The cloning of two tomato lipoxygenase genes and their differential expression during fruit ripening.

A membrane-associated lipoxygenase from breaker-stage fruit of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was purified and partially sequenced. Using degenerate oligonucleotides corresponding to portions of this sequence, a cDNA was amplified by PCR and used to screen a breaker fruit cDNA library. Two clones, tomloxA and tomloxB, were isolated and one of these (tomloxA) corresponded to the isolated protein. Genomic clones were isolated and sequence data from these were used to obtain the 5' ends of the cDNAs. The 2.8-kb cDNAs encode proteins that are similar in size and sequence to each other and to other plant lipoxygenases. DNA blot analysis indicated that tomato contains three or more genes that encode lipoxygenase. RNA blot analysis showed that tomloxA is expressed in germinating seeds as well as in ripening fruit, where it reached its peak during breaker stage. tomloxB appears to be fruit specific and is at its highest level in ripe fruit.     

低温胁迫期间水稻光合膜色素与蛋白水平的变化

对４℃和１１℃两种低温胁迫过程中水稻类囊体膜色素与蛋白组成的变化进行了比较研究。结果表明：４℃低温不仅使类囊体膜中的光合色素（叶绿素、类胡萝卜素）含量降低,而且还引起膜蛋白组成的深刻变化,表现在大部分原有膜蛋白组分的含量在低温下明显降低,同时在低温处理的第３天诱导出一条３２．５ＫＤ的新蛋白带。与４℃处理相比,１１℃低温处理只引起了光合色素含量的降低,而对类囊体膜蛋白组成的影响不大,另外发现,两种低     

An ATP synthase harboring an atypical γ–subunit is involved in ATP synthesis in tomato fruit chromoplasts

Chromoplasts are non‐photosynthetic plastids specialized in the synthesis and accumulation of carotenoids. During fruit ripening, chloroplasts differentiate into photosynthetically inactive chromoplasts in a process characterized by the degradation of the thylakoid membranes, and by the active synthesis and accumulation of carotenoids. This transition renders chromoplasts unable to photochemically synthesize ATP, and therefore these organelles need to obtain the ATP required for anabolic processes through alternative sources. It is widely accepted that the ATP used for biosynthetic processes in non‐photosynthetic plastids is imported from the cytosol or is obtained through glycolysis. In this work, however, we show that isolated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit chromoplasts are able to synthesize ATP de novo through a respiratory pathway using NADPH as an electron donor. We also report the involvement of a plastidial ATP synthase harboring an atypical γ–subunit induced during ripening, which lacks the regulatory dithiol domain present in plant and algae chloroplast γ–subunits. Silencing of this atypical γ–subunit during fruit ripening impairs the capacity of isolated chromoplast to synthesize ATP de novo. We propose that the replacement of the γ–subunit present in tomato leaf and green fruit chloroplasts by the atypical γ–subunit lacking the dithiol domain during fruit ripening reflects evolutionary changes, which allow the operation of chromoplast ATP synthase under the particular physiological conditions found in this organelle.     

Isolation and characterisation of cDNA clones for tomato polygalacturonase and other ripening-related proteins

Summary Gene expression during the ripening of tomato fruit was investigated by cDNA cloning and hybrid-select translation. A cDNA library was prepared from poly(A)-containing mRNA from ripe tomato fruit and sreened by differential hybridization. 146 ripening-related cDNA clones were found. Eleven groups and eight unique clones have been identified so far. The sizes of the cloned cDNA inserts were determined and type-members for seven groups were used in hybrid selection experiments. Six of the seven clones encode translation products corresponding to six ripening related polypeptides detected previously by in vitro translation of total cytoplasmic RNA (14). One cDNA group codes for a M_r 48 000 protein that was identified as polygalacturonase on the basis of immunoprecipitation with specific antiserum raised against tomato polygalacturonase. re]19840918 rv]19850613 ac]19850618     

The nuclear-coded chloroplast 22-kDa heat-shock protein of Chlamydomonas. Evidence for translocation into the organelle without a processing step

