Fruit developmental regulation of the kiwifruit actinidin promoter is conserved in transgenic petunia plants.

We have examined the expression of actinidin, a cysteine protease found in kiwifruit, over the course of fruit development. Protease activity was first seen in fruit that had reached about half their final weight, and rose to high levels at harvest. The 5'-flanking region (nucleotides -1301 to +58) of a kiwifruit actinidin gene was fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS)-coding region, and the chimaeric gene was introduced into transgenic petunia plants. Induction of the GUS gene was observed during the later stages of seed pod development, closely resembling the pattern of actinidin induction in fruit tissues of kiwifruit. Some GUS expression was also detected in the vascular system of the receptacle, leaves, stems and roots. A shorter promoter fragment consisting of nucleotides -115 to +58 conferred similar spatial and temporal regulation in some of the transgenic plants.