Arabinose Kinase-Deficient Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana

A mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana that is sensitive to exogenous l-arabinose has been isolated. Comparisons of growth of the wild type, mutant, and F1 and F2 progeny of crosses showed the arabinose-sensitive phenotype is semidominant and segregates as a single Mendelian locus. Crosses of the mutant to marker strains showed the mutation is linked to the eceriferum-2 locus on chromosome 4. In vivo incorporation of exogenous labeled l-arabinose into ethanol-insoluble polysaccharides was greatly reduced in the mutant with a concomitant accumulation of free labeled arabinose. Enzyme assays of crude plant extracts demonstrated a defect in arabinose kinase activity in the mutant.