The Arabidopsis TFIID factor AtTAF6 controls pollen tube growth.
Initiation of transcription mediated by RNA polymerase II requires a number of transcription factors among which TFIID is the major core promoter recognition factor. TFIID is composed of highly conserved factors which include the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and about 14 TBP-associated factors (TAFs). Recently, the complete Arabidopsis TAF family has been identified. To obtain functional information about Arabidopsis TAFs, we analyzed a T-DNA insertion mutant for AtTAF6. Segregation analysis showed that plants homozygous for the mutant allele were never found, indicating that inhibition of the AtTAF6 function is lethal. Genetic experiments also revealed that the male gametophyte was affected by the attaf6 mutation since significant reduced transmission of the mutant allele through the male gametophyte was observed. Detailed histological and morphological analysis showed that the T-DNA insertion in AtTAF6 specifically affects pollen tube growth, indicating that the transcriptional regulation of only a specific subset of genes is controlled by this basal transcription factor.
Lago
Clara
C
Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Clerici
Elena
E
Dreni
Ludovico
L
Horlow
Christine
C
Caporali
Elisabetta
E
Colombo
Lucia
L
Kater
Martin M
MM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D011058:Pollen / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D035362:Transcription Factor TFIID / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D018744:DNA, Plant; C036483:T-DNA; D035362:Transcription Factor TFIID