Identification of genes expressed during Arabidopsis thaliana embryogenesis using enhancer trap and gene trap Ds-transposons

Abstract

The technique of enhancer trap and gene trap mutagenesis has been exploited to identify new molecular markers for specific cell-types, tissues and regions in the Arabidopsis thaliana embryo and seedling. Screening of a population of 373 independent gene trap and 431 enhancer trap lines revealed that 25% of the gene trap insertions, and 81% of the enhancer trap insertions displayed GUS expression patterns in the embryo, seedling, silique, seed coat, or flower. A total of 39 lines expressed the GUS gene in the embryo. Except for one, all of these also displayed GUS expression at other stages of development. The insertion lines with specific GUS expression patterns in the embryo provide valuable markers for establishment of cell fate or position in embryo mutant backgrounds. Genomic DNA flanking the insertions was amplified by TAIL-PCR, and found to contain transcribed regions of a gene in all gene trap insertions, and in about a quarter of the enhancer trap insertions. Thus, enhancer trap and gene trap mutagenesis allow isolation of genes expressed during Arabidopsis embryogenesis based on expression pattern.