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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #146010

Title: DISSECTION OF PLANT PROMOTER FUNCTION IN VIVO

Author
item HERNANDEZ, J - OHIO STATE UNIV
item LOCKWOOD, ROBERT - OHIO STATE UNIV
item MATTHEWS, NICOLE - OHIO STATE UNIV
item SZALMA, STEPHEN - UNIV OF MISSOURI
item McMullen, Michael
item GROTEWOLD, ERICH - OHIO STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Cold Spring Harbor Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2003
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Combinatorial interactions between MYB and transcription HLH factors are required for the regulation of several important processes in plants. Protein-DNA binding and transient expression experiments established a modular structure for several maize flavonoid biosynthetic gene promoters, in which high- and low-affinity MYB binding sites alternate. We have determined that insertions and mutations caused by transposons have effects not predicted from in vitro protein-DNA binding or transient expression experiments. These results suggest that other cis-elements are also important in vivo. To further define which cis-elements are involved in the in vivo regulation, we analyzed the corresponding promoter sequences of the a1 and colorless2 (encoding chalcone synthase) genes in a large number of maize inbred lines, in various Zea species, and other grasses. This "natural variation footprint" method provided information on the degree of variation allowed for experimentally-verified cis-regulatory elements, and identified several conserved non-coding sequences that may serve as additional binding sites for transcription factors.