A 20 bp cis-acting element is both necessary and sufficient to mediate elicitor response of a maize PRms gene

Transient gene expression assays in barley aleurone protoplasts were used to identify a cis-regulatory element involved in the elicitor-responsive expression of the maize PRms gene. Analysis of transcriptional fusions between PRms 5′ upstream sequences and a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene, as well as chimeric promoters containing PRms promoter fragments or repeated oligonucleotides fused to a minimal promoter, delineated a 20 bp sequence which functioned as an elicitor—response element (ERE). This sequence contains a motif (−246 AATTGACC) similar to sequences found in promoters of other pathogen-responsive genes. The analysis also indicated that an enhancing sequence(s) between −397 and −296 is required for full PRms activation by elicitors. The protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine was found to completely block the transcriptional activation induced by elicitors. These data indicate that protein phosphorylation is involved in the signal transduction pathway leading to PRms expression.