A cDNA clone, pCHS62, was isolated using poly(A)-rich RNA from heat-shocked Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells. The clone has a length of 1.1 kb and codes for the complete heat-shock protein which was reported to be associated with the grana region of the thylakoid membranes and ascribes protection against photoinhibition during heat-shock. An expression vector prepared in the pUC19 plasmid was used to obtain a fusion protein against which rabbit polyclonal antibodies have been raised. The antibodies react specifically with the heat-shock protein of 22 kDa synthesized in vivo during heat-shock, which is localized in the grana thylakoids, with the in vitro translated product using poly(A)-rich RNA from heat-treated cells as well as with the hybrid release translation product of the pCHS62 clone. The clone was sequenced. It contains a 5' region consisting of 85 nucleotides, an open reading frame of 471 nucleotides and a non-coding 3' region of 600 nucleotides. Northern hybridization indicates a length of 1.7 kb for the messenger RNA of heat-shock protein 22. Analysis of similarity between the derived amino acid sequence of this protein and other heat-shock proteins demonstrates that this protein belongs to the small-molecular-mass plant heat-shock protein family and also shows similarities with animal heat-shock proteins including the presence of a short region possessing similarity with bovine alpha-crystalline as reported for other heat-shock proteins. The molecular mass of the protein as determined from the sequence is 16.8 kDa. Despite its localization in the chloroplast membranes, it does not seem to include a transit peptide sequence, in agreement with previous data. The sequence contains only a short hydrophobic region compatible with its previously reported localization as a thylakoid extrinsic protein.     

Chromoplast-Targeted Proteins in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Fruit

The chloroplast to chromoplast transition during tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit ripening is characterized by a dramatic change in plastid structure and function. We have asked whether this process is mediated by an increase in the steady-state level of RNA for plastid targeted proteins. Assays for import of radiolabeled translation products into isolated pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts were used to monitor levels of chromoplast-targeted proteins at four stages of tomato fruit development. We have found striking increases during development in levels of translatable RNA for two such proteins. Additionally, the import of in vitro translation products was examined for seven individual cDNA clones known to encode RNA that increase during fruit ripening. Three of these clones produced in vitro translation products that were imported into pea chloroplasts. This implies that there is synthesis and import of new proteins during the transition from chloroplast to chromoplast and that the plastid conversion is an active developmental program rather than a simple decline in synthesis of the photosynthetic apparatus. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the utility of this method for identification of structural genes involved in plastid morphogenesis.     

Molecular cloning of a ripening-specific lipoxygenase and its expression during wild-type and mutant tomato fruit development.

A 94-kD protein that accumulates predominately in tomato (Ly-copersicon esculentum) fruit during ripening was purified, and antibodies specific for the purified protein were used to isolate cDNA clones from a red-ripe fruit cDNA library. A sequence analysis of these cDNAs and cross-reactivity of the 94-kD-specific antibodies to the soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) L-1, L-2, and L-3 proteins and soybean LOX L-1-specific antibodies to the 94-kD protein identified it as a member of the LOX gene family. Maximum levels of the 94-kD LOX mRNA and protein are present in breaker to ripe and red-ripe stages, respectively. Expression of 94-kD LOX in different tissues from mature green and red-ripe tomato fruits was found to be greatest in the radial walls of ripe fruit, but immunocytolocalization using tissue printing suggests that the highest accumulation of its protein occurs in locular jelly. None of 94-kD LOX is expressed in nonripening mutant fruits of any age. Never-ripe mutant fruit accumulate the 94-kD LOX mRNA to levels similar to those obtained in wild-type fruit, but fail to accumulate the 94-kD LOX protein. Collectively, the results show that expression of 94-kD LOX is regulated by the ripening process, and ethylene may play a role in its protein accumulation.     

