Nucleotide positions conserved on the 3' side of the initiator codon ATG and the corresponding N-terminal amino acid residues in a number of highly abundant plant proteins were identified by computational analysis of a dataset of highly expressed plant genes. The reporter genes uidA and gfp were modified to introduce these features. Insertion of GCT TCC TCC after the initiator codon ATG augment...

Tomato race 3 (T3) of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) elicits a hypersensitive response (HR) in leaves of Lycopersicon esculentum near-isogenic line (NIL) 216 and pepper genotypes. One cosmid clone (35 kb) selected from a genomic library of a T3 strain induced an HR in all resistant plants. A 1.5-kb active subclone containing the putative avirulence (avr) gene, designated avrXv3, w...

In comparison with animals, relatively few plant genes have been identified that have been shown to be under organ-, tissue- or cell-type-specific regulation. In this paper, we describe how the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene (gusA or uidA), fused to a weak promoter (a truncated (-90 bp) CaMV35S promoter), can be used to identify tissue-specific markers in transgenic tobacco plants. The ...

The existence of a phage-type plastid transcription machinery (NEP), related to the mitochondrial RNA polymerase, has been recognized only recently. Here we report the cis sequences required for transcription initiation by the phage-type enzyme. The promoter chosen for the study, PclpP-53, is well expressed in tobacco leaves, unlike most NEP promoters. Promoter definition was carried out in viv...

The chloroplast gene rbcL encodes the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, this gene is transcribed more actively than any other protein-encoding chloroplast gene studied to date. To delineate the rbcL gene promoter, chimeric reporter genes containing fragments of the 5' region of the rbcL gene fused to the coding sequence of the bacterial uidA gene,...

The A mating type genes of the mushroom Coprinus cinereus encode two families of dissimilar homeodomain proteins (HD1 and HD2). The proteins heterodimerize when mating cells fuse to generate a transcriptional regulator that promotes expression of genes required for early steps in sexual development. In previous work we showed that heterodimerization brings together different functional domains ...

Currently there are no efficient stable transformation methods for pumpkin. In this work we report an efficient genetic transient transformation method of whole pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima cv. Big Max, a dicot) plants in the cotyledonary stage via direct inoculation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes. A vector harboring a uidA-GFP translational fusion and the Cauliflower mosaic virus ...

The HRGP4.1 gene, which encodes a cell wall hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein, was isolated from a genomic library of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Two transcripts, one induced by wounding and one by elicitation, were transcribed from the same initiation site. The gene encodes a polypeptide of 580 amino acids with the amino terminal half consisting of repeats of the sequence serine-(proline)4-ly...

Gene silencing is an important but little understood regulatory mechanism in plants. Here we report that a viral sequence, initially identified as a mediator of synergistic viral disease, acts to suppress the establishment of both transgene-induced and virus-induced posttranscriptional gene silencing. The viral suppressor of silencing comprises the 5'-proximal region of the tobacco etch potyvir...

Escherichia coli serogroup O157 is the pathogen most commonly associated with foodborne disease outbreaks, but epidemiological studies suggest that non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a major player as well. The ten most clinically relevant STECs belong to serogroups O26, O103, O111, O145, O157, O91, O113, O128, O45, and O121; but emerging strains, such as O104:H4 that was identifi...