DNA SEQUENCE CONTAINING THE PROMOTER REGION AND REGULATORY ELEMENTS OF THE MEC1 GENE, EXPRESSED IN CASSAVA ROOTS, FOR USE IN GENETIC IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS

摘要

The present invention relates to a promoter and/or regulatory regions specific to the expression of genes of interest in roots. The invention also describes DNA constructs that contain the polynucleotide according to the invention functionally linked to an heterologous and/or endogenous gene. Moreover, the invention relates to the use of these constructs in the form of expression vectors, recombinant vectors and in plants, plant cells or transgenic protoplasts. The invention also describes a method using such constructs that contain the polynucleotide according to the invention for the production of plants, plant cells or transgenic protoplasts. The expression of the transgene exclusively in the part of interest thus allows the accumulation of the exogenous transcript in the root only, facilitating the implementation of strategies aimed at increasing added value, the generation of cultivars that are better adapted to environmental stresses, pathogenic agents and pests, and agrochemical pesticides, besides producing plants with high nutritional value and high therapeutic value. In addition to these advantages, the present invention offers a new alternative to expression systems in plant organisms that can be used to generate new cultivars and improvement programs.