to verify its vascular-specific expression in Arabidopsis. Further histochemical analysis in transgenic plants demonstrated a similar GUS expression pattern in the vascular tissues. In addition, ATHSPR-eGFP driven by Athspr promoter was observed in vascular bundles of the transgenic seedling roots. Finally, comparative analysis with promoter motifs from 37 genes involved in vascular development revealed that Athspr and all other promoters active in vascular tissues contained regulatory elements responding to phytohormones, light, biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as those regulating tissue-specific expression. These results demonstrated that the Athspr promoter has a vascular tissue-specific activity and Athspr may have multiple functions in vascular development and resistance against various stresses.

Transgenic tomato line expressing modified Bacillus thuringiensis cry1Ab gene showing complete resistance to two lepidopteran pests

The modified truncated Bt-cry1Ab gene of Bacillus thuringiensis has been used for the development and selection of over expressing transgenic events in a commercially important variety of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by Agrobacterium-mediated leaf-disc transformation procedure. The integration and inheritance of cry1Ab gene in T₀ transgenic plants and their progenies were determined by PCR, RT-PCR and Southern blot hybridization analysis. The toxin expression was monitored by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). The transgenic line Ab25 E, expressing 0.47 ± 0.01% Cry1Ab toxin of total soluble protein (TSP) was finally selected in the T₄ generation from the segregating population, showing 100% mortality to the second instar larvae of H. armigera and S. litura and minimal damages to leaves and fruits. Southern blot analysis data revealed single copy introgression of cry1Ab gene in highly-expressing Ab25 E transgenic line and expression of Cry1Ab toxin of molecular mass ~65 kDa was evident in Western blot analyses in transgenic plants of T₄, T₅ and T₆ generation. Receptor binding assay performed with partially purified Cry1Ab protein from Ab25 E transgenic tomato line, confirmed efficient protein-protein interaction of Cry1Ab toxin with receptor(s) of both the insects. The higher level of Cry1Ab toxin (≈ 0.47 ± 0.01% TSP) did not affect the normal in vitro regeneration, plant development and fruit yield in this transgenic line. This high expressing Cry1Ab homozygous transgenic line can be a useful candidate in tomato breeding programmes for introgression of important agronomical traits.