Zn stress-induced inhibition of bean PvSR2–GUS fusion gene splicing is gene-specific in transgenic tobacco

The stress-related gene no. 2 of Phaseolus vulgaris (PvSR2) is metal inducible and contains a single intron. Here, we report that Zn stress inhibited the splicing of the PvSR2–β-glucuronidase (GUS) fusion gene in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in tobacco seedlings. The inhibition appears to be specific for the PvSR2–GUS transgene: splicing of four endogenous tobacco genes was unaffected by Zn stress. Our results provide in vivo evidence that Zn stress-dependent intron retention is transgene specific in plants.