title: Sequence analysis of the cloned glossy8 gene of maize suggests that it may code for a beta-ketoacyl reductase required for the biosynthesis of cuticular waxes.
abstract: The gl8 locus of maize (Zea mays L.) was previously defined by a mutation that reduces the amount and alters the composition of seedling cuticular waxes. Sixty independently derived gl8 mutant alleles were isolated from stocks that carried the Mutator transposon system. A DNA fragment that contains a Mu8 transposon and that co-segregates with one of these alleles, gl8-Mu3142, was identified and cloned. DNA flanking the Mu8 transposon was shown via allelic cross-referencing experiments to represent the gl8 locus. The gl8 probe revealed a 1.4-kb transcript present in wild-type seedling leaves and, in lesser amounts, in other organs and at other developmental stages. The amino acid sequence deduced from an apparently full-length gl8 cDNA exhibits highly significant sequence similarity to a group of enzymes from plants, eubacteria, and mammals that catalyzes the reduction of ketones. This finding suggests that the GL8 protein probably functions as a reductase during fatty acid elongation in the cuticular wax biosynthetic pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delledonne
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Nikolau
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Schnable
mesh_terms: D064431:3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Reductase; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D015723:Gene Library; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005819:Genetic Markers; D001467:Hordeum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019697:Onions / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014885:Waxes / Q000378:metabolism*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005819:Genetic Markers; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014885:Waxes; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C108981:glossy8 protein, Zea mays; D064431:3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Reductase