A gibberellin response complex in cereal alpha-amylase gene promoters

The Amy32b gene is a representative member of a closely related family of alpha-amylase genes expressed under hormonal control in aleurone layers of barley grains. Transcription of this gene is induced by gibberellin (GA) and suppressed by abscisic acid. In this study, we functionally defined the promoter elements of the Amy32b gene that govern the developmental and hormonal control of its expression in aleurone. Two functionally distinct yet physically associated elements are essential: a gibberellin response element mediates regulation by GA and abscisic acid, and an Opaque-2 binding sequence (O2S) is thought to interact with a barley homolog of the maize endosperm-specific transcriptional regulator Opaque-2. An additional element CCTTTT, which with the O2S forms part of a canonical "endosperm box," is important in modulating the absolute level of expression of the Amy32b promoter, as is another separate, highly conserved element TATCCATGCAGTG.