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Soybean actin, heat shock protein, and ribosomal protein promoters direct tissue-specific transgene expression in transgenic soybean

  • Embryogenesis/somatic embryogenesis
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Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max) promoters from an actin gene (GmActin), a ribosomal protein S11 gene (GmRpS11) and a heat shock protein 90 gene (GmHsp90), identified as being active during early induction of soybean somatic embryogenesis, were cloned, fused to the green fluorescence protein (gfp) gene and reintroduced into soybean for evaluation. All promoters displayed development- and tissue-specific regulation based on the expression of GFP in transgenic soybean. In seedlings, these three promoters gave rise to strong GFP expression in young roots, with very high levels of expression in the vascular tissues and root primordia. In older plants, promoter activity was observed in the vascular cambium of petioles, leaf midribs, and in the mesophyll of expanding leaves, but at reduced levels. The GmActin promoter gave very high GFP expression in developing and mature seeds. All three promoters displayed high activity following induction of somatic embryogenesis from immature soybean cotyledons. Comparison of promoter-regulated GFP transgene expression with transcriptome analysis using RNA-Seq revealed agreement in expression intensity in roots, leaves, and flowers but exceptions for expression in young developing seeds. Evaluation of specific promoters in transgenic plants is needed for proper elucidation of promoter-regulated transgene activity.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Robert Bouchard for the initial promoter cloning and Cheri Nemes for generation of the transgenic plants of each promoter. We would also like to thank Tea Meulia in the Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center at The Ohio State University for providing research facilities and the technical support for use of the confocal microscope. Salaries and research support were provided by the United Soybean Board and by the State and Federal funds appropriated to The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Mention of trademark or proprietary products does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by OSU/OARDC and also does not imply approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.

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  1. Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, OARDC/The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA

    Zhifen Zhang & John J. Finer

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  1. Zhifen Zhang
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  2. John J. Finer
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Correspondence to John J. Finer.

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Zhang, Z., Finer, J.J. Soybean actin, heat shock protein, and ribosomal protein promoters direct tissue-specific transgene expression in transgenic soybean. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 51, 9–18 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-014-9656-7

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