Poster: Reproductive Development

Abs # 492: The activity of specific promoters acting in the ovule of Arabidopsis is conserved in the wild mexican potato Solanum cardiophyllum Lindl.

Presenter:	Estrada-Luna, Andrés A., aestrada@ira.cinvestav.mx
Authors	Estrada-Luna, Andrés A. (A)   Huanca-Mamani, Wilson  (A)   Becerra-Flora, Alicia  (A)   Rangel-Cano, Rosa M. (A)   Rivera-Bustamante, Rafael  (A)   Vielle-Calzada, Jean P. (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional

We are using S. cardiophyllum as a model system to study reproductive development in the Solanaceae. A protocol for plant regeneration through callus induction and transformation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been established. Using an enhancer detection strategy we identified several promoters acting in the ovule or the female gametophyte of Arabidopsis thaliana. pNUC1 is a 600 bp promoter of a gene encoding for a kinesin-like motor protein and drives gene expression in the chalaza of mature ovules and vegetative tissues (trichomes, stems, stomata and leaf vasculature). pES1 is a 500 bp promoter of a gene encoding for a transmembrane protein that induces expression exclusively in the female gametophyte. These two promoters where used to drive the expression of uidA (GUS) in transformed plants of S. cardiophyllum. Cytochemical assays confirmed that the pattern of expression of the pNUC1::GUS construct is conserved in all vegetative tissues. Interestingly, GUS expression initiated earlier than expected in the chalaza of the nucellus and was restricted to the apical region of the integuments in mature ovules. Plants transformed with pES1 showed GUS expression only in the female gametophyte, suggesting a conserved function for the corresponding gene. These promoters represent powerful tools to drive gene expression and manipulate reproductive development.