Understanding the molecular mechanism of transcriptional regulation of banana Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) gene during fruit ripening: an insight into the functions of various cis-acting regulatory elements.

Recently, we have reported the characterization of promoter region of Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) gene in banana and investigated the role of some cis-elements/motifs, present in the promoter of SPS, in the transcriptional regulation of the gene. DNA-protein interaction studies have demonstrated the presence of specific trans-acting factors which showed specific interactions with ethylene, auxin, low temperature and light responsive elements in regulating SPS transcription. Transient expression analyses have demonstrated the functional significance of the various cis-acting regulatory elements present in banana SPS promoter in regulating SPS expression during ripening. (1) Here, we have further discussed the possible role of these regulatory sequences in the regulation of transcriptional network and comment on their function in relation to sucrose metabolism during banana fruit ripening.