title: Expression of plant protein phosphatase 2C interferes with nuclear import of the Agrobacterium T-complex protein VirD2.
abstract: Agrobacterium tumefaciens transfers DNA to plant cells as a single-stranded DNA molecule (the T-strand) covalently linked to VirD2 protein. VirD2 contains nuclear localization signal sequences that presumably help direct the T-strand to the plant nucleus. We identified a tomato cDNA clone, DIG3, that encodes a protein that interacts with the C-terminal region of VirD2. DIG3 encodes an enzymatically active type 2C serine/threonine protein phosphatase. Overexpression of DIG3 in tobacco BY-2 protoplasts inhibited nuclear import of a beta-glucuronidase-VirD2 nuclear localization signal fusion protein. Thus, DIG3 may be involved in nuclear import of the VirD2 protein and, consequently, the VirD2/transferred DNA complex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Praveen K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Saikat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhattacharjee
authors.forename: Stanton B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Gelvin
mesh_terms: D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology*; D000071636:Protein Phosphatase 2C
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D000071636:Protein Phosphatase 2C