Genes & Genetic Systems
Online ISSN : 1880-5779
Print ISSN : 1341-7568
ISSN-L : 1341-7568
Short Communications
The regulatory function of the upstream sequence of the β-conglycinin α subunit gene in seed-specific transcription is associated with the presence of the RY sequence
Michiko YoshinoAtsushi NagamatsuKen-ichi TsutsumiAkira Kanazawa
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2006 Volume 81 Issue 2 Pages 135-141

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Abstract

β-conglycinin, a major component of seed-storage proteins in soybean, comprises three subunits: α, α', and β. Expression of these genes is spatially regulated in a stringent manner and occurs during seed development. To understand the mechanisms that control expression of the α subunit gene, we analyzed the nucleotide sequence of the 2.9-kb region upstream of the gene. The upstream sequence up to –1357 or a series of its 5'-deleted derivatives was fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene. These reporter gene constructs were introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana plants via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. Prominent GUS activity was detected in developing seeds of the T3 generation when 245 bp or longer sequences of the upstream region were fused to the GUS gene. We found a clear association of decreased GUS activity with a stepwise deletion of a region containing the RY sequence from the original construct. These results are consistent with the notion that multiple sequence elements including the RY sequences are involved in the seed-specific transcriptional activation of the β-conglycinin α subunit gene in soybean.

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© 2006 by The Genetics Society of Japan
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