Developmental Expression of Tomato Heat-Shock Cognate Protein 80

Heat-shock protein 80 (HSP80) is a major heat-shock protein induced in yeast and animals both by heat shock and by specific developmental events. In plants, a heat-shock-induced HSP80 cDNA has been described, although no information concerning developmental regulation of HSP80 genes is available. We have characterized a tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) gene encoding a typical HSP80 protein. This gene, called HSC80, is interrupted by two introns, 995 and 109 bp long. Northern blot analyses and in situ RNA hybridization show that HSC80 mRNA is abundant in shoot and root apices and in fertilized ovaries up to 6 d postanthesis but is rare in mature leaves. Heat shock increased mRNA levels in mature leaves but only 3-fold. Developmental regulation of the HSC80 gene was confirmed by fusing 2 kb of its 5′ region to the β-glucuronidase reporter gene and introducing the chimeric gene into tomatoes. The roots of transformants showed high β-glucuronidase expression in the apex and in lateral root primordia but not in mature tissue. Expression in the shoot was up to 10-fold higher in the apex than in mature leaves. Thus, HSC80 is preferentially expressed in shoot and root apices during normal development.