桃Pp4CL2基因的克隆及抗寒功能验证

基于‘丁家坝李光桃’抗寒转录组数据,采用RT PCR技术克隆桃4 香豆酸辅酶A连接酶基因(Pp4CL2),并对其进行生物信息学及转化模式植物拟南芥和烟草的抗寒分析,以解析‘丁家坝李光桃’的抗寒机制。结果显示：(1)成功克隆获得桃Pp4CL2基因(登录号：LOC18792923),其cDNA序列为1 635 bp,编码544个氨基酸残基,具有4CL基因家族保守结构域。(2)二级结构分析显示,Pp4CL2蛋白由4种状态的二级结构组成,其中α螺旋占30.51%、β 折叠占7.35%、不规则卷曲及延伸链分别占41.54%和20.59%。(3)顺式作用元件分析发现,Pp4CL2基因上游启动子区含有光、低温以及多种激素响应元件。(4)序列系统进化分析显示,桃Pp4CL2与杏(Prunus armeniaca)、欧洲甜樱桃(Prunus avium)和梅(Prunus mume)的蛋白相似性最高,分别为99.08%、97.98%和96.14%。(5)成功构建转化载体Pp4CL2 pRI101,对拟南芥和烟草进行遗传转化并通过PCR鉴定获得转基因拟南芥和烟草。(6)与野生型相比,低温胁迫下转基因拟南芥和烟草的Pp4CL2基因相对表达量高,受冷害程度轻,具有更高的渗透调节物质含量和抗氧化酶活性,对低温具有更强的耐受性。研究表明,过表达Pp4CL2基因可增强植物对低温的耐受性,推测Pp4CL2基因在‘丁家坝李光桃’响应低温胁迫过程中具有重要作用。     

小桐子植物特异性酪蛋白激酶PS-CK1-5基因的克隆及原核表达分析

酪蛋白激酶(casein kinase, CK)作为一类普遍存在的Ser/Thr蛋白激酶，通过调节靶标蛋白的活性与稳定性，在植物整个生理过程及信号转导途径中发挥重要作用。基于同源序列比对，该研究对小桐子(Jatropha curcas)酪蛋白激酶基因家族进行鉴定与表达分析。结果表明，小桐子基因组中共鉴定到7个酪蛋白激酶1基因(CK1)、5个植物特异性酪蛋白激酶1基因(PS-CK1)、3个酪蛋白激酶2α亚基基因(CK2-α)、2个酪蛋白激酶2β亚基基因(CK2-β)，4个亚家族成员在氨基酸长度、等电点及外显子数目等都有其家族特异性。蛋白的氨基酸序列比对表明，小桐子酪蛋白激酶1都包含N端保守激酶结构域，同时其内部都鉴定到典型的激酶活性环基序、ATP结合核心基序、核定位信号肽。qRT-PCR表达分析表明，小桐子JcPS-CK1-5基因在叶片与根中都属于低温诱导基因，可能参与小桐子抗冷性过程。构建其原核表达载体pET-32a-JcPS-CK1-5，并在BL21(DE3)中诱导表达，得到81.6 kD的条带，与理论融合蛋白的分子量一致。这可为小桐子CK基因的功能鉴定及逆境信号转导机制研究提供参考。     

独行菜冷上调基因LaNHR2B的低温耐受性研究

新疆北部早春短命植物独行菜幼苗期能够在早春的低温条件下生长,具有良好的耐受低温胁迫的能力。前期研究获得了独行菜幼苗冷诱导上调表达基因片段,通过同源克隆获得该基因的全长cDNA序列（LaNHR2B）,运用生物信息学软件预测分析该基因编码蛋白的性质及其构象,采用荧光定量RT PCR技术分析其表达量与幼苗生长阶段、冷诱导处理以及外源ABA处理间的关系,通过转化拟南芥研究过表达该基因对植物幼苗低温耐受性的影响。结果表明：（1）LaNHR2B基因全长1 035 bp,编码344个氨基酸,蛋白质分子质量为85 791.16 kD,理论等电点为5.06,分子式为C₃₁₂₉H₅₂₂₅N₁₀₃₅O₁₃₀₇S₂₃₅;其蛋白主要由丙氨酸、苏氨酸、甘氨酸及半胱氨酸组成,具有3个跨膜结构,功能未知;在十字花科植物中保守性强,其他科的植物中未见同源基因。（2）LaNHR2B受4 ℃低温诱导显著上调表达,但随幼苗生长受低温诱导上调表达有所降低,与幼苗随发育耐受低温能力下降变化一致。（3）外源ABA可诱导LaNHR2B表达上调;过表达拟南芥幼苗低温耐受性明显增强。该研究初步证明,LaNHR2B表达量与独行菜幼苗耐受低温密切相关,可能是独行菜幼苗经过冷驯化后能够增强植株抗寒能力的功能性基因。这为进一步开发利用该基因进行油菜等作物抗寒育种提供理论依据。     

