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Isolation of the β-carotene ketolase gene promoter from Haematococcus pluvialis and expression of ble in transgenic Chlamydomonas

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Abstract

The β-carotene ketolase gene (bkt1) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of astaxanthin in the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. We constructed a genomic library of H. pluvialis from which the upstream sequence of bkt1 was cloned. It was just 27% identical to the β-C-4-oxygenase gene (crto1) promoter. A TATA-box and a number of CAAT-boxes were found in the bkt1 promoter region. Analysis of the sequence revealed the presence of cis-acting elements associated with light and stress-related responses. Seven novel GTAC core sequences involved in copper response were also detected. The bkt1 promoter was transferred into Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-849 to drive the expression of ble. The antibiotic resistance and expression of ble in TranBCO transgenic lines confirmed the promoter activity of the cloned bkt1 promoter sequence. The results of this study confirm that the bkt1 promoter owned cis-acting elements involved in light and environmental stresses and the genetic transformation system of C. reinhardtii can be used to study the functions of bkt1promoters from H. pluvialis.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31000162 and 31070323).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People’s Republic of China

    Chaogang Wang & Zhangli Hu

  2. Institute of Eco-Environmental Science, College of Life Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China

    Zhangli Hu, Changnan Zhao & Xiaomo Mao

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  1. Chaogang Wang
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  2. Zhangli Hu
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  4. Xiaomo Mao
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Correspondence to Zhangli Hu.

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Wang, C., Hu, Z., Zhao, C. et al. Isolation of the β-carotene ketolase gene promoter from Haematococcus pluvialis and expression of ble in transgenic Chlamydomonas . J Appl Phycol 24, 1303–1310 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9781-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9781-1

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