Research note: The 35S promoter is not constitutively expressed in the transgenic tropical actinorhizal tree Casuarina glauca

Abstract

The tropical nitrogen-fixing tree, Casuarina glauca Sieb. ex Spreng. was genetically transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58C1(pGV2260; pBIN19GUSINT). We report on the expression pattern conferred by the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter in transgenic C. glauca plants grown in vitro, and for one year in a greenhouse. Histochemical assays in shoots from in vitro plants revealed β-glucuronidase (GUS) staining in apical and axillary buds, and in nearly all tissues near the base of the stem. In roots, the CaMV 35S drove strong GUS expression in the apex and vascular tissue. In 1-year old plants grown in a greenhouse, the CaMV 35S promoter was highly active, except in peripheral suberized tissues. Transgenic C. glauca plants were nodulated by the actinomycete Frankia. Histochemical assays on vibratome sections of transgenic nodules demonstrated intense GUS activity in the vascular bundle, the phellogen, and in strands of uninfected cells filled with polyphenols. GUS expression was undetectable in Frankia-infected cells.