Rice promoters for regulation of plant expression

Abstract

The present invention provides promoters from plants capable of driving gene expression in plant cells. The promoters vary in strength and in tissue specificity, and can be used to facilitate the development of transgenic plants in which tissue preferred expression, constitutive expression, and the strength of transgene expression is either more or less critical.

1 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising a promoter capable of driving gene expression in a plant, said polynucleotide comprising: a) a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of the polynucleotides listed in SEQ ID NOs: 6079-6097; or b) a fragment thereof that retains the capability to drive gene expression in a plant. 
     
     
         2 . An isolated polynucleotide which is the complement to the polynucleotide of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         3 . An expression vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide comprising a promoter of  claim 1  operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid, wherein the promoter directs expression of the heterologous nucleic acid in a plant cell. 
     
     
         4 . A plant cell transformed with the expression vector of  claim 3 . 
     
     
         5 . A transgenic plant comprising the plant cell of  claim 4 . 
     
     
         6 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising a plant nucleotide sequences that directs constitutive expression of an operatively linked nucleic acid segment in a plant cell, wherein said polynucleotide sequence is at least 90% identical to promoter RC9 (SEQ ID NO: 6081). 
     
     
         7 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising a plant nucleotide sequence that directs tissue-specific or tissue-preferred expression of an operatively linked nucleic acid segment in a plant cell, wherein said polynucleotide sequence is at least 90% identical to a promoter selected from the group consisting of promoter RC17 (SEQ ID NO: 6079), RC22 (SEQ ID NO: 6080), REM13 (SEQ ID NO: 6082), REM7 (SEQ ID NO: 6083), REN5 (SEQ ID NO: 6084), RTG1 (SEQ ID NO: 6085), RR1 (SEQ ID NO: 6086), RS13 (SEQ ID NO: 6087), RS15 (SEQ ID NO: 6088), RS4 (SEQ ID NO: 6092), RS5 (SEQ ID NO: 6093), RS6 (SEQ ID NO: 6094), and RS8 (SEQ ID NO: 6095).