Activity of the Arabidopsis RD29A and RD29B promoter elements in soybean under water stress

• Published in: Planta Vol. 237; no. 1; pp. 55 - 64
• Main Authors: Bihmidine, Saadia, Lin, Jiusheng, Stone, Julie M., Awada, Tala, Specht, James E., Clemente, Tom E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-01-2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Blotting, Southern; Dehydration; Drought; Droughts; Ecology; Fluorometry; Forestry; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects; Glucuronidase - genetics; Glucuronidase - metabolism; Glycine max - genetics; Glycine max - metabolism; Histocytochemistry; Leaves; Life Sciences; Original Article; Physiological responses; Plant cells; Plant roots; Plant Sciences; Plant tissues; Plants; Plants, Genetically Modified; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Soybeans; Tissue samples; Transgenic plants; Water - pharmacology; Water deprivation; Water stress; Drought; Promoter activity; Gas exchange
• ISSN: 0032-0935; 1432-2048
• DOI: 10.1007/s00425-012-1740-9

The constitutive and drought-induced activities of the Arabidopsis thaliana RD29A and RD29B promoters were monitored in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.] via fusions with the visual marker gene β-glucuronidase (GUS). Physiological responses of soybean plants were monitored over 9 days of water deprivation under greenhouse conditions. Data were used to select appropriate time points to monitor the activities of the respective promoter elements. Qualitative and quantitative assays for GUS expression were conducted in root and leaf tissues, from plants under well-watered and dry-down conditions. Both RD29A and RD29B promoters were significantly activated in soybean plants subjected to dry-down conditions. However, a low level of constitutive promoter activity was also observed in both root and leaves of plants under well-watered conditions. GUS expression was notably higher in roots than in leaves. These observations suggest that the respective drought-responsive regulatory elements present in the RD29X promoters may be useful in controlling targeted transgenes to mitigate abiotic stress in soybean, provided the transgene under control of these promoters does not invoke agronomic penalties with leaky expression when no abiotic stress is imposed.