Noreen Aslam1, Muhammad Sameeullah1,2, Muhammet Yildirim3, Mehmet Cengiz Baloglu4, Buhara Yucesan5, Andreas G Lössl6, Mohammad Tahir Waheed7, Ekrem Gurel8. 1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Literature, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Turkey. 2. Center for Innovative Food Technologies Development, Application and Research, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Turkey. 3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Literature, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Turkey. 4. Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kastamonu University, 37100, Kastamonu, Turkey. 5. Department of Seed Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Turkey. 6. Department of Applied Plant Sciences and Plant Biotechnology (DAPP), University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria. 7. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. 8. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Literature, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Turkey. gurel.ekrem@gmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although members of the SDR gene family (short chain dehydrogenase) are distributed in kingdom of life, they have diverse roles in stress tolerance mechanism or secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Nevertheless, their precise roles in gene expression or regulation under stress are yet to be understood. METHODS: As a case study, we isolated, sequenced and functionally characterized the 3β-HSD promoter from Digitalis ferruginea subsp. ferruginea in Arabidopsis thaliana. RESULTS: The promoter fragment contained light and stress response elements such as Box-4, G-Box, TCT-motif, LAMP element, ABRE, ARE, WUN-motif, MYB, MYC, W box, STRE and Box S. The functional analysis of the 3β-HSD promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings showed that the promoter was expressed in cotyledon and root elongation zone in 2 days' seedlings. However, this expression was extended to hypocotyl and complete root in 6 days' seedlings. In 20 days-old seedlings, promoter expression was distributed to the whole seedling including hydathodes aperture, vascular bundle, shoot apical meristem, trichomes, midrib, leaf primordia, hypocotyl and xylem tissues. Further, expression of the promoter was enhanced or remained stable under the different abiotic stress conditions like osmotic, heat, cold, cadmium or low pH. In addition, the promoter also showed response to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application. The expression could not be induced in wounded cotyledon most likely due to lack of interacting elements in the promoter fragment. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the 3β-HSD promoter could be a candidate for the development of transgenic plants especially under changing environmental conditions.
BACKGROUND: Although members of the SDR gene family (short chain dehydrogenase) are distributed in kingdom of life, they have diverse roles in stress tolerance mechanism or secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Nevertheless, their precise roles in gene expression or regulation under stress are yet to be understood. METHODS: As a case study, we isolated, sequenced and functionally characterized the 3β-HSD promoter from Digitalis ferruginea subsp. ferruginea in Arabidopsis thaliana. RESULTS: The promoter fragment contained light and stress response elements such as Box-4, G-Box, TCT-motif, LAMP element, ABRE, ARE, WUN-motif, MYB, MYC, W box, STRE and Box S. The functional analysis of the 3β-HSD promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings showed that the promoter was expressed in cotyledon and root elongation zone in 2 days' seedlings. However, this expression was extended to hypocotyl and complete root in 6 days' seedlings. In 20 days-old seedlings, promoter expression was distributed to the whole seedling including hydathodes aperture, vascular bundle, shoot apical meristem, trichomes, midrib, leaf primordia, hypocotyl and xylem tissues. Further, expression of the promoter was enhanced or remained stable under the different abiotic stress conditions like osmotic, heat, cold, cadmium or low pH. In addition, the promoter also showed response to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application. The expression could not be induced in wounded cotyledon most likely due to lack of interacting elements in the promoter fragment. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the 3β-HSD promoter could be a candidate for the development of transgenic plants especially under changing environmental conditions.