Inactivation of a glycyl-tRNA synthetase leads to an arrest in plant embryo development.
Embryo formation is the first patterning process during vegetative plant growth. Using transposons as insertional mutagens in Arabidopsis, we identified the mutant edd1 that shows embryo-defective development. The insertion mutation is lethal, arresting embryo growth between the globular and heart stages of embryonic development. The mutant phenotype cosegregates with a transposed Dissociation element. Sequences flanking the transposed element were isolated and used to isolate a full-length cDNA clone representing the wild-type EDD1 gene. Complementation of the mutant through Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer of an EDD1 wild-type copy as well as loss of the transposon concomitant with phenotypic reversion demonstrated that the transposon had caused the mutation. Based on homology to Escherichia coli, the EDD1 gene is predicted to encode a novel glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) that has not been identified previously in higher plants. An N-terminal portion of the plant protein is able to direct a marker protein into pea chloroplasts. Thus, the gene identified by the embryo-defective insertion mutation encodes a GlyRS homolog, probably acting within the plastidic compartment.
Institut für Genbiologische Forschung, Ihnestrasse 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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Willmitzer
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Altmann
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D018744:DNA, Plant; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006032:Glycine-tRNA Ligase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018744:DNA, Plant; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; C114546:edd1 protein, Arabidopsis; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases; D006032:Glycine-tRNA Ligase