Synthetic cold-inducible promoter enhances recombinant protein accumulation during Agrobacterium -mediated transient expression in Nicotiana excelsior at chilling temperatures

Objectives To exploit cold-inducible biochemical processes beneficial for foreign mRNA transcription, translation and storage, as well as protein product stability, during Agrobacterium -mediated transient expression. Results The efficiency of three different 5′-regulatory sequences to achieve transient expression of the GFP-based reporter gene under chilling conditions (6–8 °C since the 3rd day post inoculation) was compared. We studied the upstream sequences of a cold-inducible Arabidopsis thaliana cor15a gene, the core element of 35S CaMV promoter fused to the TMV omega 5′-UTR, and the synthetic promoter including the 35S core sequence and two binding sites for cold-inducible CBF transcription factors ( P_DRE::35S ). Cultivation of plants transiently expressing reporter gene under control of the synthetic P_DRE::35S promoter under chilling conditions since the 3rd dpi led to the reliably higher reporter accumulation as compared to the other tested regulatory sequences under chilling or greenhouse conditions. Reporter protein fluorescence under chilling conditions using P_DRE::35S reached 160% as compared to the transient expression in the greenhouse. Period of transient expression considerably extended if plants were cultivated at chilling temperature since the 3rd dpi: reporter protein fluorescence reached its maximum at the 20th dpi and was detected in leaves up to the 65th dpi. The enhanced protein accumulation at low temperature was accompanied by the prolonged period of corresponding mRNA accumulation. Conclusion Transient expression under chilling conditions using synthetic cold-inducible promoter enhances target protein accumulation and may decrease greenhouse heating expenses.