GLUCURONIDE PLANT REGULATION

USE OF THE ESCHERICHIA COLI BETA-GLUCURONIDASE GENE (GUS) AS A FUSION MARKER FOR ANALYSIS OF GENE EXPRESSION IN TRANSFORMED PLANTS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED. THE SYNTHESIS, BY CHEMICAL AND ENZYMATIC METHODS, OF A SERIES OF GLUCURONIC ACID CONJUGATES OF PLANT REGULATORY SUBSTANCES IS BEING DEVELOPED. RESEARCHERS ARE SYNTHESIZING CONJUGATES OF HERBICIDES AND TOXINS, AND TESTING THESE CONJUGATES FOR THE ABILITY TO SPECIFICALLY ABATE TISSUES AND CELLS EXPRESSING GUS ACTIVITY. CONJUGATES ARE ASSAYED IN TISSUE CULTURE AND IN WHOLE PLANTS FOR THE ABILITY TO CAUSE LOCALIZED CELL DEATH IN A PROMOTER DEPENDENT MANNER. SUCH COMPOUNDS ARE OF GENERAL USE FOR PLANT RESEARCH INTO THE CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENT AND GENE EXPRESSION, AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT STERILE PLANT SPECIES IN A REVERSIBLE MANNER THROUGH THE USE OF SELECTIVE APPLICATION OF SUBSTRATE AND CHOICE OF GUS-FUSION PROMOTER.