Article
Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase gene expression in light- and dark-grown amaranth cotyledons
Molecular and Cellular Biology
(1985)
Abstract
The regulation of expression of the genes encoding the large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) of
ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) was examined in 1- through 8-day-old, dark-grown
(etiolated) and light-grown amaranth cotyledons. RuBPCase specific activity in light-grown cotyledons
increased during this 8-day period to a level 15-fold higher than in dark-grown cotyledons. Under both growth
conditions, the accumulation of the LSU and SSU polypeptides was not coordinated. Initial detection of the SSU
occurred 1 and 2 days after the appearance of the LSU in light- and dark-grown cotyledons, respectively.
Furthermore, although the levels of the LSU were similar in both light- and dark-grown seedlings, the amount
of the SSU followed clearly the changes in enzyme activity. Synthesis of these two polypeptides was dramatically
different in etiolated versus light-grown cotyledons. In light the synthesis of both subunits was first observed on
day 2 and continued throughout the growth of the cotyledons. In darkness the rate of synthesis of both subunits
was much lower than in light and occurred only as a burst between days 2 and 5 after planting. However,
mRNAs for both subunits were present in etiolated cotyledons at similar levels on days 4 through 7 (by
Northern analysis) and were functional in vitro, despite their apparent inactivity in vivo after day 5. In
addition, since both LSU and SSU mRNA levels were lower in dark- than in light-grown seedlings, our results
indicate that both transcriptional and post-transcriptional controls modulate RuBPCase production in
developing amaranth cotyledons.
Disciplines
Publication Date
1985
DOI
10.1128/MCB.5.9.2238
Publisher Statement
This is an article from Molecular and Cellular Biology 5 (1985) 2238, doi:10.1128/MCB.5.9.2238
Posted with permission. Copyright 1985, American Society for Microbiology
Citation Information
James O. Berry, Basil J Nikolau, John P. Carr and Daniel F. Klessig. "Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase gene expression in light- and dark-grown amaranth cotyledons" Molecular and Cellular Biology Vol. 5 Iss. 9 (1985) p. 2238 - 2246 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/basil-nikolau/15/