In planta promoter analysis using the FAST method

Due to their sessile existence, plants rely on rapid, well-adapted responses to environmental stresses. A common response to these stressors is the activation of secondary metabolism and the production of defense compounds. Catharanthus roseus provides a useful model for studying secondary defense pathways as it produces numerous terpenoid indole alkaloids in response to environmental stressors, such as wounding or the presence of a pathogen. Furthermore, several of these alkaloids are pharmaceutically valuable, including the anticancer drugs vincristine and vinblastine. However, these drugs are very expensive because of their low concentrations in the plant. Over the last decade, there has been remarkable advancement in the understanding of alkaloid biosynthesis, including the sequencing of biosynthetic enzymes, discovery of transcription factors regulating biosynthesis, and elucidation of the pathway induced by the plant hormone jasmonate. Jasmonate has been shown to initiate alkaloid production by inducing expression of a network of transcription factors, including the repressor ZCT. ZCT1 is a key transcriptional repressor of terpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in C. roseus. Here, we report the sequencing and analysis of the Zct1 promoter.