title: Characterization of a pollen-specific cDNA from sunflower encoding a zinc finger protein.
abstract: We have isolated, via differential hybridization screening of a floral cDNA library from sunflower, a cDNA clone that hybridizes to a 1100 nucleotide-long mRNA found exclusively in mature pollen grains. The cDNA encodes a 219 amino acid-long polypeptide containing two potential zinc fingers alternating with two basic domains. A similar organization is found in the erythroid-specific transcription factor Eryf1 from chicken and its murine homolog GF-1. The C-terminus of the protein contains a sixfold repeat of the pentapeptide sequence (S,T,A)(E,D)TQN. These features suggest that the SF3 protein is a transcription factor required for the expression of late pollen genes. The SF3 gene is a member of a multicopy gene family. A genomic copy of the gene has been isolated and sequenced; it is split by four short, AT-rich introns.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baltz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domon
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Pillay
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steinmetz
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D006368:Helianthus / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011058:Pollen; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D010940:Plant Proteins; C078844:SF3 protein, Helianthus annuus; D014157:Transcription Factors