Summary
Genes encoding maize seed storage proteins of 19 and 15 kd have been inserted at various sites in the T-DNA of the Ti plasmid pTiA6, Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains harboring these plasmids were used to incite tumors on sunflower stem sections. Some of the resulting tumors were found to contain mRNAs transcribed from the zein genes. The transcripts from both zein genes initiated and terminated at precisely the same sites in both maize endosperm and sunflower tumors. The steady state level of zein mRNAs in tumors varied from undetectable to approximately 1% of the level in maize endosperm. This variation between tumors in zein mRNA levels did not correlate with either zein gene copy number of the level of octopine synthase mRNA. However, in six tumor lines containing a zein gene inserted at the same site in TR, the level of zein mRNA was directly proportional to the level of a TR encoded mRNA.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Argos P, Pedersen K, Marks MD, Larkins BA (1982) A structural model for maize zein proteins. J Biol Chem 257:9984–9990
Banerji J, Rusconí S, Schaffner W (1981) Expression of a β-globin gene is enhanced by remote SV40 DNA sequences. Cell 27:299–308
Barker RF, Idler KB, Thompson DV, Kemp JD (1983) Nucleotide sequence of the T-DNA region from the Agrobacterium tumefaciens octopine Ti plasmid pTi15955. Plant Mol Biol 2:335–350
Barton KA, Binns AN, Matzke AJM, Chilton MD (1983) Regeneration of intact tobacco plants containing full length copies of genetically engineered T-DNA, and transmission of T-DNA to R1 progeny. Cell 32:1033–1043
Bevan M (1984) Binary Agrobacterium vectors for plant transformation. Nucleic Acids Res 12:8711–8721
Denhardt DT (1966) A membrane-filter technique for the detection of complementary DNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 23:641–646
Ditta G, Stanfield S, Corbin D, Helinski DR (1981) Broad host range cloning system for gram-negative bacteria: construction of a gene bank of Rhizobium meliloti. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77:7347–7351
Favaloro J, Treisman R, Kamen R (1980) Transcriptional maps of polyoma virus-specific RNA: analysis by two dimensional nuclease S1 gel mapping. Methods Enzymol 65:718–749
Gallagher TF, Ellis RJ (1982) Light-stimulated transcription of genes for two chloroplast polypeptides in isolated pea leaf nuclei. EMBO J 1:1493–1498
Garfinkel DJ, Simpson RB, Ream LW, White FF, Gordon MP, Nester EW (1981) Genetic analysis of crown gall: fine structure map of the T-DNA by site-directed mutagenesis. Cell 27:143–153
Goldsbrough PB, Karcher SJ, Gelvin SB, Larkins BA (1983) Introduction of a zein gene into the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In: Goldberg RB (ed) Plant molecular biology. Alan R Liss, New York, 35–43
Hagen G, Rubenstein I (1981) Complex organization of zein genes in maize. Gene 13:239–249
Heidecker G, Messing J (1983) Sequence analysis of zein cDNAs obtained by an efficient mRNA cloning method. Nucleic Acids Res 11:4891–4906
Hirsh PR, Beringer JE (1984) A physical map of pPH1JI and pJB4JI. Plasmid 12:139–141
James CD, Leffak IM (1984) Replacement synthesis labelling of DNA molecules in vitro using the Escherichia coli: exonuclease III/DNA polymerase I enzyme pair. Anal Biochem 141:33–37
Kahn M, Koller R, Thomas C, Figurski D, Meyer R, Remaut E, Helinski DR (1979) Plasmid cloning vehicles derived from plasmids ColE1, F, R6K and RK2. Methods Enzymol 68:268–280
Karcher SJ, DiRita VJ, Gelvin SB (1984) Transcript analysis of TR-DNA in octopine-type crown gall tumors. Mol Gen Genet 194:159–195
Komro CT, DiRita VJ, Gelvin SB, Kemp JD (1985) Site-specific mutagenesis in the TR-DNA region of octopine type Ti plasmids. Plant Mol Biol 4:253–263
Larkins BA, Hurkman WJ (1978) Synthesis and deposition of zein proteins in maize endosperm. Plant Physiol 62:256–263
Lee KH, Jones RA, Dalby A, Tsai CY (1976) Genetic regulation of storage protein synthesis in maize endosperm. Biochem Genet 14:641–650
Manley JL, Fire A, Cano A, Sharp PA, Gefter ML (1980) DNA-dependent transcription of adenovirus genes in a soluble whole-cell extract. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77:3855–3859
Marks MD, Larkins BA (1982) Analysis of sequence microheterogeneity among zein messenger RNAs. J Biol Chem 257:9976–9983
Marks MD, Lindell JS, Larkins BA (1985a) Quantitative analysis of the accumulation of zein mRNA during maize endosperm development. J Biol Chem 260:16445–16450
Marks MD, Lindell JS, Larkins BA (1985b) Nucleotide sequence analysis of zein mRNAs from maize endosperm. J Biol Chem 260:16451–16459
Matzke MA, Susani M, Binns AN, Lewis ED, Rubenstein I, Matzke AJM (1984) Transcription of a zein gene introduced into sunflower using a Ti plasmid vector. EMBO J 3:1525–1531
Maxam AM, Gilbert W (1980) Sequencing end-labelled DNA with base-specific chemical cleavages. Methods Enzymol 65:499–560
Murashige T, Skoog F (1962) A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue cultures. Physiol Plant 15:473–497
Parish JH, Kirby KS (1966) Reagents which reduce interactions between ribosomal RNA and rapidly labelled RNA from rat liver. Biochim Biophys Acta 129:554–562
Pedersen K, Devereux J, Wilson DR, Sheldon E, Larkins BA (1982) Cloning and sequence analysis reveal structural variation among related zein genes in maize. Cell 29:1015–1026
Pedersen K, Argos P, Nayarana SVL, Larkins BA (1986) Sequence analysis and characterization of a maize zein gene encoding a high sulfur zein protein of Mr 15,000 (submitted for publication)
Rigby PWJ, Diechmann M, Rhodes C, Berg P (1977) Labeling deoxyribonucleic acid to high specific activity in vitro by nick translation with DNA polymerase I. J Mol Biol 113:237–251
Salamini F, Soave C (1982) Zein: genetics and biochemistry. In: Sheridan WF (ed) Maize for biological research. Plant Molecular Biology Association, Charlottesville, VA, pp 155–160
Sengupta-Gopalan C, Reichert NA, Barker RF, Hall TC, Kemp JD (1985) Developmentally regulated expression of the bean β-phaseolin gene in tobacco seed. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 82:3320–3324
Southern EM (1975) Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol 98:503–517
Wilson DR, Larkins BA (1984) Zein gene organization in maize and related grasses. J Mol Evol 20:330–340
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by R.B. Goldberg
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goldsbrough, P.B., Gelvin, S.B. & Larkins, B.A. Expression of maize zein genes in transformed sunflower cells. Molec Gen Genet 202, 374–381 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00333265
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00333265