Peroxisomal thiolase mRNA is induced during mango fruit ripening

Fruit ripening is a complex, developmentally regulated process. A series of genes have been isolated from various ripening fruits encoding enzymes mainly involved in ethylene and cell wall metabolism. In order to aid our understanding of the molecular basis of this process in a tropical fruit, a cDNA library was prepared from ripe mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. Manila). By differential screening with RNA poly(A)⁺ from unripe and ripe mesocarp a number of cDNAs expressing only in ripe fruit have been isolated. This paper reports the characterization of one such cDNA (pTHMF 1) from M. indica which codes for a protein highly homologous to cucumber, rat and human peroxisomal thiolase (EC 2.3.1.16), the catalyst for the last step in the -oxidation pathway.The cDNA for the peroxisomal mango thiolase is 1305 bp in length and codes for a protein of 432 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 45 532 Da. Mango thiolase is highly homologous to cucumber thiolase (80%), the only other plant thiolase whose cloning has been reported, and to rat and human thiolases (55% and 55% respectively).It is shown by northern analysis that during fruit ripening THMF 1 is up-regulated. A similar pattern of expression was detected in tomato fruit. Wounding and pathogen infection do not appear to affect THMF 1 expression. The possible involvement of thiolase in fatty acid metabolism during fruit ripening will be discussed. To our knowledge this is the first report cloning of a plant gene involved in fatty acid metabolism showing an induction during fruit ripening.     

Biosynthetic cause of in vivo acquired thermotolerance of photosynthetic light reactions and metabolic responses of chloroplasts to heat stress

Thermotolerance of photosynthetic light reactions in vivo is correlated with a decrease in the ratio of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol to digalactosyl diacylglycerol and an increased incorporation into thylakoid membranes of saturated digalactosyl diacylglycerol species. Although electron transport remains virtually intact in thermotolerant chloroplasts, thylakoid protein phosphorylation is strongly inhibited. The opposite is shown for thermosensitive chloroplasts in vivo. Heat stress causes reversible and irreversible inactivation of chloroplast protein synthesis in heat-adapted and nonadapted plants, respectively, but doe not greatly affect formation of rapidly turned-over 32 kilodalton proteins of photosystem II. The formation on cytoplasmic ribosomes and import by chloroplasts of thylakoid and stroma proteins remain preserved, although decreased in rate, at supraoptimal temperatures. Thermotolerant chloroplasts accumulate heat shock proteins in the stroma among which 22 kilodalton polypeptides predominate. We suggest that interactions of heat shock proteins with the outer chloroplast envelope membrane might enhance formation of digalactosyl diacylglycerol species. Furthermore, a heat-induced recompartmentalization of the chloroplast matrix that ensures effective transport of ATP from thylakoid membranes towards those sites inside the chloroplast and the cytoplasm where photosynthetically indispensable components and heat shock proteins are being formed is proposed as a metabolic strategy of plant cells to survive and recover from heat stress.     

1-Deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase and plastid isoprenoid biosynthesis during tomato fruit ripening

The recently discovered 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for the biosynthesis of plastid isoprenoids (including carotenoids) is not fully elucidated yet despite its central importance for plant life. It is known, however, that the first reaction completely specific to the pathway is the conversion of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) into MEP by the enzyme DXP reductoisomerase (DXR). We have identified a tomato cDNA encoding a protein with homology to DXR and in vivo activity, and show that the levels of the corresponding DXR mRNA and encoded protein in fruit tissues are similar before and during the massive accumulation of carotenoids characteristic of fruit ripening. The results are consistent with a non-limiting role of DXR, and support previous work proposing DXP synthase (DXS) as the first regulatory enzyme for plastid isoprenoid biosynthesis in tomato fruit. Inhibition of DXR activity by fosmidomycin showed that plastid isoprenoid biosynthesis is required for tomato fruit carotenogenesis but not for other ripening processes. In addition, dormancy was reduced in seeds from fosmidomycin-treated fruit but not in seeds from the tomato yellow ripe mutant (defective in phytoene synthase-1, PSY1), suggesting that the isoform PSY2 might channel the production of carotenoids for abscisic acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, the complete arrest of tomato seedling development using fosmidomycin confirms a key role of the MEP pathway in plant development.     

