Induction of the Hahsp17.7G4 promoter by root-knot nematodes: involvement of heat-shock elements in promoter activity in giant cells
- Source:
- Molecular plant-microbe interactions 2003 v.16 no.12 pp. 1062-1068
- ISSN:
- 0894-0282
- Subject:
- Nicotiana tabacum, tobacco, transgenic plants, Helianthus annuus, promoter regions, heat shock proteins, recombinant DNA, reporter genes, beta-glucuronidase, gene induction, Meloidogyne incognita, root-knot nematodes, giant cells, root galls, roots, point mutation
- Abstract:
- Root-knot nematodes feed from specialized giant cells induced in the plants that they parasitize. We found that the promoter of the Hahsp17.7G4 gene, which encodes a small heat-shock protein involved in embryogenesis and stress responses, directed GUS expression in tobacco galls induced by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. In roots containing a GUS reporter fusion to the Hahsp17.7G4 promoter, 10% of the galls stained for GUS expression 1 to 3 days after infection and the fraction stained increased to 60 to 80% 17 to 20 days after infection. A DNA fragment from -83 to +163, which contains heat-shock element (HSE) core sequences, is sufficient to support a promoter activity largely restricted to giant cells within the galls. Two-point mutations in HSE cores, previously reported to abolish the heat-shock response and to strongly reduce the embryogenesis response of the same promoter, did not reduce expression in giant cells. This suggests a distinct regulation of the promoter by nematodes. However, additional point mutations located at positions crucial for binding of heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs) caused a severe decrease in the nematode response. These results demonstrate that HSEs are involved in the promoter activation in giant cells and suggest that HSFs may mediate this response.
- Agid:
- 1443612
- https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI.2003.16.12.1062