The present invention is to provide a method which comprises providing a plant
with characters of a repressor and operator both constituting a gene expression
inducing system with an actinomycete autogenous regulatory factor as an inducer
by gene transfer and administering the actinomycete autogenous regulatory factor
to the transformed plant to thereby induce the expression of a gene placed under
the control of the operator at a site of administration of the actinomycete autogenous
regulatory factor. This method makes it possible to cause expression of a desired
gene at a desired time and site, thus enabling even the production, in a plant,
of a metabolite otherwise disadvantageous to the growth of the plant. It is also
useful in preventing transformant plants from spreading through the environment
by controlling the fertility thereof.