title: Endogenous Arabidopsis messenger RNAs transported to distant tissues.
abstract: The concept that proteins and small RNAs can move to and function in distant body parts is well established. However, non-cell-autonomy of small RNA molecules raises the question: To what extent are protein-coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs) exchanged between tissues in plants? Here we report the comprehensive identification of 2,006 genes producing mobile RNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana. The analysis of variant ecotype transcripts that were present in heterografted plants allowed the identification of mRNAs moving between various organs under normal or nutrient-limiting conditions. Most of these mobile transcripts seem to follow the phloem-dependent allocation pathway transporting sugars from photosynthetic tissues to roots via the vasculature. Notably, a high number of transcripts also move in the opposite, root-to-shoot direction and are transported to specific tissues including flowers. Proteomic data on grafted plants indicate the presence of proteins from mobile RNAs, allowing the possibility that they may be translated at their destination site. The mobility of a high number of mRNAs suggests that a postulated tissue-specific gene expression profile might not be predictive for the actual plant body part in which a transcript exerts its function.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Thieme
authors.affiliation: Plant Biology Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73401, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rojas-Triana
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Ewelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stecyk
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schudoma
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Wenna
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miñambres
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walther
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart 70593, Germany.
authors.forename: Waltraud X
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paz-Ares
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.|Plant Biology Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73401, USA.
authors.forename: Wolf-Rüdiger
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Scheible
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kragler
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D060146:Ecotype; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018749:RNA, Plant