Identification and functional characterization of the CVOMTs and EOMTs genes promoters from Ocimum basilicum L.

Abstract

Methyl chavicol and methyl eugenol are important phenylpropanoid compounds previously puri ed from basil. These compounds are signi cantly enhanced by the water de cit stress-dependent mechanism. Here, for the rst time, pObCVOMT and pObEOMT promoters were extracted by the genome walking method. They were then cloned into the upstream of the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene to identify the pattern of GUS water de cit stress-speci c expression. Histochemical GUS assays showed in transgenic tobacco lines bearing the GUS gene driven by pObCVOMT and pObEOMT promoters, GUS was strongly expressed under water de cit stress. qRT-PCR analysis of pObCVOMT and pObEOMT transgenic plants con rmed the histochemical assays, indicating that the GUS expression is also signi cantly induced and up-regulated by increasing density of water de cit stress. This indicates these promoters are able to drive inducible expression. The cis-acting elements analysis showed that the pObCVOMT and pObEOMT promoters contained dehydration or water de cit-related transcriptional control elements.