The 5′UTR Intron of Arabidopsis GGT1 Aminotransferase Enhances Promoter Activity by Recruiting RNA Polymerase II

Photorespiration is essential for the detoxification of glycolate and recycling of carbon to the Calvin Benson Bassham cycle. Enzymes participating in the pathway have been identified, and investigations now focus on the regulation of photorespiration by transporters and metabolites. However, regulation of photorespiration on the gene level has not been intensively studied. Here, we show that maximum transcript abundance of Glu:glyoxylate aminotransferase 1 (GGT1) is regulated by intron-mediated enhancement (IME) of the 5′ leader intron rather than by regulatory elements in the 5′ upstream region. The intron is rich in CT-stretches and contains the motif TGTGATTTG that is highly similar to the IME-related motif TTNGATYTG. The GGT1 intron also confers leaf-specific expression of foreign promoters. Quantitative PCR analysis and GUS activity measurements revealed that IME of the GGT1 5′UTR intron is controlled on the transcriptional level. IME by the GGT1 5′UTR intron was at least 2-fold. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the abundance of RNA polymerase II binding to the intron-less construct is reduced.