Environmental stress-inducible promoter and its application in crops

Abstract

The subject application provides polynucleotides, compositions thereof and methods for regulating gene expression in a plant using a promoter that initiates transcription in an inducible manner. In a further aspect of the invention, methods for modulating expression of a gene product in a stably transformed plant comprising the steps of (a) transforming a plant cell with a DNA construct comprising the disclosed promoter or fragments thereof that are capable of driving the expression of an operably linked nucleic acid sequence operably linked to at least one nucleotide sequence; (b) growing the plant cell under plant growing conditions and (c) regenerating a stably transformed plant from the plant cell wherein the induced expression of the operably linked nucleotide sequence alters the phenotype of the plant.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence having at least 70% sequence identity to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or a fragment thereof, wherein said sequence or fragment initiates transcription in a plant cell. 
     
     
         2 . A DNA construct comprising a nucleotide sequence according to  claim 1  operably linked to a heterologous nucleotide sequence of interest. 
     
     
         3 . A vector comprising the DNA construct of  claim 2 . 
     
     
         4 . A plant cell having stably incorporated into its genome the DNA construct of  claim 2 . 
     
     
         5 . The plant cell of  claim 4 , wherein said plant cell is from a monocot. 
     
     
         6 . The plant cell of  claim 4 , wherein said plant cell is from a dicot. 
     
     
         7 . A plant having stably incorporated into its genome the DNA construct of  claim 2 . 
     
     
         8 . The plant of  claim 7 , wherein said plant is a monocot. 
     
     
         9 . The plant of  claim 7 , wherein said plant is a dicot. 
     
     
         10 . The plant of  claim 8 , wherein the heterologous nucleotide sequence of interest encodes a gene product that confers herbicide, salt, heat, cold, flood, drought, pathogen, or insect resistance. 
     
     
         11 . A transgenic seed of the plant of  claim 7 , wherein the seed comprises the DNA construct. 
     
     
         12 . A method for expressing a nucleotide sequence in a plant, said method comprising introducing into a plant a DNA construct, said DNA construct comprising a promoter and operably linked to said promoter a heterologous nucleotide sequence of interest, wherein said promoter comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 70% sequence identity to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or a fragment thereof, wherein said sequence or fragment initiates transcription in the plant cell. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said plant is a dicot. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said plant is a monocot. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the heterologous nucleotide sequence encodes a gene product that confers herbicide, salt, heat, cold, flood, drought, pathogen, or insect resistance. 
     
     
         16 . A method for introducing a nucleotide sequence into a plant cell comprising introducing into a plant cell a DNA construct comprising a promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleotide sequence of interest, wherein said promoter comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 70% sequence identity to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or a fragment thereof, wherein said sequence or fragment initiates transcription in the plant cell. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said plant cell is from a monocot. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said plant cell is from a dicot. 
     
     
         19 . A method for selectively expressing a nucleotide sequence in a plant cell comprising introducing into a plant cell a DNA construct, and regenerating a transformed plant from said plant cell and exposing said plant to an environmental stress selected from heat, cold, drought or flooding, said DNA construct comprising a promoter and a heterologous nucleotide sequence operably linked to said promoter, wherein said promoter comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 70% sequence identity to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or a fragment thereof, wherein said sequence or fragment initiates transcription in the plant cell.