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The promoter of the tobacco Tnt1 retrotransposon is induced by wounding and by abiotic stress

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Abstract

The transcription of the tobacco Tnt1 retrotransposon was previously shown to be induced, in tobacco and in heterologous species, by microbial elicitors and by pathogen infections. We report here that the expression of the Tnt1 promoter is also activated in heterologous species such as tomato and Arabidopsis by wounding, freezing and by other abiotic factors known to induce the plant defence response, such as salicylic acid, CuCl2, or oxidative stress. A similar regulation is observed in tobacco for most treatments. The induction of the Tnt1 promoter expression by wounding remains localized around injury points. In CuCl2-treated Arabidopsis plants, the transcription of Tnt1 is correlated with accumulation of the phytoalexin camalexin and with the expression of the EL13 defence gene. The interest of the Tnt1 promoter as a sensitive indicator of the plant defence responses is discussed.

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Author notes

  1. Jean-Benoît Morel

    Present address: Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire, INRA, Route de St Cyr, 78026, Versailles Cedex, France

  2. Josep M. Casacuberta

    Present address: Department of Biology, Coker Hall, CB#3280, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire, INRA, Route de St Cyr, 78026, Versailles Cedex, France

    Corinne Mhiri, Samantha Vernhettes, Josep M. Casacuberta, Hélène Lucas & Marie-Angèle Grandbastien

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  1. Corinne Mhiri
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Mhiri, C., Morel, JB., Vernhettes, S. et al. The promoter of the tobacco Tnt1 retrotransposon is induced by wounding and by abiotic stress. Plant Mol Biol 33, 257–266 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005727132202

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