title: Molecular cloning of a novel fimbrin-like cDNA from Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Fimbrin is a 68-70 kDa actin-bundling protein in animal cells and lower eukaryotes that participates in diverse morphogenetic processes by cross-linking actin filaments into bundles. Here we report the cloning by degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of ATFIM1, a 2.3 kb cDNA from Arabidopsis thaliana that codes for a novel 76 kDa fimbrin-like polypeptide (AtFim1). The predicted sequence of AtFim1 shares ca. 40% identity with nonplant fimbrins and contains two tandem repeats, each possessing a 27 amino acid region identified as a putative actin-binding domain in fimbrins and in a larger family of actin cross-linking proteins. Preceding the tandem repeats at the amino terminus of AtFim1 is a single-EF-hand-like domain with moderate homology to calmodulin-like calcium-binding proteins. AtFim1 differs from non-plant fimbrins, however, in that it contains an extended carboxy-terminal tail of ca. 65 amino acids. ATFIM1 is encoded by a single gene, although sequencing of two partial fimbrin-like expressed sequence tag (EST) clones indicates that Arabidopsis contains at least two fimbrin-like proteins. Northern blot analysis and reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) demonstrated that ATFIM1 is expressed in all major organs examined (roots, leaves, stems, flowers and siliques). This is the first report of the cloning of a full length plant gene that encodes a putative actin filament-bundling protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: McCurdy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: C110898:ATFIM1 protein, Arabidopsis; D000199:Actins; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C026742:plastin