The expression profile of Arabidopsis thaliana β-1,3-glucanase promoter in tobacco

Well characterized promoters with specific activity only during male gametophyte development of transgenic organism are widely utilized in strategies aimed at the elimination of unwanted transgene escape from the transgenic to the non-transgenic plant population. Since the specificity and timing of the applied promoter in the original and transgenic organism don’t have to be consistent, here we have tested by promoter-GUS fusion analysis the APRS promoter isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana in transgenic tobacco plants. Unlike of A. thaliana transcriptomic microarray data that identified gene expression from this promoter in late stages of pollen development, in tobacco plants the APRS promoter was active in the developing microspores during a short period of time before the microspores are released from the tetrads. Despite these discrepancies, the APRS promoter remains strictly pollen specific in tobacco plants. However, verification of its specificity in other important crops should precede the use of the APRS promoter in the engineered male sterility or in production of transgene-free pollen via site-specific recombination systems.