5′CATGCAT-3′ Elements Modulate the Expression of Glycinin Genes

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Abstract
Promoters of most seed proteins in legumes contain one or more 5′-CATGCAT-3′ elements. To test if these elements have a function in the expression of these genes, the 2.3 kilobase pairs Gy2 glycinin promoter was ligated to a β-glucuronidase reporter sequence and transformed into tobacco. Elimination of a 5′-CATGCAT-3′ element 101 base pairs upstream from the transcription start site in the construction caused about a 10-fold reduction in the amount of β-glucuronidase activity compared with when the element was present in the gene. Elimination of 1.9 kilobase pairs from the 5′-end of the promoter caused a two-to threefold reduction in activity. The results show that the 5′-CATGCAT-3′ element plays a role in regulating the amount of expression from the gene, but that there are also other factors farther upstream from the gene that affect the level of expression.