Cloning of the promoter of rice brown planthopper feeding‐inducible gene OsTPS31 and identification of related cis‐regulatory elements

Abstract Background Brown planthopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens ) is one of the most serious pests of rice in the world. Insect‐resistant genetic engineering is a very effective technology to control BPH. The promoters and cis ‐regulatory elements inducible by plant‐feeding insects are critical for genetic engineering of insect‐resistant crops. Results In this study, we cloned a promoter Ptps31 and a 7 bp cis –regulatory sequence that up‐regulated downstream genes induced by BPH feeding. The promoter of OsTPS31 (Ptps31) unresponsive to physical damage but responsive to BPH feeding was cloned and functionally verified. The results showed that expression of the OsBPH14 gene driven by the promoter region from −510 to −246 bp in rice could significantly improve the resistance to BPH. The promoter region from −376 to −370 bp (TAGTGTC) was identified as a cis ‐regulatory sequence related to BPH feeding induction of downstream gene expression. Conclusion The findings provide a new promoter and a new cis ‐regulatory sequence tool for the research on and application of rice BPH resistance genes, as well as a new perspective for functional analysis of the OsTPS31 gene. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.