Molecular cloning of a protein associated with soybean seed oil bodies that is similar to thiol proteases of the papain family

A 34,000-Da protein (P34) is one of the four major soybean oil body proteins observed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of isolated organic solvent-extracted oil bodies from mature seeds. P34 is processed during seedling growth to a 32,000-Da polypeptide (P32) by the removal of an amino-terminal decapeptide (Herman, E.M., Melroy, D.L., and Buckhout, T.J. (1990) Plant Physiol, in press). A soybean lambda ZAP II cDNA library constructed from RNA isolated from midmaturation seeds was screened with monoclonal antibodies directed against two different epitopes of P34. The isolated cDNA clone encoding P34 contains 1,350 base pairs terminating in a poly(A)+ tail and an open reading frame 1,137 base pairs in length. The open reading frame includes a deduced amino acid sequence which matches 23 of 25 amino-terminal amino acids determined by automated Edman degradation of P34 and P32. The cDNA predicts a mature protein of 257 amino acids and of 28,641 Da. The open reading frame extends 5' from the known amino terminus of P34 encoding a possible precursor and signal sequence segments with a combined additional 122 amino acids. Prepro-P34 is deduced to be a polypeptide of 42,714 Da, indicating that the cDNA clone apparently encodes a polypeptide of 379 amino acids. A comparison of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences in the GenBank Data Bank with the sequence of P34 has shown considerable sequence similarity to the thiol proteases of the papain family. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA indicated that the P34 gene has a low copy number.     

Nucleotide sequence encoding the precursor of the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from Lemna gibba L.G-3

We have sequenced a cDNA clone, pLgSSU, which encodes the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase of Lemna gibba L.G-3 a monocot plant. This clone contains a 832 basepair insert which encodes the entire 120 amino acids of the mature small subunit polypeptide (Mr = 14,127). In addition this clone encodes 53 amino acids of the amino terminal transit peptide of the precursor polypeptide and 242 nucleotides of the 3' non-coding region. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of pLgSSU with Lemna gibba genomic sequences homologous to the 5' end of the cDNA clone suggests that nucleotides encoding four amino-terminal amino acids of the transit peptide are not included in the cDNA clone. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Lemna gibba mature small subunit polypeptide shows 70-75% homology to the reported sequences of other species. The transit peptide amino acid sequence shows less homology to other species. There is 50% homology to the reported soybean sequence and only 25% homology to the transit sequence of another monocot, wheat.     

Characterization of a single soybean cDNA encoding cytosolic and glyoxysomal isozymes of aspartate aminotransferase

A soybean cDNA clone, pSAT1, which encodes both the cytosolic and glyoxysomal isozymes of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT; EC 2.6.1.1) was isolated. Genomic Southern blots and analysis of genomic clones indicated pSAT1 was encoded by a single copy gene. pSAT1 contained an open reading frame with ca. 90% amino acid identity to alfalfa and lupin cytosolic AAT and two in-frame start codons, designated ATG1 and ATG2. Alignment of this protein with other plant cytosolic AAT isozymes revealed a 37 amino acid N-terminal extension with characteristics of a peroxisomal targeting signal, designated PTS2, including the modified consensus sequence RL-X₅-HF. The second start codon ATG2 aligned with previously reported start codons for plant cytosolic AAT cDNAs. Plasmids constructed to express the open reading frame initiated by each of the putative start codons produced proteins with AAT activity in Escherichia coli. Immune serum raised against the pSAT1-encoded protein reacted with three soybean AAT isozymes, AAT1 (glyoxysomal), AAT2 (cytosolic), and AAT3 (subcellular location unknown). We propose the glyoxysomal isozyme AAT1 is produced by translational initiation from ATG1 and the cytosolic isozyme AAT2 is produced by translational initiation from ATG2. N-terminal sequencing of purified AAT1 revealed complete identity with the pSAT1-encoded protein and was consistent with the processing of the PTS2. Analysis of cytosolic AAT genomic sequences from several other plant species revealed conservation of the two in-frame start codons and the PTS2 sequence, suggesting that these other species may utilize a single gene to generate both cytosolic and glyoxysomal or peroxisomal forms of AAT.     