RNA沉默手段分析烟草悬浮细胞中线粒体分裂蛋白NtFIS1A/1B功能

为了解烟草悬浮细胞中的线粒体分裂蛋白的功能,将拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)的线粒体分裂复合体成员FIS1A和FIS1B在烟草(Nicotiana tabacum)表达序列数据库中进行序列比对,鉴定到烟草中的同源基因NtFIS1A 和NtFIS1B (NtFIS1A/1B).以烟草悬浮细胞为材料,通过RNA 干扰和人工microRNA 干扰技术抑制NtFIS1A/1B 的表达, RT-PCR 分析结果表明,RNA 沉默细胞系中NtFIS1A/1B 的转录受到抑制.观察RNA 沉默细胞系中的线粒体形态可见,当NtFIS1A/1B 的表达被抑制后,单个线粒体的平均面积显著增加.这些表明NtFIS1A/1B 参与了烟草悬浮细胞中线粒体分裂的调控,有助于了解烟草中线粒体的形态调控.     

忽地笑LaSUVH1基因克隆与功能分析

为了深入探究忽地笑(Lycoris aurea)组蛋白赖氨酸甲基转移酶(histone lysine methyltransferase, HKMT)基因的功能,该研究根据前期转录组测序结果,采用RT PCR方法克隆得到一个组蛋白赖氨酸甲基转移酶基因LaSUVH1。序列分结果表明, LaSUVH1基因的编码区(coding sequences, CDs)序列长2 007 bp,编码668个氨基酸残基;LaSUVH1蛋白不具有信号肽结构,无跨膜结构,为亲水性蛋白,含有SET、YDG/SRA、Pre SET和Post SET结构域;序列比对和系统进化树分析发现,LaSUVH1与芦笋AoSUVH1 like蛋白亲缘关系最近。实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,LaSUVH1基因在忽地笑不同组织部位均有表达,且在叶中表达量最高。经潮霉素筛选成功获得3个反义过表达LaSUVH1的转基因拟南芥株系。进一步功能分析发现,反义过表达LaSUVH1促进了拟南芥幼苗侧根的发生,降低了拟南芥对NaCl的耐受性,增加了拟南芥种子萌发对脱落酸(ABA)的敏感性,表明LaSUVH1基因响应盐胁迫应答可能依赖ABA信号通路。     

海岛棉GbHCT13基因的功能验证

该研究利用海岛棉‘新海21’和陆地棉ND203以及模式植物拟南芥,通过转基因及荧光定量检测等方法探究海岛棉GbHCT13基因(GenBank 登录号MW048849)在纤维发育中的功能。结果显示：(1)成功构建重组载体pCAMBIA3301 GbHCT13,经农杆菌介导法转化、除草剂抗性基因筛选、荧光定量检测方法鉴定获得转GbHCT13基因拟南芥T₃代植株4株;qRT PCR检测表明,转基因植株中GbHCT13基因表达量较野生型极显著增加。(2)转基因拟南芥过表达GbHCT13基因使植株同一时期的生长较野生型旺盛,株形、叶片数、抽薹数和茎秆表皮毛数量均与野生型存在差异;组织化学分析发现,转GbHCT13基因的拟南芥较野生型茎秆初生木质部生长活跃,导管增粗,次生木质部导管细胞壁横截面积变大,但髓质细胞无明显变化;过表达GbHCT13使拟南芥中木质素合成途径基因发生不同程度改变,其中CAD、CCoAOMT、PAL和4CL与GbHCT13基因的表达呈正相关。(3)经大田筛选、分子鉴定,成功获得转GbHCT13基因棉花植株3株;转GbHCT13基因棉花的棉纤维伸长率增加,纤维强度增大;沉默GbHCT13基因使棉花植株木质素含量降低,茎秆表皮毛数量减少,木质部导管细胞数量减少,导管细胞壁中木质素沉积量降低,而棉株并未发生株高上的明显矮化现象,且木质素合成通路中的CAD、CCoAOMT、CCR、PAL 4个基因的表达均呈降低趋势,说明抑制GbHCT13使得棉花生长代谢受阻,影响纤维发育起始。研究表明,GbHCT13基因能影响棉花植株中木质素合成从而调控纤维的生长发育,其功能与GbHCT13基因在模式植物拟南芥中的基本一致。     

