Skip to main content
Log in

Ubiquitin promoter-based vectors for high-level expression of selectable and/or screenable marker genes in monocotyledonous plants

  • Technical Note
  • Published:
Transgenic Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A set of plasmids has been constructed utilizing the promoter, 5′ untranslated exon, and first intron of the maize ubiquitin (Ubi-1) gene to drive expression of protein coding sequences of choice. Plasmids containing chimaeric genes for ubiquitin-luciferase (Ubi-Luc), ubiquitin-β-glucuronidase (Ubi-GUS), and ubiquitin-phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (Ubi-bar) have been generated, as well as a construct containing chimaeric genes for bothUbi-GUS andUbi-bar in a single plasmid. Another construct was generated to allow cloning of protein coding sequences of choice onBam HI andBam HI-compatible restriction fragments downstream of theUbi-1 gene fragment. Because theUbi-1 promotor has been shown to be highly active in monocots, these constructs may be useful for generating high-level gene expression of selectable markers to facilitate efficient transformation of monocots, to drive expression of reference reporter genes in studies of gene expression, and to provide expression of biotechnologically important protein products in transgenic plants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ausubel, F.M., Brent, R., Kingston, R.E., Moore, D.D., Seidman, J.G., Smith, J.A., and Struhl, K. (1989)Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Vols. 1 and 2 New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, M. de, Botterman, J., Vandewiele, M., Dockx, J., Thoen, C., Goosele, V., Movva, N.R., Thompson, C., Montagu, M. Van and Lemmans, J. (1987) Engineering herbicide resistance in plants by expression of a detoxifying enzyme.EMBO J. 6, 2513–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, W.B., and Quail, P.H. (1990)Cis-acting elements involved in photoregulation of an oat phytochrome promoter in rice.Plant Cell 2, 1081–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, W.B., Christensen, A.H., Klein, T., Fromm, M. and Quail, P.H. (1989) Photoregulation of a phytochrome gene promoter from oat transferred into rice by particle bombardment.Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 86, 9692–6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Callis, J., Fromm, M. and Walbot, V. (1988) Heat inducible expression of a chimeric maize hsp70CAT gene in maize protoplasts.Plant Physiol. 88, 965–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A.H., Sharrock, R.A. and Quail, P.H. (1992) Maize polyubiquitin genes: structure, thermal perturbation of expression and transcript splicing, and promoter activity following transfer to protoplasts by electroporations.Plant Mol. Biol. 18, 675–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cornejo, M.J., Luth, D., Blankenship, K.M., Anderson, O.D. and Blechl, A.E. (1993) Activity of a maize ubiquitin promoter in transgenic rice.Plant Mol. Biol. 23, 567–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Devereux, J., Haeberli, P. and Smithies, O. (1984) A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX.Nucl. Acids Res. 12, 387–95.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fromm, M.E., Morrish, F., Armstrong, C., Williams, R., Thomas, J. and Klein, T.M. (1990) Inheritance and expression of chimeric genes in the progeny of transgenic maize plants.Biol/Technology 8, 833–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallo-Meagher, M. and Irvine, J.E. (1993) Effects of tissue type and promoter strength on transient GUS expression in sugarcane following particle bombardment.Plant Cell Rep. 11, 567–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goff, S.A., Cone, K.C. and Fromm, M.E. (1991) Identification of functional domains in the maize transcriptional activator C1: comparison of wild-type and dominant inhibitor proteins.Gen. Dev. 5, 298–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jefferson, R.A., Kavanagh, T.A. and Bevan, M.W. (1987) GUS fusions: β-glucuronidase as a sensitive and versatile gene fusion marker in higher plants.EMBO J. 6, 3901–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kyozuka, J., Fujimoto, H., Izawa, T. and Shimamoto, K. (1991) Anaerobic induction and tissue-specific expression of maizeAdh1 promoter in transgenic rice plants and their progeny.Mol. Gen. Genet. 228, 40–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McElroy, D. and Brettell, R.I.S., (1994) Foreign gene expression in transgenic cereals.Trends Biotech. 12, 62–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElroy, D., Zhang, W. and Wu, R. (1990) Isolation of an efficient actin promotor for use in rice transformation.Plant Cell 2, 163–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ow, D., Wood, K.V., DeLuca, M., Wet, J.R. de, Helinski, D.R. and Howell, S.P. (1986) Transient and stable expression of the firefly luciferase gene in plant cells and transgenic plants.Science 234, 856–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rolfe, S.A. and Tobin, E.M. (1991) Deletion analysis of a phytochrome-regulated monocotrbcS promoter in a transient assay system.Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 88, 2683–6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schledzewski, K. and Mendel, R. (1994) Quantitative transient gene expression: comparison of the promoters for maize polyubiquitin 1 rice actin 1, maize derivedEmu and CaMV 35S in cells of barley, maize and tobacco.Transgenic Res. 3 249–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takimoto, I., Christensen, A.H., Quail, P.H., Uchimiya, H. and Toki, S. (1994) Non-systemic expression of a stress-responsive maize polyubiquitin gene (Ubi-1) in transgenic rice plants.Plant Mol. Biol. 26, 1007–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, M.G., Vasil, V. and Vasil, I.K. (1993) Enhanced GUS gene expression in cereal/grass cell suspensions and immature embryos using the maize ubiquitin-based plasmid pAHC25.Plant Cell Rep. 12, 491–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toki, S., Takamatsu, S., Ooba, S., Anzai, H., Iwata, M., Christensen, A.H., Quail, P.H. and Uchimiya, H., (1992) Expression of maize ubiquitin gene promoter-bar chimeric gene in transgenic rice plants.Plant Physiol. 100, 1503–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uchimiya, H., Iwata, M., Nojiri, C., Smarajeewa, P.K., Takamatsu, S., Ooba, S., Anzai, H., Christensen, A.H., Quail, P.H. and Toki, S. (1993) Bialaphos treatment of transgenic rice plants expressing a bar gene prevents infection by the sheath blight pathogen (Rhizoctonia solani).Bio/Technology 11, 835–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasil, V., Srivastava, V., Castillo, A.M., Fromm, M.E. and Vasil, I.K. (1993) Rapid production of transgenic wheat plants by direct bombardment of cultured immature embryos.Biol/Technology 11, 1553–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wan, Y. and Lemaux, P.G. (1994) Generation of large numbers of independently transformed fertile barley plants.Plant Physiol. 104, 37–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weeks, T.J., Anderson, O.D. and Blechl, A.E. (1993) Rapid production of multiple independent lines of fertile transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum).Plant Physiol. 102, 1077–84.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilmink, A., van de Ven, B.C.E. and Dons, J.J.M. (1995) Activity of constitutive promoters in various species from the Lilaceae.Plant Mol. Biol. 28, 949–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Christensen, A.H., Quail, P.H. Ubiquitin promoter-based vectors for high-level expression of selectable and/or screenable marker genes in monocotyledonous plants. Transgenic Research 5, 213–218 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01969712

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01969712

Keywords

Navigation