Nucleotide sequence and expression of a ripening and water stress-related cDNA from tomato with homology to the MIP class of membrane channel proteins

The nucleotide sequence and derived amino acid sequence were determined for a full-length version of the tomato cDNA clone, pTOM75, the mRNA for which has previously been shown to accumulate in roots, ripening fruit and senescing leaves. Computer analysis of the predicted protein product, which we have named tomato ripening-associated membrane protein (TRAMP) indicates strong homology to known transmembrane channel proteins from other organisms. Northern analysis showed that this gene was induced by waterstress and that this induction was unaffected in an ABA-deficient genetic back-ground.     

Structure and expression of an ethylene-related mRNA from tomato.

Messenger RNAs homologous to a cDNA clone (pTOM 13) derived from a ripe-tomato-specific cDNA library are expressed during tomato fruit ripening and after the wounding of leaf and green fruit material. Both responses involve the synthesis of the hormone ethylene. Accumulation of the pTOM 13--homologous RNA during ripening is rapid and sustained, and reaches its maximum level in orange fruit. Following mechanical wounding of tomato leaves a pTOM 13--homologous RNA shows rapid induction within 30 minutes, which occurs before maximal ethylene evolution (2-3 h). This RNA also accumulates following the wounding of green tomato fruit. Northern blot analysis of poly(A)+ RNA indicates that the length of the mRNA is about 1400 nucleotides. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed the cDNA insert to contain the complete coding region of the pTOM 13 protein (33.5 kD) and an unusual 5' structure of ten dT-nucleotides. Hybridisation of the pTOM 13 cDNA insert to Southern blots of tomato DNA indicates the presence of only a small number of homologous sequences in the tomato genome.     

Identification of cDNA clones for tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mRNAs that accumulate during fruit ripening and leaf senescence in response to ethylene

Changes in gene expression during foliar senescence and fruit ripening in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were examined using in-vitro translation of isolated RNA and hybridization against cDNA clones.During the period of chlorophyll loss in leaves, changes occurred in mRNA in-vitro translation products, with some being reduced in prevalence, whilst others increased. Some of the translation products which changed in abundance had similar molecular weights to those known to increase during tomato fruit ripening. By testing RNA from senescing leaves against a tomato fruit ripening-related cDNA library, seven cDNA clones were identified for mRNAs whose prevalence increased during both ripening and leaf senescence. Using dot hybridization, the pattern of expression of the mRNAs corresponding to the seven clones was examined. Maximal expression of the majority of the mRNAs coincided with the time of greatest ethylene production, in both leaves and fruit. Treatment of mature green leaves or unripe fruit with the ethylene antagonist silver thiosulphate prevented the onset of senescence or ripening, and the expression of five of the seven ripening- and senescence-related genes.The results indicate that senescence and ripening in tomato involve the expression of related genes, and that ethylene may be an important factor in controlling their expression.Abbreviations cDNA copy-DNA - MW molecular weight - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - SDS sodium dodecyl sulphate     

Inhibiting expression of a tomato ripening-associated membrane protein increases organic acids and reduces sugar levels of fruit

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) ripening-associated membrane protein (TRAMP) is a channel protein of the membrane intrinsic protein (MIP) class encoded by the cDNA clone pNY507 [R.G. Fray et al. (1994) Plant Mol Biol 24: 539-543]. It has been suggested that these proteins encode water channels or aquaporins. TRAMP mRNA accumulated in all tomato tissues tested and was elevated in fruit during post-anthesis development and again during ripening. Transgenic plants that constitutively expressed a TRAMP antisense RNA sequence were generated with a 94% reduction of endogenous TRAMP mRNA in fruit. They showed no obvious phenotype that could be associated with gross perturbation of water relations, but ripening fruit of these plants showed marked alterations in the normal pattern of accumulation of both organic acids and sugars. At the onset and during ripening, levels of the organic acids L-malate and citrate were significantly elevated while levels of D[+]-glucose and D[+]-fructose were reduced. Additional transgenic lines were generated with reduced TRAMP mRNA, and the phenotype of increased acids and reduced sugars during fruit maturation and ripening was shown to be reproducible and stably inherited. Fruit of plants that over-expressed TRAMP mRNA showed no significant alteration in the sugars or acids investigated. These results suggest a role for TRAMP in the movement of solutes between cell compartments.