In synergy with various cis-acting elements, plant insterstitial telomere motifs regulate gene expression in Arabidopsis root meristems

The telo-box, an interstitial telomere motif, was shown to regulate gene ex pression in root meristems, in synergy with a cis-acting element involved i n the activation of expression of plant eEF1A genes, encoding the translati on elongation factor EF1A, and of several ribosomal protein genes. We demon strate here that the telo-box is also required for transcription activation by two other cis elements present within the promoter of genes encoding th e acidic ribosomal protein rp40 and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen respectively. The control of gene expression by telo-boxes during cell cycl e progression in Arabidopsis root meristems is discussed. A parallel is dra wn with the function of telomeric sequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (C ) 2000 Federation of European Biochemical Societies, Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.