title: The beta-tubulin gene family of Arabidopsis thaliana: preferential accumulation of the beta 1 transcript in roots.
abstract: The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. was shown to contain a beta-tubulin gene family consisting of at least seven distinct genes and/or pseudogenes. Genomic clones of five different beta-tubulin genes and/or pseudogenes have been isolated and partially characterized. The complete nucleotide sequence of one A. thaliana beta-tubulin gene, designated beta 1, has been determined. A comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the A. thaliana beta 1-tubulin with the predicted sequences of beta-tubulins of animals and protists indicated that this plant beta-tubulin shows a high degree of homology with other beta-tubulins. However, the beta 1-tubulin contains a novel single amino acid insertion at position 41. The A. thaliana beta 1-tubulin gene is transcribed, as shown by RNA blot hybridization and S1 nuclease analyses. A 3'-noncoding gene-specific probe was used to examine the expression of the beta 1-tubulin gene in leaves, roots, and flowers by blot hybridization analyses of total RNA isolated from these tissues. The results showed that the transcript of the beta 1 gene accumulates predominantly in roots, with low levels of transcript in flowers, and barely detectable levels of transcript in leaves. A second genomic clone was shown to contain two essentially identical beta-tubulin coding sequences in direct tandem orientation and separated by 1 kb.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Oppenheimer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Silflow
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Snustad
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005796:Genes; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011544:Pseudogenes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014404:Tubulin