Abstract
We previously showed that the promoter of the Ri-plasmid-borne agropine synthase gene (Ri-ags) of Agrobacterium rhizogenes had tissue-specificity to root and callus and wound-responsiveness in leaf and stem in tobacco. We identified a region of the promoter which was necessary for both of these expressional traits. Furthermore, we found binding activity in the nuclear extract of tobacco suspention cells to a 8-base motif inside the region, so we tentatively named the motif the wound responsive element (WRE). In this work, we characterized the WRE-binding activity using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Comparing the WRE-binding activity in the nuclear extracts from various tissues, we detected a major DNA-protein complex at the same position in all the tissues examined except the hairy root where the mobility was greater. There was no obvious correlation between the WRE-binding activity and the promoter activity in these tissues.
