Tissue-specific light-regulated expression directed by the promoter of a C4 gene, maize pyruvate,orthophosphate dikinase, in a C3 plant, rice.

Pyruvate,orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK; EC 2.7.9.1) activity is abundant in leaves of C4 plants, while it is difficult to detect in leaves of C3 plants. Recent studies have indicated that C3 plants have a gene encoding PPDK, with a structure similar to that of PPDK in C4 plants. However, low expression makes PPDK detection difficult in C3 plants. This finding suggests that high PPDK expression in C4 plants is due to regulatory mechanisms which are not operative in C3 plants. We have introduced a chimeric gene consisting of the gene encoding beta-glucuronidase (GUS; EC 3.2.1.31) controlled by the PPDK promoter from a C4 plant, maize, into a C3 cereal, rice. The chimeric gene was exclusively expressed in photosynthetic organs, leaf blades and sheaths, and not in roots or stems. Histochemical analysis of GUS activity demonstrated high expression of the chimeric gene in photosynthetic organs, localized in mesophyll cells, and no or very low activity in other cells. GUS expression was also regulated by light in that it was low in etiolated leaves and was enhanced by illumination. These observations indicate that the mechanisms responsible for cell-specific and light-inducible regulation of PPDK observed in C4 plants are also present in C3 plants. We directly tested whether rice has DNA-binding protein(s) which interact with a previously identified cis-acting element of the C4-type gene. Gel retardation assays indicate the presence in rice of a protein which binds this element and is similar to a maize nuclear protein which binds PPDK in maize. Taken together, these results indicate that the regulatory system which controls PPDK expression in maize is not unique to C4 plants.