TY  - GEN
AU  - MEHDY, M.C.
AU  - LAMB, C.J.
TI  - Induction of chalcone isomerase gene expression in plant cells in response to fungal cell wall components
AV  - 41174 
KW  - Phaseolus vulgaris
KW  - Colletotrichum lindemuthianum
KW  - DISEASE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
KW  - Tissue culture
KW  - Genes
KW  - DNA
KW  - RNA
KW  - Enzymes
KW  - FISIOLOGIA Y BIOQUIMICA DE LAS ENFERMEDADES
KW  - Cultivo de tejidos
KW  - ADN
KW  - ARN
KW  - Enzimas
KW  - Frijol
KW  - Beans
KW  - Book chapters
KW  - Capítulos de libros
N2  - Plants respond to irradiation by producing protective anthocyanin pigments and to infection by producing phytoalexin antibiotics. Synthesis of anthocyanins and some flavonoid pigments is also developmentally regulated and tissue-specific in leaves and flowers. Chalcone isomerase (CHI) catalyzes the formation of an intermediate common to both flavonoid pigment and isoflavonoid phytoalexin biosynthetic pathways and elevated CHI enzyme activity is correlated with the accumulation of these compounds in many plants. To determine the molecular basis for enzyme induction, we constructed a lambda gt 11 cDNA library prepared from mRNA from Phaseolus vulgaris cell cultures treated with a fungal cell wall preparation (elicitor). Two positive clones were obtained by screening 10(5) recombinants with an antiserum that had been raised against purified CHI. The identity of the cloned sequence was confirmed by showing that the largest clone (CHI 1) encoded polypeptides which were precipitated by the antiserum. Blot hybridization of RNA from elicitor treated cell cultures with labeled CHI l showed substantial accumulation of a 0.95 kb RNA within 3-4 h. The kinetics of CHI mRNA accumulation are similar to those of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase mRNAs, which encode other enzymes common to both pathways. CHI l hybridized to single fragments on genomic DNA blots suggesting a single gene. The structure and expression of the gene is being investigated to elucidate the regulatory sequences conferring developmental and environmental inducibility. (AS)
ER  -