Activation of defense-related gene expression and systemic acquired resistance in cucumber mosaic virus-infected tobacco plants expressing the mammalian 2'5'oligoadenylate system.

Tobacco plants expressing the mammalian 2'5'oligoadenylate system (2-5A system) exhibit resistance to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Here, to characterize the molecular aspect of the resistance to CMV in 2-5A system-expressing tobaccos, the activation of defense-related genes and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) as the markers for the hypersensitive resistance (HR), were elucidated. Northern hybridization analysis indicated that the expression of four pathogenesis-related (PR) protein genes and five HR-related genes were induced in CMV-infected tobaccos expressing 2-5A system. Furthermore, the induction of SAR against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci as second challenge, was observed on CMV-inoculated tobaccos expressing 2-5A system. These results suggested that the resistance to CMV in tobacco expressing 2-5A system is associated with the establishment of an HR-like response.

Substrate specificity modification of the stromal glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase.

The stromal glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (GPATs; EC 2.3.1.15) from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and squash (Cucurbita moschata) were expressed in Escherichia coli and their activities with palmitoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA compared. The GPAT from squash, a chilling-sensitive plant, was found to have the greatest difference in activities between the two substrates, using palmitoyl-CoA over three times faster than oleoyl-CoA. In contrast, the enzyme from spinach, a chilling-tolerant plant, preferred oleoyl-CoA over palmitoyl-CoA. By using conserved restriction endonuclease sites each of the two genes was divided into three fragments of roughly equal size and recombined to create six different chimeras. All chimeras retained a large portion of their original activity but in most cases the specificity was greatly altered. The central third of the protein was found to contain the structural features which determine substrate specificity of the wild-type GPATs. Two of the chimeras, which have a spinach-derived central region and a squash-derived carboxyl region, were found to have greatly enhanced specificities for 18:1 acyl chains, potentially making them ideal for decreasing the level of saturation of plant membrane lipids through genetic engineering.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: expression of ethanol tolerance and the FAD2 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana.

The Arabidopsis thaliana delta-12 fatty acid desaturase gene (FAD2) was overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using the GAL1 promoter. S. cerevisiae harboring the FAD2 gene was capable of forming hexadecadienoyl (16:2) and linoleoyl (18:2) residues in the membrane lipid when cultured in medium containing galactose. Gas-liquid chromatography analysis of total lipids indicated that the transformed S. cerevisiae accumulated these dienoic fatty acyl residues and that they accounted for approximately 50% of the total fatty acyl residues. Phospholipid analysis of this strain indicated that the oleoyl (18:1) residue binding phosphatidylcholine (PC) was mostly converted to the 18:2 residue binding PC, whereas 50% of the palmitoleoyl (16:1) residue binding PC was converted to the 16:2 residue binding PC. A marked effect on the unsaturation of 16:1 and 18:1 was observed when S. cerevisiae harboring the FAD2 gene was cultured at 8 degrees C. To assess the ethanol tolerance of S. cerevisiae producing polyunsaturated fatty acids, the cell viability of this strain in the presence of ethanol was examined. The results indicated that S. cerevisiae cells overexpressing the FAD2 gene had greater resistance to 15% (vol/vol) ethanol than did the control cells.

Low-temperature resistance of higher plants is significantly enhanced by a nonspecific cyanobacterial desaturase.

A broad-specificity delta 9 desaturase gene was cloned from the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans. The enzyme introduces a cis-double bond at the delta 9 position of both 16 and 18 carbon saturated fatty acids linked to many kinds of membrane lipids. The gene was stably introduced into tobacco plants under transcriptional control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, and the enzyme was targeted into plastids by the transit peptide of the pea RuBisCO small subunit. The transgenic plants had a highly reduced level of saturated fatty acid content in most membrane lipids and exhibited a significant increase in chilling resistance.

Cloning of eggplant hypocotyl cDNAs encoding cytochromes P450 belonging to a novel family (CYP77).

From eggplant hypocotyl tissues we have cloned two closely related cDNAs encoding cytochromes P450 (P450s) by PCR amplification using a primer designed based on the highly conserved sequence among the known eggplant P450s. One cDNA lacks the NH2-terminal short sequence that is present in the other, full-length cDNA. The two predicted protein sequences are 71% identical with each other and show less than 30% identity with any other known P450s. It is concluded that these P450s, which are termed CYP77A1 and -A2, belong to a hitherto unknown P450 family.

