Preferential Transcriptional Activity of a Glycine-Rich Protein Gene from Arabidopsis thaliana in Protoderm-Derived Cells

Abstract

Glycine-rich proteins (GRPs) are characterized by having the glycine residues arranged in characteristic repetitive structural motifs, but with distinct primary sequence. Although identified in various plant species, little is known about their contribution to the morphology and development of the organism. In this study we have isolated the atgrp-5 gene encoding a glycine-rich protein from Arabidopsis thaliana. The promoter region of atgrp-5 was fused to the gus gene and the tissue expression pattern was analyzed in tobacco and A. thaliana transgenic plants. The chimeric gene displayed similar expression patterns in both species, showing preferential expression in protoderm-derived cells. Activity was also detected in the cortical parenchyma of A. thaliana inflorescence axis and in the stem phloem of tobacco.