Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea.
Plant J. 2012 Oct;72(1):162-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.05069.x. Epub 2012 Jul 19.
Transcription factors are central constituents of gene regulatory networks that control diverse aspects of plant development and environmental adaptability. Therefore they have been explored for decades as primary targets for agricultural biotechnology. A gene of interest can readily be introduced into many crop plants, whereas targeted gene inactivation is practically difficult in many cases. Here, we developed an artificial small interfering peptide (a-siPEP) approach, which is based on overexpression of specific protein domains, and evaluated its application for the targeted inactivation of transcription factors in the dicot model, Arabidopsis, and monocot model, Brachypodium. We designed potential a-siPEPs of two representative MADS box transcription factors, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSOR OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) and AGAMOUS (AG), and a MYB transcription factor, LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY). Transgenic plants overproducing the a-siPEPs displayed phenotypes comparable to those of gene-deficient mutants. The a-siPEPs attenuate nuclear import and DNA-binding of target transcription factors. Our data demonstrate that the a-siPEP tool is an efficient genetic means of inactivating specific transcription factors in plants.
转录因子是基因调控网络的核心组成部分，控制着植物发育和环境适应性的多个方面。因此，几十年来，它们一直被探索作为农业生物技术的主要目标。有兴趣的基因可以很容易地引入到许多作物中，而在许多情况下，靶向基因失活实际上是困难的。在这里，我们开发了一种人工小干扰肽 (a-siPEP) 方法，该方法基于特定蛋白质结构域的过表达，并评估了其在拟南芥和单子叶模式植物短柄草中靶向转录因子失活的应用。我们设计了两个代表性的 MADS 盒转录因子 SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSOR OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) 和 AGAMOUS (AG) 以及一个 MYB 转录因子 LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY) 的潜在 a-siPEP。过表达 a-siPEP 的转基因植物表现出与基因缺失突变体相当的表型。a-siPEP 减弱了靶转录因子的核输入和 DNA 结合。我们的数据表明，a-siPEP 工具是一种在植物中有效失活特定转录因子的遗传手段。
