E. Andreasson et al., Age-dependent wound induction of a myrosinase-associated protein from oilseed rape (Brassica napus), PLANT MOL B, 41(2), 1999, pp. 171-180
In order to study the expression of the induced form of myrosinase-associat
ed protein (iMyAP), a genomic clone encoding the protein was isolated from
Brassica napus. The coding portion of the gene was found to consist of five
exons separated by one long intron of 938 bp and three shorter introns of
ca. 100 bp. A 1.9 kb promoter fragment including the 5'-untranslated region
was cloned in front of the coding portion of the Escherichia coli iudA gen
e and transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression was observed in hyp
ocotyls of 4-day seedlings, but in 7-day seedlings the iMyAP promoter did n
ot direct expression. In flowering plants, only the abscission zone of the
young silique displayed promoter activity. In contrast, mechanical wounding
of 7-day seedlings induced a systemic expression in all cells of the cotyl
edons. Wounding of 14-day seedlings gave rise to systemic induced expressio
n mainly in the vascular tissue. However, mechanical wounding and wounding
by flea beetles (Phyllotreta undulata) of 4-week old plants only gave rise
to a local induction of the promoter, suggesting that the systemic signal s
ystem is age-dependent. Methyl jasmonate also induced iMyAP expression. In
situ and northern analysis of iMyAP transcripts in young leaves of B. napus
showed that the induction was high after 1 h and absent after 24 h. Compar
ison of the effect of different types of wounding on the iMyAP promoter ind
uction in transgenic Arabidopsis showed that similar degrees of local induc
tion were achieved regardless of the degree of macerated tissue left on the
plant.