基于光合参数探讨四种藓类作水族箱植物的应用潜力

水生藓类植物适宜作为水簇箱植物,许多半水生藓类植物同样能够生长于水体环境中。中国东部地区的水生藓类植物种类不多,陆生藓类植物能否应用于水族箱中?为了回答这一问题,需要阐明陆生藓类植物对水体环境的适应能力。该研究测定了匐枝青藓(Brachythecium procumbens),弯叶灰藓(Hypnum hamulosum)、 白发藓(Leucobryum glaucum)和虎尾藓(Hedwigia ciliata)在与它们的自然生境相似条件下以及沉水环境下的光合参数,并应用直角双曲线模型拟合了它们的光-光合响应曲线。结果表明:这四种藓类植物在最大净光合速率(Pn)、光饱和点(LSP)和光补偿点(LCP)上存在很大差异。它们的最大净光合速率、光饱和点和光补偿点的变异范围分别为122.575～19.099 μmol CO₂·kg^-1 DW·s^-1、1 166.00～670.030 μmol·m^-2·s^-1和85.000～5.3 μmol·m^-2·s^-1。在沉水环境中生长30 d后,匐枝青藓、弯叶灰藓和白发藓的最大净光合速率分别是对照的110.78%、80.84%和109.63%,说明在实验周期里这三种藓类植物能够在水体环境中生存,而虎尾藓在水体中浸泡20 d后,其最大净光合速率仅为对照的5.25%,反映出该种植物并不适应水体环境。综上可知,四种藓类植物的光合速率与其形态结构和原生境条件有很大的关系,虽然匐枝青藓、弯叶灰藓和白发藓主要分布于陆生环境,但作为水族箱植物也具有一定的应用潜力。     

草菇热激蛋白60基因(Vvhsp60)生物信息学分析及低温下的表达

【背景】生物受到温度胁迫时,热激蛋白被诱导并在短时间内大量产生,可以使受损的蛋白质恢复正常构象,增强生物对逆境胁迫的耐受性。【目的】初步探究草菇热激蛋白60(Vvhsp60)与低温耐受性的关系,为深入开展草菇不耐低温特性的遗传改良奠定理论基础。【方法】对Vvhsp60进行生物信息学分析,以低温敏感型草菇菌株V23及耐低温菌株VH3为实验材料,利用实时荧光定量PCR技术分析低温胁迫及热激诱导后在低温下草菇菌丝体中Vvhsp60基因的表达水平。【结果】草菇Vvhsp60编码蛋白不存在信号肽,不属于分泌蛋白,在线粒体和细胞质内发挥生物学作用,属于双向跨膜蛋白。低温处理显著提高了V23与VH3菌丝体中Vvhsp60基因的表达量,而且VH3中的表达量显著高于V23,推测Vvhsp60基因的表达量高可能有助于增强草菇对低温胁迫的耐受性。经热激处理后两菌株Vvhsp60基因的表达量显著高于各自未热激处理的对照组,表明热激处理可诱导Vvhsp60基因的表达。【结论】Vvhsp60与草菇低温耐受性相关,并且热激可以诱导Vvhsp60基因的表达。     

中间锦鸡儿CiPUB22基因克隆与功能分析

中间锦鸡儿(Caragana intermedia)耐旱、耐寒、耐盐碱,是西北干旱地区的重要固沙灌木,筛选其优良抗逆境基因,可以作为林草基因工程的基因源。该研究在中间锦鸡儿干旱胁迫转录组文库中找到1条CiPUB22 (plant U box 22)基因的cDNA全长序列,CiPUB22基因包括1 260 bp开放阅读框,编码419个氨基酸。实时荧光定量PCR结果表明,在脱水、盐和ABA处理1 h后CiPUB22基因表达量上升并达到最高水平,分别为对照表达量的12倍、35倍和7倍,干旱处理后12 d达到最高值,为对照的2.5倍,表明CiPUB22的转录水平受非生物胁迫诱导。构建CiPUB22基因的过表达载体并转化野生型拟南芥,对转基因纯合体株系抗逆性分析发现,在150 mmol/L NaCl、1 μmol/L ABA和400 mmol/L甘露醇处理下,过表达株系的萌发率均低于野生型,说明过表达CiPUB22基因降低了拟南芥在种子萌发过程中对盐和渗透胁迫的耐受性。     

