Creation of a new light-dependent gene expression system

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25282229
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biomolecular chemistry
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Masuda Shinji 東京工業大学, バイオ研究基盤支援総合センター, 准教授 (30373369)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Tanaka Mikiko 東京工業大学, 生命理工学研究科, 准教授 (40376950) ; Asano Tsunaki 首都大学, 東京理工学研究科, 助教 (40347266)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 遺伝子発現制御 / 光受容体 / オプトジェネティクス / BLUF

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we aimed to construct a novel light-dependent gene expression system. We utilized the light-dependent protein-protein interaction between the blue-light photoreceptor PixD and its interacting protein PixE. We found that PixD interacts with the PixE N-terminal region. The N-terminal region of PixE was fused with the transcription factor AGAMOUS of the model plant Arabidopsis. Previous studies showed that AGAMOUS is necessary for normal flower formation. Thus, blue-light-dependent modulation of AGAMOUS activity could be monitored easily by phenotypic analysis. Biochemical analysis showed that PixD interacts with the chimeric transcription factor, indicating that PixD may control the chimeric transcription factor activity also in vivo. To check this hypothesis, we produce transgenic Arabidopsis expressing constitutively PixD and/or the chimeric transcription factor.

Free Research Field

分子生物学