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Regulation of isoprene synthase promoter by environmental and internal factors

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Abstract

Isoprene synthase (ISPS) catalyzes the formation of isoprene, an important volatile terpenoid with strong effects on global atmospheric chemistry and protective physiological functions in plant leaves. Many terpene synthase genes including isoprene synthase, a member of the TPS-b cluster of this numerous gene family, were already functionally analysed but much less is known about regulation of their promoters. To study regulation of the PcISPS gene in detail we developed transgenic Grey poplar (Populus × canescens) and Arabidopsis thaliana plants in which the PcISPS promoter is fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (E-GFP) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter genes. We analysed these reporters during plant development, for organ specificity and in plants subjected to different light and temperature regimes. We observed low promoter activity in non-isoprene emitting tissue like roots where ISPS gene is transcribed but no active enzyme is detectable. In leaves we demonstrate that light and temperature directly modulate ISPS promoter activity. Moreover, with confocal laser scanning microscopy we show a cell specific gradient of ISPS promoter activity within the leaf parenchyma depending on light direction. Our results indicate that ISPS promoter activity, which correlates with basal isoprene emission capacity, is not uniformly distributed within leaf tissue and that it can adapt rapidly towards internal as well as external environmental stimuli.

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Acknowledgements

We greatly acknowledge the technical support of I. Zimmer, M. Bauerfeind (IMK-IFU, Garmisch-Partenkirchen) and M. Kay (University of Braunschweig) for biochemical analysis and cultivation of poplars. The study was financially supported by the European Commission in the frame of the Marie-Curie Research Training Network ISONET (J.P.S) and by the German Science Foundation (J.P.S SCHN653/4, R.H.HA3107/3) within the German joint research group ‘Poplar—A model to address tree-specific questions’.

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  1. Research Centre Karlsruhe, Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstrasse 19, 82467, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

    Gyöngyi Cinege, Sandrine Louis & Jörg-Peter Schnitzler

  2. Institute for Plant Biology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Humboldtstrasse 1, 38206, Braunschweig, Germany

    Robert Hänsch

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  1. Gyöngyi Cinege
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  2. Sandrine Louis
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  3. Robert Hänsch
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  4. Jörg-Peter Schnitzler
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Correspondence to Sandrine Louis.

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Gyöngyi Cinege and Sandrine Louis contributed equally to the work.

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Cinege, G., Louis, S., Hänsch, R. et al. Regulation of isoprene synthase promoter by environmental and internal factors. Plant Mol Biol 69, 593–604 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-008-9441-2

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