[Isolation and characterization of gamma-TMT gene promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana].

Vitamin E (Tocopherols) is lipid-soluble antioxidants and essential for human health. Gamma-tocopherol methyltransferase (delta-TMT), one of the key enzymes in tocopherol biosynthetic pathway in plants, converts delta,sigma-tocopherols into alpha,beta-tocopherols. In this study, we isolated the 1552 bp promoter of Arabidopsis TMT gene. The promoter was fused with GUS reporter gene and this expression cassette was introduced into wild Arabidopsis thaliana by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. GUS staining shows that GUS gene is expressed in leaves, stems and flowers, with the highest expression in young leaves, stamens and stem apices, while not observable in roots, seeds and siliques. The data indicate that gamma-TMT gene promoter is likely to be expressed preferentially in some of the tissues of Arabidopsis.