Modulation of auxin-binding protein 1 gene expression in maize and the teosintes by transposon insertions in its promoter

Auxin plays crucial roles in plant development. Auxin-binding protein 1 (ABP1) is an auxin receptor required to coordinate cell division and expansion during postembryonic shoot development, and differential auxin responses during root growth. While ABP1 is encoded by a single gene in maize, multiple gene copies exist in teosinte, the wild relatives of maize. We have previously shown that some of the differences between these genes are caused by multiple transposon insertions in the promoter. Here we show that the different ABP1 promoter types confer differential gene expression levels on a firefly luciferase reporter gene. We also discovered a negative regulatory sequence upstream of the conserved transcriptional start site. When this sequence is insulated by an Ac-like transposon or deleted in natural ABP1 gene variants, expression levels are enhanced. Promoters combining both a MITE and a solo-LTR showed small but significant increase in expression compared to those containing only one insertion. This increase seems to be additive, suggesting that it may be due to enhancer sequences present within these transposons. Our results point to a potential role of the ABP1-associated transposons in the modulation of ABP1 gene expression.