蒺藜苜蓿MtbHLH148转录因子的克隆与转化及其功能分析

bHLH(Basic helix loop helix, bHLH)转录因子家族是植物最大的转录因子家族之一,广泛参与植物生长发育和盐胁迫应答机制。该研究利用同源克隆的方法克隆蒺藜苜蓿(Medicago truncatula)的MtbHLH148基因,采用qRT PCR方法分析MtbHLH148基因在蒺藜苜蓿中的表达特性,构建超表达载体并通过农杆菌侵染法转化拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana),对转基因拟南芥的耐盐性相关功能进行分析研究。结果显示：(1)从蒺藜苜蓿中获得MtbHLH148基因,该基因cDNA全长1 343 bp,包含开放阅读框为603 bp,编码 201 个氨基酸,蛋白分子量22.7 kD,等电点为11.76;蛋白结构分析显示,该蛋白无跨膜结构域,无信号肽,为亲水性蛋白;含有精氨酸／赖氨酸残基的保守结构域和典型的bHLH结构域;二级结构以α 螺旋和无规则卷曲为主。(2)亚细胞定位表明,MtbHLH148蛋白定位在细胞核。(3)进化树分析表明,MtbHLH148与大豆(Glycine max)的亲缘性最近;启动子分析发现,该基因启动子区域含有光响应元件、MYB结合位点以及ABA应答元件ABRE,可能参与非生物胁迫。(4)qRT PCR分析发现,MtbHLH148基因在蒺藜苜蓿的茎中表达量最高,叶中表达量最低,且MtbHLH148基因受ABA(100 μmol/L)诱导并在盐胁迫(200 mmol/L NaCl)处理8 h内表达量上调,而在低温(4 ℃)处理时表达量明显下调。(5)成功构建超表达载体pCAMBIA3301 MtbHLH148并转化拟南芥获得16个抗性株系,经鉴定有12个过表达株系,其中表达量最高的转基因株系为OE8;对OE8株系耐盐性功能分析发现,转基因拟南芥植株的发芽率明显高于野生型,盐胁迫下转基因拟南芥的根长是野生型的1.5倍,表明其耐盐性得到了增强。研究表明,MtbHLH148基因可能在盐胁迫调节机制中具有一定的调控作用。     

Fine mapping in tomato using microsynteny with the Arabidopsis genome: the Diageotropica (Dgt) locus

Background  

The Arabidopsis thaliana genome sequence provides a catalog of reference genes applicable to comparative microsynteny analysis of other species, facilitating map-based cloning in economically important crops. We have applied such an analysis to the tomato expressed sequence tag (EST) database to expedite high-resolution mapping of the Diageotropica (Dgt) gene within the distal end of chromosome 1 in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum).     

Role of the Rice BAHD Acyltransferase Gene OsAt10 in Plant Cold Stress Tolerance

The rice (Oryza sativa L.) BAHD acyltransferase gene OsAt10 affects growth and metabolism of cells and regulates cell response to environmental stress. However, influence of the OsAt10 gene on low-temperature stress tolerance has not been evaluated in plant cells. Here, cell suspension cultures of plant species Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), white pine (Pinus strobus L.), and rice (Oryza sativa L.) were used to generate transgenic cell lines via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation to examine the effects of OsAt10 on cold stress tolerance. OsAt10 transgenic cell lines of A. thaliana, G. hirsutum, P. strobus, and O. sativa were confirmed by molecular analyses including Southern blotting ND northern blotting, following by physiological and biochemical analyses under cold stress. The experimental results demonstrated that growth rate, cell viability, lipid peroxidation, ion leakage, antioxidative enzyme activity, polyamines level, and cell morphology were changed in transgenic cells under cold stress, compared to the controls. In transgenic A. thaliana cells, overexpression of the OsAt10 gene increases expression of polyamines biosynthesis genes under cold stress. In transgenic A. thaliana plants, overexpression of the OsAt10 gene increased cold stress tolerance by regulating expression of stress marker genes, TBARS content, ion leakage level, antioxidant enzymes activity, and polyamines content, indicating that the OsAt10 gene could be economically important for improving low-temperature stress tolerance in plants.

