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Dominant repression of target genes by chimeric repressors that include the EAR motif, a repression domain, in Arabidopsis
Author(s) -
Hiratsu Keiichiro,
Matsui Kyoko,
Koyama Tomotsugu,
OhmeTakagi Masaru
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-313x.2003.01759.x
Subject(s) - psychological repression , repressor , arabidopsis , biology , gene , gene silencing , genetics , transcription factor , transcription (linguistics) , chimeric gene , phenotype , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , mutant , linguistics , philosophy
Summary The redundancy of genes for plant transcription factors often interferes with efforts to identify the biologic functions of such factors. We show here that four different transcription factors fused to the EAR motif, a repression domain of only 12 amino acids, act as dominant repressors in transgenic Arabidopsis and suppress the expression of specific target genes, even in the presence of the redundant transcription factors, with resultant dominant loss‐of‐function phenotypes. Chimeric EIN3, CUC1, PAP1, and AtMYB23 repressors that included the EAR motif dominantly suppressed the expression of their target genes and caused insensitivity to ethylene, cup‐shaped cotyledons, reduction in the accumulation of anthocyanin, and absence of trichomes, respectively. This c himeric re pressor s ilencing t echnology (CRES‐T), exploiting the EAR‐motif repression domain, is simple and effective and can overcome genetic redundancy. Thus, it should be useful not only for the rapid analysis of the functions of redundant plant transcription factors but also for the manipulation of plant traits via the suppression of gene expression that is regulated by specific transcription factors.