Strong seed-specific protein expression from the Vigna radiata storage protein 8SGα promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds

• Few Vigna seed promoter sequences have been reported.
• A new 8SGα promoter that conferred seed-specific expression in Arabidopsis was identified.
• The 8SGα promoter strength was observed to be higher than the conventional 35S CaMV promoter in seeds.
• This 8SGα promoter provides an additional choice for the expression of multiple proteins in seeds.

Vigna radiata (mung bean) is an important crop plant and is a major protein source in developing countries. Mung bean 8S globulins constitute nearly 90% of total seed storage protein and consist of three subunits designated as 8SGα, 8SGα′ and 8SGβ. The 5′-flanking sequences of 8SGα′ has been reported to confer high expression in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. In this study, a 472-bp 5′-flanking sequence of 8SGα was identified by genome walking. Computational analysis subsequently revealed the presence of numerous putative seed-specific cis-elements within. The 8SGα promoter was then fused to the gene encoding β-glucuronidase (GUS) to create a reporter construct for Arabidopsis thaliana transformation. The spatial and temporal expression of 8SGα∷GUS, as investigated using GUS histochemical assays, showed GUS expression exclusively in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. Quantitative GUS assays revealed that the 8SGα promoter showed 2- to 4-fold higher activity than the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. This study has identified a seed-specific promoter of high promoter strength, which is potentially useful for directing foreign protein expression in seed bioreactors.