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The expression pattern of alfalfa flavanone 3-hydroxylase promoter-gus fusion in Nicotiana benthamiana correlates with the presence of flavonoids detected in situ

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Abstract

Flavanone 3-hydroxylase is an enzyme acting in the central part of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. It is generally encoded by a single gene and seems to have a key position for the regulation in this pathway. These two features make a single f3h promoter-gus fusion a suitable tool to study both the f3h expression and the regulation of this pathway. We present here the spatial and temporal analysis of the expression of an alfalfa flavanone 3-hydroxylase (f3h) promoter-gus fusion introduced into Nicotiana benthamiana. The Medicago sativa (alfalfa) f3h promoter directed gus expression in flowers, stems, leaves and roots. In flowers, GUS activity was observed in pollen grains, in ovules, in ovary placenta and in the epidermis, medullary parenchyma, trichomes and second cortical cellular layer surrounding the vascular bundles of the peduncle. In stems, GUS activity was detected at the same places as in the peduncle except for the medullary parenchyma. In roots, we found GUS staining in root hairs, epidermis and in the vascular bundles of the elongated zone. Finally, in leaves, the f3h promoter expressed essentially in the stalk cells of the multicellular trichomes. The expression pattern of the f3h-gus fusion was correlated to the presence of flavonoids in situ. These data indicate that this construct can be very useful to study factors controlling the production of flavonoids.

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Author notes

  1. Christine Leroux

    Present address: BSFT, Cirad Forêt, 45 bis Avenue de la Belle Gabrièle, F-94736, Nogent-sur Marne, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut des Sciences Végétales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, Cedex, France

    Bénédicte Charrier, Christine Leroux, Adam Kondorosi & Pascal Ratet

  2. Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 521, H-6701, Szeged, Hungary

    Adam Kondorosi

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  1. Bénédicte Charrier
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  2. Christine Leroux
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  3. Adam Kondorosi
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  4. Pascal Ratet
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Charrier, B., Leroux, C., Kondorosi, A. et al. The expression pattern of alfalfa flavanone 3-hydroxylase promoter-gus fusion in Nicotiana benthamiana correlates with the presence of flavonoids detected in situ . Plant Mol Biol 30, 1153–1168 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00019549

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00019549

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