Dataset Information

Extensive RNA editing of U to C in addition to C to U substitution in the rbcL transcripts of hornwort chloroplasts and the origin of RNA editing in green plants.

ABSTRACT: We cloned and sequenced a portion of chloroplast DNA from the hornwort Anthoceros formosae. A nucleotide sequence of 7556 bp contained structures similar to those of ndhK, ndhC, trnV, trnM, atpE, atpB, rbcL, trnR and accD. The arrangement of these was the same as that of other chloroplast DNA. However, two nonsense codons were located within the putative coding region of rbcL, although they were used as putative termination codons of the genes. RNA was extensively edited in the transcripts of rbcL when cDNA sequences were analyzed. The unusual nonsense codons of TGA and TAA became CGA and CAA respectively. These are examples of U to C type RNA editing, which was never been found before in chloroplast mRNA. In general, 13 Cs of genomic DNA were found as Ts in the cDNA sequence and seven Ts were found as Cs. This is the first finding of RNA editing on the transcripts of rbcL and also in bryophytes. This event had been thought to arise in land plants after the split of bryophytes. The origin of RNA editing is discussed in relation to the landing of green plants.

SUBMITTER: Yoshinaga K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC145765 | biostudies-other | 1996 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Extensive RNA editing of U to C in addition to C to U substitution in the rbcL transcripts of hornwort chloroplasts and the origin of RNA editing in green plants.

Yoshinaga K K Iinuma H H Masuzawa T T Uedal K K

Nucleic acids research 19960301 6

We cloned and sequenced a portion of chloroplast DNA from the hornwort Anthoceros formosae. A nucleotide sequence of 7556 bp contained structures similar to those of ndhK, ndhC, trnV, trnM, atpE, atpB, rbcL, trnR and accD. The arrangement of these was the same as that of other chloroplast DNA. However, two nonsense codons were located within the putative coding region of rbcL, although they were used as putative termination codons of the genes. RNA was extensively edited in the transcripts of rb ...[more]

PMID: 8604330

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPlants that utilize the highly efficient C4 pathway of photosynthesis typically possess kranz-type leaf anatomy that consists of two morphologically and functionally distinct photosynthetic cell types, the bundle sheath (BS) and mesophyll (M) cells. These two cell types differentially express many genes that are required for C4 capability and function. In mature C4 leaves, the plastidic rbcL gene, encoding the large subunit of the primary CO2 fixation enzyme Rubisco, is expressed specifically within BS cells. Numerous studies have demonstrated that BS-specific rbcL gene expression is regulated predominantly at post-transcriptional levels, through the control of translation and mRNA stability. The identification of regulatory factors associated with C4 patterns of rbcL gene expression has been an elusive goal for many years.ResultsRLSB, encoded by the nuclear RLSB gene, is an S1-domain RNA binding protein purified from C4 chloroplasts based on its specific binding to plastid-encoded rbcL mRNA in vitro. Co-localized with LSU to chloroplasts, RLSB is highly conserved across many plant species. Most significantly, RLSB localizes specifically to leaf bundle sheath (BS) cells in C4 plants. Comparative analysis using maize (C4) and Arabidopsis (C3) reveals its tight association with rbcL gene expression in both plants. Reduced RLSB expression (through insertion mutation or RNA silencing, respectively) led to reductions in rbcL mRNA accumulation and LSU production. Additional developmental effects, such as virescent/yellow leaves, were likely associated with decreased photosynthetic function and disruption of associated signaling networks.ConclusionsReductions in RLSB expression, due to insertion mutation or gene silencing, are strictly correlated with reductions in rbcL gene expression in both maize and Arabidopsis. In both plants, accumulation of rbcL mRNA as well as synthesis of LSU protein were affected. These findings suggest that specific accumulation and binding of the RLSB binding protein to rbcL mRNA within BS chloroplasts may be one determinant leading to the characteristic cell type-specific localization of Rubisco in C4 plants. Evolutionary modification of RLSB expression, from a C3 "default" state to BS cell-specificity, could represent one mechanism by which rbcL expression has become restricted to only one cell type in C4 plants.

Project description:BackgroundRNA editing is a post-transcriptional process that, in seed plants, involves a cytosine to uracil change in messenger RNA, causing the translated protein to differ from that predicted by the DNA sequence. RNA editing occurs extensively in plant mitochondria, but large differences in editing frequencies are found in some groups. The underlying processes responsible for the distribution of edited sites are largely unknown, but gene function, substitution rate, and gene conversion have been proposed to influence editing frequencies.ResultsWe studied five mitochondrial genes in the monocot order Alismatales, all showing marked differences in editing frequencies among taxa. A general tendency to lose edited sites was observed in all taxa, but this tendency was particularly strong in two clades, with most of the edited sites lost in parallel in two different areas of the phylogeny. This pattern is observed in at least four of the five genes analyzed. Except in the groups that show an unusually low editing frequency, the rate of C-to-T changes in edited sites was not significantly higher that in non-edited 3rd codon positions. This may indicate that selection is not actively removing edited sites in nine of the 12 families of the core Alismatales. In all genes but ccmB, a significant correlation was found between frequency of change in edited sites and synonymous substitution rate. In general, taxa with higher substitution rates tend to have fewer edited sites, as indicated by the phylogenetically independent correlation analyses. The elimination of edited sites in groups that lack or have reduced levels of editing could be a result of gene conversion involving a cDNA copy (retroprocessing). If so, this phenomenon could be relatively common in the Alismatales, and may have affected some groups recurrently. Indirect evidence of retroprocessing without a necessary correlation with substitution rate was found mostly in families Alismataceae and Hydrocharitaceae (e.g., groups that suffered a rapid elimination of all their edited sites, without a change in substitution rate).ConclusionsThe effects of substitution rate, selection, and/or gene conversion on the dynamics of edited sites in plant mitochondria remain poorly understood. Although we found an inverse correlation between substitution rate and editing frequency, this correlation is partially obscured by gene retroprocessing in lineages that have lost most of their edited sites. The presence of processed paralogs in plant mitochondria deserves further study, since most evidence of their occurrence is circumstantial.

Dataset Information

Extensive RNA editing of U to C in addition to C to U substitution in the rbcL transcripts of hornwort chloroplasts and the origin of RNA editing in green plants.

Publications

Extensive RNA editing of U to C in addition to C to U substitution in the rbcL transcripts of hornwort chloroplasts and the origin of RNA editing in green plants.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets