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Visualization of site-specific recombination catalyzed by a recombinase from Zygosaccharomyces rouxii in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

Excision of a DNA segment can occur in Arabidopsis thaliana by reciprocal recombination between two specific recombination sites (RSs) when the recombinase gene (R) from Zygosaccharomyces rouxii is expressed in the plant. To monitor recombination events, we generated several lines of transgenic Arabidopsis plants that carried a cryptic β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene which was designed in such a way that expression of the reporter gene could be induced by R gene-mediated recombination. We also made several transgenic lines with an R gene linked to the 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus. Each transgenic line carrying the cryptic reporter gene was crossed with each line carrying the R gene. Activity of GUS in F1 and F2 progeny was examined histochemically and recombination between two RSs was analyzed by Southern blotting and the polymerase chain reaction. In seedlings and plantlets of F1 progeny and most of the F2 progeny, a variety of patterns of activity of GUS, including sectorial chimerism in leaves, was observed. A small percentage of F2 individuals exhibited GUS activity in the entire plant. This pattern of expression was ascribed to germinal recombination in the F1 generation on the basis of an analysis of DNA structure by Southern blotting. These results indicate that R gene-mediated recombination can be induced in both somatic and germ cells of A. thaliana by cross-pollination of parental transgenic lines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Nagoya University, 464-01, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan

    Hitoshi Onouchi, Ryuichi Nishihama, Mitsuko Kudo, Yasunori Machida & Chiyoko Machida

  2. Cell and Information Group, PRESTO, Research Development Corporation of Japan, Aichi Institute of Technology, 470-03, Yakusa, Toyota, Japan

    Chiyoko Machida

Authors
  1. Hitoshi Onouchi
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  2. Ryuichi Nishihama
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  3. Mitsuko Kudo
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  4. Yasunori Machida
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  5. Chiyoko Machida
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yasunori Machida or Chiyoko Machida.

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Communicated by M. Sekiguchi

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Onouchi, H., Nishihama, R., Kudo, M. et al. Visualization of site-specific recombination catalyzed by a recombinase from Zygosaccharomyces rouxii in Arabidopsis thaliana . Molec. Gen. Genet. 247, 653–660 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290396

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290396

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