title: The application of expression analysis in elucidating the eukaryotic elongation factor one alpha gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Eukaryotic elongation factor one alpha (eEF1A) encoding genes are part of the large GTP binding protein family. The eEF1A family is important for protein synthesis and actin filament and bundle formation. In this study, the expression of four eEF1A genes in Arabidopsis thaliana is reported. Microarray analyses of the gene family showed high expression levels in germinating seeds, embryos, and shoot and root meristems. Quantitative real time RT-PCR was used to determine individual eEF1A gene expression. Unlike animals, in Arabidopsis tissues all four eEF1A genes were expressed in all tissues sampled. However, the abundance of each transcript varied spatially. Knocking out expression of one eEF1A gene produced seedlings with stunted roots and a subsequent change in expression of the other three eEF1A genes. The varying abundance of each gene in different tissues may indicate different concentration requirements for each message product. These results will be very useful for elucidating the role of each gene in growth, development, and stress responses of the plant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5410, USA. w.ransom-hodgkins@wmich.edu
authors.forename: Wendy Danielle
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Ransom-Hodgkins
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009154:Mutation; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D020648:Peptide Elongation Factor 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018744:DNA, Plant; D020648:Peptide Elongation Factor 1