Nucleotide sequence of a chicken delta-crystallin gene.

We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of one of the two non-allelic delta-crystallin genes in the chicken, arbitrarily designated delta-gene 1, using a genomic clone (lambda g delta 106) containing the entire gene sequence. By comparison of the genomic sequence and the delta-crystallin cDNA sequence previously determined, we have identified exon sequences in the genomic sequence. Thus, the presence of 17 exons and 16 introns in the gene has been clarified. The delta-crystallin polypeptide deduced from the exon sequences consists of 465 amino acids which is larger, by 19 amino acid residues, than the polypeptide deduced from the cDNA sequence previously reported. Re-examination of the cDNA sequence using the same cDNA clone previously used shows that the present exon sequences are correct and the molecular weight of the deduced delta-crystallin polypeptide is 50,615 daltons instead of the previously reported value of 48,447 daltons. In addition, some structural features of the delta-crystallin gene including putative expression signals are discussed.     

Fruit ripening-related expression of a gene encoding group 5 late embryogenesis abundant protein inCitrus

A cDNA and genomic clone (CuLEA5) encoding a group 5 late embryogenesis abundant protein (Lea5) was isolated from citrus fruit cDNA and genomic libraries. Sequence analysis indicated that the clone contains an open reading frame of 97 amino acids, and that the genomic structure is composed of two exons and one intron. A comparison of its amino sequence with other plant proteins showed that Lea5 proteins can be classified into two types - gymnosperm and angiosperm — based on a P-segment sequence designated by this study. Examination of its expression patterns indicated thatCuLEA5 has important roles during the development or ripening of seedless fruits and leaves inCitrus. The 5′-flanking region of the genomic DNA contains a number of putative hormonal- and stress-responsive elements. This is the first report that describes the expression ofLea5 during fruit ripening, as well as the sequence characteristics of its promoter region.     

Developmentally regulated plant genes: the nucleotide sequence of a wheat gliadin genomic clone

Gliadins, the major wheat seed storage proteins, are encoded by a multigene family. Northern blot analysis shows that gliadin genes are transcribed in endosperm tissue into two classes of poly(A)+ mRNA, 1400 bases (class I) and 1600 bases (class II) in length. Using poly(A)+ RNA from developing wheat endosperm we constructed a cDNA library from which a number of clones coding for alpha/beta and gamma gliadins were identified by hybrid-selected mRNA translation and DNA sequencing. These cDNA clones were used as probes for the isolation of genomic gliadin clones from a wheat genomic library. One such genomic clone was characterized in detail and its DNA sequence determined. It contains a gene for a 33-kd alpha/beta gliadin protein (a 20 amino acid signal peptide and a 266 amino acid mature protein) which is very rich in glutamine (33.8%) and proline (15.4%). The gene sequence does not contain introns. A typical eukaryotic promoter sequence is present at -104 (relative to the translation initiation codon) and there are two normal polyadenylation signals 77 and 134 bases downstream from the translation termination codon. The coding sequence contains some internal sequence repetition, and is highly homologous to several alpha/beta gliadin cDNA clones. Homology to a gamma-gliadin cDNA clone is low, and there is no homology with known glutenin or zein cDNA sequences.     

Structure of two developmentally regulated Dictyostelium discoideum ubiquitin genes.

A previously isolated cDNA clone, pLK229, that is specific for mRNA developmentally expressed during Dictyostelium discoideum spore germination and multicellular development, was used to screen two genomic libraries. Two genomic sequences homologous to pLK229 were isolated and sequenced. Genomic clone p229 is identical to the cDNA clone pLK229 and codes for a polypeptide of 381 amino acids. This polypeptide is composed of five tandem repeats of the same 76-amino-acid sequence. Clone lambda 229 codes for a protein of 229 amino acids, containing three tandem repeats of the identical 76-amino-acid sequence. A computer search for homology to known proteins revealed that the 76-amino-acid repeat was identical to human and bovine ubiquitin except for two amino acid differences.