Activation of anthocyanin synthesis genes by white light in eggplant hypocotyl tissues, and identification of an inducible P-450 cDNA.

Eggplant seedlings (Solanum melongena) grown under red light irradiation showed a normal morphology with green, fully expanded cotyledons. When the seedlings grown under red light were irradiated with ultraviolet-containing white light, anthocyanin synthesis was induced in the hypocotyl tissues, especially when a UV light supplement was added. The accumulation of pigments was closely associated with the expression of genes involved in flavonoid synthesis. These genes include chalcone synthase (CHS) and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR). Using subtracted probes, which had been enriched for the accumulated mRNA, one white light-responsive cDNA was identified as being a P450 gene by comparison with database sequences. The maximal amino acid homology this cDNA had with other P450s was 36%. This was with CYP71 from avocado (Persea americana). Thus it represents a new P-450 family, which has been named CYP75. The mRNA of this gene was localized in the hypocotyl tissues of eggplant seedlings, which had been white light-irradiated. The transcript was accumulated by changing the light source, as in the case of other flavonoid biosynthesis genes. In delphinidin producing petunia plants, the mRNAs corresponding to the eggplant P-450 and flavonoid biosynthesis genes such as CHS and DFR were most abundant during the mid stage of flower bud development, but could not be detected in leaf tissues. These results suggest that this P-450 gene encodes a hydroxylating enzyme involved in flavonoid biosynthesis.

The cloning of eggplant seedling cDNAs encoding proteins from a novel cytochrome P-450 family (CYP76).

Using a CYP75 cDNA as a probe, we have cloned and sequenced two closely related cDNAs from eggplant seedlings, which encode typical cytochrome P-450 (P450) proteins. A database search revealed that the predicted proteins share less than 40% amino acid homology with other P450 proteins, which suggests that they form a novel P450 gene family (CYP76).

cDNAs sequences encoding cytochrome P450 (CYP71 family) from eggplant seedlings.

Three cytochrome P450 (P450) cDNAs were isolated from an eggplant hypocotyl cDNA library using eggplant CYP75 cDNA as a probe. These cDNAs have greater than 65% identity in their amino acid sequences, indicating that they belong to the same family. Comparison of these with P450 proteins from other sources showed that the protein with the greatest degree of homology is CYP71, isolated from avocado fruits (approximately 48%). We concluded that they are novel members of the CYP71 gene family (CYP71A2, 3 and 4). We have examined the level of mRNA transcripts from the CYP71 family in eggplant hypocotyl tissues and petunia flower buds, and found that the level of transcripts is developmentally regulated in the flower bud.

Biosynthesis and intracellular processing of carbonic anhydrase in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a glycoprotein of 35 kDa which is localized outside the plasma membrane. The activity of CA was increased when the CO2 concentration during photoautotrophic growth was decreased to air level. After decreasing the CO2 concentration from 4% to 0.04%, several polypeptides including CA were induced continuously or transiently. To investigate the biosynthesis and intracellular processing of CA, the cells of wall-less mutant CW-15, which secretes CA into the culture medium, were pulse-labeled with radioactive arginine, chased, and radioactive proteins were immunoprecipitated with anti-CA serum. A 42-kDa polypeptide with isoelectric point (pI) of 7.1-7.3 was first synthesized. Within 5 min the molecular mass of this polypeptide was decreased to 35 kDa and it was then secreted into the culture medium within 30 min. This indicates that the former is the precursor form and the latter the mature form of CA. The primary translation product from poly(A)-rich RNA in a cell-free reticulocyte lysate system from a rabbit was a 38-kDa polypeptide. This was cotranslationally converted into the 42-kDa precursor in vitro in the presence of dog pancreatic microsomal membranes. As the 42-kDa precursor had a high affinity to concanavalin A, it was assumed to have a high-mannose-type oligosaccharide. The mature enzyme had a pI of 6.1-6.2 and was composed of more than two isoforms, which had a complex-type oligosaccharide with low affinity to concanavalin A. Chemical deglycosylation of the mature enzyme by trifluoromethanesulfonic acid indicated that the molecular mass of the polypeptide moiety was 32 kDa and the difference between this and the primary translation product suggests that cleavage of the polypeptide occurs during its biosynthesis.