     

The Pseudomonas syringae type III effector HopG1 targets mitochondria,alters plant development and suppresses plant innate immunity

The bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae uses a type III protein secretion system to inject type III effectors into plant cells. Primary targets of these effectors appear to be effector‐triggered immunity (ETI) and pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered immunity (PTI). The type III effector HopG1 is a suppressor of ETI that is broadly conserved in bacterial plant pathogens. Here we show that HopG1 from P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 also suppresses PTI. Interestingly, HopG1 localizes to plant mitochondria, suggesting that its suppression of innate immunity may be linked to a perturbation of mitochondrial function. While HopG1 possesses no obvious mitochondrial signal peptide, its N‐terminal two‐thirds was sufficient for mitochondrial localization. A HopG1–GFP fusion lacking HopG1's N‐terminal 13 amino acids was not localized to the mitochondria reflecting the importance of the N‐terminus for targeting. Constitutive expression of HopG1 in Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) dramatically alters plant development resulting in dwarfism, increased branching and infertility. Constitutive expression of HopG1 in planta leads to reduced respiration rates and an increased basal level of reactive oxygen species. These findings suggest that HopG1's target is mitochondrial and that effector/target interaction promotes disease by disrupting mitochondrial functions.     

Origin and evolution of genes related to ABA metabolism and its signaling pathways

Since plants cannot move to avoid stress, they have sophisticated acclimation mechanisms against a variety of abiotic stresses. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays essential roles in abiotic stress tolerances in land plants. Therefore, it is interesting to address the evolutionary origins of ABA metabolism and its signaling pathways in land plants. Here, we focused on 48 ABA-related Arabidopsis thaliana genes with 11 protein functions, and generated 11 orthologous clusters of ABA-related genes from A. thaliana, Arabidopsis lyrata, Populus trichocarpa, Oryza sativa, Selaginella moellendorffii, and Physcomitrella patens. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that the common ancestor of these six species possessed most of the key protein functions of ABA-related genes. In two species (A. thaliana and O. sativa), duplicate genes related to ABA signaling pathways contribute to the expression variation in different organs or stress responses. In particular, there is significant expansion of gene families related to ABA in evolutionary periods associated with morphological divergence. Taken together, these results suggest that expansion of the gene families related to ABA signaling pathways may have contributed to the sophisticated stress tolerance mechanisms of higher land plants.     

天山雪莲LEA14基因克隆及功能分析

从天山雪莲叶片低温诱导的EST文库中获得了1个胚胎发育晚期丰富蛋白基因(LEA)cDNA全长序列。序列分析表明,该基因含有1个468bp编码155个氨基酸的开放阅读框。NCBI保守域预测此蛋白属于LEA_2家族,命名为SiLEA14。系统进化分析表明,该蛋白与北柴胡的LEA-2蛋白亲缘关系最近。荧光定量PCR结果显示,SiLEA14表达量在低温、盐和干旱胁迫条件下迅速升高。亚细胞定位结果表明,SiLEA14蛋白定位于细胞核中。利用农杆菌介导法将该基因导入烟草,测定并分析转基因植株在冷冻和盐胁迫处理下的生理指标,结果表明,SiLEA14基因在烟草中的过量表达提高了烟草的抗冻和耐盐能力。     

Intracellular colonization of roots of Arabidopsis and crop plants by Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus

Summary We have investigated the interaction of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, a non-nodulating endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the intercellular spaces of sugarcane, with Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop plants maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oilseed rape (Brassica napus), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), and white clover (Trifolium repens). Using seedlings grown aseptically in sucrose-containing culture media, we have shown that inoculation with very low numbers of G. diazotrophicus results in extensive intracellular colonization of root meristems and progressive systemic intracellular root colonization. Light microscopic examination of thin sections of resin-embedded root tips of Arabidopsis and these crop plants inoculated with β-glucuronidase (GUS)-labeled and with NifH promoter-GUS-labeled G. diazotrophicus showed blue-stained G. diazotrophicus within the cytoplasm of root cells, indicating that intracellular conditions were suitable for nitrogenase gene expression. Electron microscopy confirmed that these bluestained intracellular G. diazotrophicus were within membrane-bounded vesicles. We discuss whether these novel inoculations with G. diazotrophicus are likely to enable non-nodular endosymbiotic nitrogen fixation and whether these inoculations can also provide a plant system to investigate the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of eukaryotic organelles.     

