| Abstract Detail
Mechanisms of Gene Regulation Creux, N. M. [1], Ranik, M. [1], Berger, D. K. [2], Myburg, A. A. [1]. Characterization of promoter regions of six cellulose synthase genes in Eucalyptus grandis. Wood formation is a developmentally regulated process comprised of a number of phases, one of which is secondary cell wall formation. During this stage, large amounts of cellulose are deposited on the outside of the plasma membrane. Cellulose is produced by a membrane bound enzyme complex, which comprises multiple cellulose synthase (CESA) proteins, encoded by a family of cellulose synthase (CesA) genes. Several gene expression and mutant studies have suggested that two groups of CesAs exist – one associated with primary cell wall formation and another involved in secondary cell wall deposition. The regulatory mechanisms that underlie the expression patterns of the two groups of CesA genes are poorly understood. In this study, six Eucalyptus grandis CesA gene promoters (EgCesA1-5 and 7) were isolated using genome walking. The Eucalyptus promoter regions and the orthologous promoter regions from Populus and Arabidopsis were analyzed using a number of software packages. The in silico results were compared among species and it was found that the predicted transcriptional start sites and the core elements of the CesA promoters showed structural conservation. Additionally, comparative analysis of the orthologous promoter groups in Eucalyptus, Populus and Arabidopsis using three different software packages (MotifSampler, Weeder and POCO) allowed us to predict putative cis-acting elements that may underlie the differential expression patterns of the CesA genes. Finally, we have determined the heterologous functionality of the EgCesA promoters by fusing them to reporter genes and analyzing their ability to confer tissue- and cell-specific expression patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana. Log in to add this item to your schedule
1 - University of Pretoria, Department of Genetics, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa 2 - University of Pretoria, Department of Botany, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
Keywords: promoter cellulose synthase cis-element heterologous gene expression promotor evolution.
Presentation Type: Plant Biology Abstract Session: P Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007 Time: 8:00 AM Number: P36046 Abstract ID:2032 |