TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF A WINGED BEAN KUNITZ CHYMOTRYPSIN INHIBITOR GENE PROMOTER IN STABLE AND TRANSIENT EXPRESSION SYSTEMS

Sequential deletions of the promoter region of the WCI-3b gene, which encodes the major chymotrypsin inhibitor of winged bean, were construc ted and their expression was analyzed in transgenic tobacco plants and in bombarded winged bean seeds. In transgenic tobacco plants, a criti cal promoter region which is important for high levels of expression i n seeds was identified, but deletion of this region had essentially no effect when bombarded into winged bean seeds.