Comparisons of the efficiency of some promoters in silver birch (Betula pendula)

The efficiency of several promoters (pin2 from potato, ubiquitin from sunflower, rolC from Agrobacterium rhizogenes, act1 from rice and CaMV 35S from cauliflower mosaic virus) fused to the uidA reporter gene was measured after biolistic bombardment of birch leaves (Betula pendula L.). The highest level of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity was achieved with the pin2 promoter and the lowest activity with the CaMV 35S promoter. The activity of the potato wound-inducible promoter (pin2) was also tested in stably transformed birch. The promoter showed induced activity after mechanical wounding and feeding by leaf weevils. The systemic effect was confirmed by enhanced GUS activity in non-wounded leaves. The results of this study indicated that the potato wound-inducible promoter maintains its function in birch and would be a suitable promoter in studies of insect-birch interaction at the molecular level.