Transcriptional activation of the parsley chalcone synthase promoter in heterologous pea and yeast systems

Introduction by electroporation of different parsley (Petroselinum crispum) CHS-promoter/β-glucuronidase(GUS)-reporter constructs into pea (Pisum sativum L.) protoplasts leads to a high constitutive GUS-expression and to the loss of the light-inducibility seen in the homologous parsley protoplast system. These results indicate that Unit 1 of the parsley CHS-promoter is only partly responsible for the GUS-expression detected. Instead, additional cis-elements, which are located downstream within 100 bp from the transcriptional start site, mediate the de-repression in pea protoplasts. In contrast, in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells, the GUS expression from the heterologous CHS/GUS construct is controlled by elements between Unit 1 and –100 bp. In both pea and yeast cells, transcription factors different from those regulating UV-responsiveness in parsley, are probably mediating the constitutive expression from the heterologous construct. The results with pea protoplasts imply that protoplastation of pea leaf cells itself induces de-repression as a result of stress to the protoplasts. This notion was strengthened by the finding that mRNA levels of the endogenous chalcone synthase were drastically increased as the result of the protoplastation procedure.