No abstract

The hjb2 gene encoding the hydrophobin HFBII of the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei was isolated by heterologous hybridization using the vegetative hydrophobin I, hjbl, gene of 7: reesei as a probe. The hjb2 gene codes for a typical fungal secreted hydrophobin of 71 amino acids containing eight cysteine residues. The amino acid similarity towards HFBI is 69%. The HFBII protein was isolated from the fungal spores by extraction with trifluoroacetic acidhcetonitrile solution, and by bubbling from the lactose-based culture medium. Expression of the hfhl and hjb2 genes is divergent. hfhl expression was only observed in vegetative cultures on glucose-containing and sorbitol-containing media. It was not expressed on media containing complex plant polysaccharides, cellulose, xylan, cellobiose or lactose, whereas hjb2 was highly expressed in vegetative cultures on these media. Expression of hjb2 was also strongly induced by N and C starvation, by light and in conidiating cultures.

No abstract

Phosphorus deficiency is one of the major nutrient stresses affecting plant growth. Plants respond to phosphate (Pi) deficiency through multiple strategies, including the synthesis of high-affinity Pi transporters. In this study, the expression pattern of one putative wheat high-affinity phosphate transporter, TaPT2, was examined in roots and leaves under Pi-deficient conditions. TaPT2 transcript levels increased in roots of Pi-starved plants. A 579 bp fragment of the TaPT2 promoter is sufficient to drive the expression of the GUS reporter gene specifically in roots of Pi-deprived wheat. This TaPT2 promoter fragment was also able to drive expression of the GUS reporter gene in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana, under similar growth conditions. Conserved regions and candidate regulatory motifs were detected by comparing this promoter with Pi transporter promoters from barley, rice, and Arabidopsis. Altogether, these results indicate that there are conserved cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors that enable the TaPT2 promoter to be regulated in a tissue-specific and Pi-dependent fashion in both monocots and dicots.