A Novel Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase ( GAPDH ) Promoter for Expressing Transgenes in the Halotolerant Alga Dunaliella salina

A major challenge for efficient transgene expression in Dunaliella salina is to find strong endogenous promoters to drive the transgene expression. In the present study, a novel glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ( GAPDH ) promoter was cloned and used to drive expressions of the bialaphos resistance ( bar ) gene and of the N -terminal fragment of human canstatin (Can-N). The results showed that the bar gene was transcribed by the GAPDH promoter and integrated into the genome of the transformants of D. salina . Furthermore, the PCR identification, Southern and western blots indicated that Can-N was expressed in transgenic D. salina , demonstrating that the promoter of the D. salina GAPDH gene is suitable for driving expression of heterologous genes in transgenic D. salina .