Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology researchers conducted a study
to improve plant growth and biomass production through overexpression
of/GA20ox/geneunder the control of a root preferential promoter. The
findings are published in/Transgenic Research/.

Overexpression of/GA20/oxidase gene is one of the new trends in
improving plant growth and biomass. However, it has been observed that
the constitutive expression of this gene can cause negative effects such
as reduced leaf size and stem diameter, among others. Thus, the
researchers identified and employed different tissue-specific promoters
for/GA20ox/overexpression.

The researchers specifically used At1g promoter to drive the expression
of GUS (Î?-glucuronidase) reporter and AtGA20ox genes in tobacco and
chinaberry. Analyses in tobacco indicated that At1g was a
root-preferential promoter and there was a strong expression in root
tips. /AtGA20ox/gene expression leads to enhanced growth and biomass in
transgenic tobacco and chinaberry. Stem length and weight also increased
significantly for both transgenic plants. No significant difference in
leaf shape and size was observed between the transgenic plants and the
wild type.

Based on the results, At1g promoter is highly useful in driving the
AtGA20ox gene for growth and biomass improvements plants.

Enhancing plant growth and biomass production by overexpression of
GA20ox gene under control of a root preferential promoter | SpringerLink
[link.springer.com]