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Analysis of the enhancer-blocking function of the TBS element from Petunia hybrida in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum

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Abstract

Transcriptional enhancers possess the ability to override the tissue-specificity and efficiency of nearby promoters, which is of concern when generating transgenic constructs bearing multiple cassettes. One means of preventing these inappropriate interactions is through the use of enhancer-blocking insulators. The 2-kb transformation booster sequence (TBS) from Petunia hybrida has been shown previously to exhibit this function when inserted between an enhancer and promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we attempted to further characterize the ability of this fragment to impede enhancer–promoter interference through an analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis and Nicotiana tabacum lines bearing various permutations of the TBS element between the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S enhancer and an assortment of tissue-specific promoters fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. The full-length TBS fragment was found to function in both orientations, although to a significantly lesser degree in the reverse orientation, and was operational in both plant species tested. While multiple deletion fragments were found to exhibit activity, it appeared that several regions of the TBS were required for maximal enhancer-blocking function. Furthermore, we found that this element exhibited promoter-like activity, which has implications in terms of possible mechanisms behind its ability to impede enhancer–promoter communication in plants.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Sara Villani for her invaluable technical assistance and Dr. Zongrang Liu (ARS-USDA, Kearneysville, WV) for his generosity in supplying a sample of the TBS element. This study was supported by state, federal, and institutional funds appropriated to the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University.

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  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA

    Stacy D. Singer, Jean-Michel Hily & Kerik D. Cox

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  1. Stacy D. Singer
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  2. Jean-Michel Hily
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  3. Kerik D. Cox
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Correspondence to Kerik D. Cox.

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Communicated by R. Schmidt.

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Singer, S.D., Hily, JM. & Cox, K.D. Analysis of the enhancer-blocking function of the TBS element from Petunia hybrida in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum . Plant Cell Rep 30, 2013–2025 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-011-1109-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-011-1109-8

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