title: A mutable albino allele in rice reveals that formation of thylakoid membranes requires the SNOW-WHITE LEAF1 gene.
abstract: Active DNA transposons are important tools for gene functional analysis. The endogenous non-autonomous transposon, nDart1-0, in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is expected to generate various transposon-insertion mutants because nDart1-0 elements tend to insert into genic regions under natural growth conditions. We have developed a specific method (nDart1-0-iPCR) for efficient detection of nDart1-0 insertions and successfully identified the SNOW-WHITE LEAF1 (SWL1) gene in a variegated albino (swl1-v) mutant obtained from the nDart1-promoted rice tagging line. The variegated albino phenotype was caused by insertion and excision of nDart1-0 in the 5'-untranslated region of the SWL1 gene predicted to encode an unknown protein with the N-terminal chloroplast transit peptide. SWL1 expression was detected in various rice tissues at different developmental stages. However, immunoblot analysis indicated that SWL1 protein accumulation was strictly regulated in a tissue-specific manner. In the swl1 mutant, formations of grana and stroma thylakoids and prolamellar bodies were inhibited. This study revealed that SWL1 is essential for the beginning of thylakoid membrane organization during chloroplast development. Furthermore, we provide a developmental perspective on the nDart1-promoted tagging line to characterize unidentified gene functions in rice.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, 444-8585 Japan.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi-Tsugane
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahara
authors.forename: Nisar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Himi
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsugane
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maekawa
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D021381:Protein Transport; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism; D020524:Thylakoids / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins
keywords: DNA transposon; Gene tagging; Oryza sativa; Plastid development; Variegated leaf; iPCR