Abstract
The plant defensin 1.2 (PDF1.2) gene of Arabidopsis has been used as one of the defense-related marker gene whose expression level is controlled by jasmonate- and ethylene-dependent. The PDF1.1 gene shares high homology with the PDF1.2 and is shown to be induced upon pathogen infection. However, the regulated expression of the PDF1.1 gene is not necessarily clear. To characterize the regulated expression of Arabidopsis PDF1.1 gene promoter we exploited in vivo monitoring system by the bioluminescence reporter gene. Results of expression analysis in response to pathogen infection and the tissue specificity suggested that the regulated expression of the PDF1.1 promoter is distinct from that of the PDF1.2. Analysis using transgenic tobacco showed that the Arabidopsis PDF1.1 promoter is functional in tobacco and exhibited similar expression pattern. This suggests that the regulatory mechanisms involved in the PDF1.1 gene expression is conserved between Arabidopsis and tobacco.