Altered expression of the<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Arabidopsis</Emphasis> ortholog of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> DCL</Emphasis> affects normal plant development

The DCL (defective chloroplasts and leaves) gene of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is required for chloroplast development, palisade cell morphogenesis, and embryogenesis. Previous work suggested that DCL protein is involved in 4.5S rRNA processing. The Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. genome contains five sequences encoding for DCL-related proteins. In this paper, we investigate the function of AtDCL protein, which shows the highest amino acid sequence similarity with tomato DCL. AtDCL mRNA was expressed in all tissues examined and a fusion between AtDCL and green fluorescent protein (GFP) was sufficient to target GFP to plastids in vivo, consistent with the localization of AtDCL to chloroplasts. In an effort to clarify the function of AtDCL, transgenic plants with altered expression of this gene were constructed. Deregulation of AtDCL gene expression caused multiple phenotypes such as chlorosis, sterile flowers and abnormal cotyledon development, suggesting that this gene is required in different organs. The processing of the 4.5S rRNA was significantly altered in these transgenic plants, indicating that AtDCL is involved in plastid rRNA maturation. These results suggest that AtDCL is the Arabidopsis ortholog of tomato DCL, and indicate that plastid function is required for normal plant development.Abbreviations DCL Defective chloroplasts and leaves - GFP Green fluorescent protein     

Subcellular Distribution of NAD+ between Cytosol and Mitochondria Determines the Metabolic Profile of Human Cells

The mitochondrial NAD pool is particularly important for the maintenance of vital cellular functions. Although at least in some fungi and plants, mitochondrial NAD is imported from the cytosol by carrier proteins, in mammals, the mechanism of how this organellar pool is generated has remained obscure. A transporter mediating NAD import into mammalian mitochondria has not been identified. In contrast, human recombinant NMNAT3 localizes to the mitochondrial matrix and is able to catalyze NAD⁺ biosynthesis in vitro. However, whether the endogenous NMNAT3 protein is functionally effective at generating NAD⁺ in mitochondria of intact human cells still remains to be demonstrated. To modulate mitochondrial NAD⁺ content, we have expressed plant and yeast mitochondrial NAD⁺ carriers in human cells and observed a profound increase in mitochondrial NAD⁺. None of the closest human homologs of these carriers had any detectable effect on mitochondrial NAD⁺ content. Surprisingly, constitutive redistribution of NAD⁺ from the cytosol to the mitochondria by stable expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana mitochondrial NAD⁺ transporter NDT2 in HEK293 cells resulted in dramatic growth retardation and a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis, despite the elevated mitochondrial NAD⁺ levels. These results suggest that a mitochondrial NAD⁺ transporter, similar to the known one from A. thaliana, is likely absent and could even be harmful in human cells. We provide further support for the alternative possibility, namely intramitochondrial NAD⁺ synthesis, by demonstrating the presence of endogenous NMNAT3 in the mitochondria of human cells.     

A geminivirus-induced gene silencing system for gene function validation in cassava

We have constructed an African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) based gene-silencing vector as a reverse genetics tool for gene function analysis in cassava. The vector carrying a fragment from the Nicotiana tabacumsulfur gene (su), encoding one unit of the chloroplast enzyme magnesium chelatase, was used to induce the silencing of the cassava orthologous gene resulting in yellow–white spots characteristic of the inhibition of su expression. This result suggests that well developed sequence databases from model plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana benthamiana, N. tabacum, Lycopersicon esculentum and others could be used as a major source of information and sequences for functional genomics in cassava. Furthermore, a fragment of the cassava CYP79D2endogenous gene, sharing 89% homology with CYP79D1endogenous gene was inserted into the ACMV vector. The resultant vector was inducing the down regulation of the expression of these two genes which catalyze the first-dedicated step in the synthesis of linamarin, the major cyanogenic glycoside in cassava. At 21 days post-inoculation (dpi), a 76% reduction of linamarin content was observed in silenced leaves. Using transgenic plants expressing antisense RNA of CYP79D1and CYP79D2, Siritunga and Sayre (2003) obtained several lines with a reduction level varying from 60% to 94%. This result provides the first example of direct comparison of the efficiency of a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system and the transgenic approach for suppression of a biosynthetic pathway. The ACMV VIGS system will certainly be a complement and in some cases an alternative to the transgenic approach, for gene discovery and gene function analysis in cassava.