Biopolym. Cell. 1996; 12(6):87-93.
http://dx.doi.org/10.7124/bc.00045A
Chloroplast «cryptic» promoter can be activated upon their transfer to plant nuclear genome
1Grgzelyak N. V., 1Galkin A. P., 2Gening L. V., 1Medvedeva T. V., 1Lioshina L. G., 1Bulko O. V., 2Gasaryan K. G.
  1. Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, NAS of Ukraine
    1, Murmans'ka Str., Kyiv, Ukraine, 02094
  2. Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR
    2, Academician Kurchatov Sq., Moscow, Russian Federation, 123182

Abstract

It is shown that a DNA fragment containing the previously described exon 2 sequence of the chloroplast gene for ribosomal protein S12 can determine expression of the reporter npt-II gene intransgenic plant nuclear genome. Transcription start points inthetransgenic plant were localized within the rpS12 DNA coding sequences. After 5'-rpS12-CAT-nos-3' gene construction has been introduced to tobacco protoplasts by PEG-treatment, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) enzyme activity was detectable by transient assays. These facts indicate that «cryptic» promoter-like sequences exist in chloroplast genome which can be activated as a result of their artifical or natural transfer to the nuclei.
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