The protein encoded by oncogene 6b from Agrobacterium tumefaciens interacts with a nuclear protein of tobacco.
The 6b gene in the T-DNA from Agrobacterium has oncogenic activity in plant cells, inducing tumor formation, the phytohormone-independent division of cells, and alterations in leaf morphology. The product of the 6b gene appears to promote some aspects of the proliferation of plant cells, but the molecular mechanism of its action remains unknown. We report here that the 6b protein associates with a nuclear protein in tobacco that we have designated NtSIP1 (for Nicotiana tabacum 6b-interacting protein 1). NtSIP1 appears to be a transcription factor because its predicted amino acid sequence includes two regions that resemble a nuclear localization signal and a putative DNA binding motif, which is similar in terms of amino acid sequence to the triple helix motif of rice transcription factor GT-2. Expression in tobacco cells of a fusion protein composed of the DNA binding domain of the yeast GAL4 protein and the 6b protein activated the transcription of a reporter gene that was under the control of a chimeric promoter that included the GAL4 upstream activating sequence and the 35S minimal promoter of Cauliflower mosaic virus. Furthermore, nuclear localization of green fluorescent protein-fused 6b protein was enhanced by NtSIP1. A cluster of acidic residues in the 6b protein appeared to be essential for nuclear localization and for transactivation as well as for the hormone-independent growth of tobacco cells. Thus, it seems possible that the 6b protein might function in the proliferation of plant cells, at least in part, through an association with NtSIP1.
Kitakura
Saeko
S
Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
Fujita
Tomomichi
T
Ueno
Yoshihisa
Y
Terakura
Shinji
S
Wabiko
Hiroetsu
H
Machida
Yasunori
Y
D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids; D011485:Protein Binding; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C036483:T-DNA; D014157:Transcription Factors