Evidence that barley 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a reductase kinase is a member of the sucrose nonfermenting-1-related protein kinase family.

A protein kinase was partially purified from barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Sundance) endosperm by ammonium sulfate fractionation, followed by ion-exchange, Reactive Blue, Mono-Q, and phosphocellulose chromatography. It was shown to phosphorylate Arabidopsis 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and a synthetic peptide that was shown previously to act as a substrate for HMG-CoA reductase kinase purified from cauliflower, confirming it to be barley HMG-CoA reductase kinase. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the partially purified preparation showed the presence of a polypeptide with an approximate relative molecular weight (M(r)) of 60,000, which is the size predicted for the barley sucrose nonfermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinases BKIN2 and BKIN12. Antisera were raised to a rye (Secale cereale L.) SNF1-related protein kinase (RKIN1) expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion with maltose-binding protein and to a synthetic peptide with a sequence that is conserved in, and specific to, plant members of the SNF1-related protein kinase family. The maltose-binding protein-RKIN1 fusion protein antiserum recognized a doublet of polypeptides with an approximate M(r), of 60,000 in crude endosperm extracts and a single polypeptide in root extracts, which co-migrated with the smaller polypeptide in the endosperm doublet. Both antisera recognized a polypeptide with an approximate M(r) of 60,000 in the partially purified protein kinase preparation, suggesting strongly that barley HMG-CoA reductase kinase is a member of the SNF1-related protein kinase family.

Temporal and tissue-specific regulation of a Brassica napus stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase gene.

The nucleotide sequence of a Brassica napus stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase gene (Bn10) is presented. This gene is one member of a family of four closely related genes expressed in oilseed rape. The expression of the promoter of this gene in transgenic tobacco was found to be temporally regulated in the developing seed tissues. However, the promoter was also particularly active in other oleogenic tissues such as the tapetum and pollen grains. This raises the interesting question of whether seed-expressed lipid synthesis genes are regulated by separate tissue-specific determinants or by a single factor common to all oleogenic tissues. Parts of the plants undergoing rapid development such as the components of immature flowers and seedlings also exhibited high levels of promoter activity. These tissues are likely to have an elevated requirement for membrane lipid synthesis. Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase transcript levels have previously been shown to be temporally regulated in the B. napus embryo (S.P. Slocombe, I. Cummins, R.P. Jarvis, D.J. Murphy [1992] Plant Mol Biol 20: 151-155). Evidence is presented demonstrating the induction of desaturase mRNA by abscisic acid in the embryo.

Nucleotide sequence and temporal regulation of a seed-specific Brassica napus cDNA encoding a stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) desaturase.

The nucleotide sequence is reported for a cDNA containing the entire coding region of a stearoyl-ACP desaturase (EC 1.14.99.6) from Brassica napus L. cv. Jet neuf. The cDNA was obtained from a library constructed from poly(A)+ RNA purified from embryo tissue. The derived amino acid sequence demonstrates substantial similarity with those from other plant delta 9-desaturases. Comparative RNA-dot blot analyses using the delta 9-desaturase cDNA and a rapeseed oleosin cDNA as probes showed that although both these transcripts were seed-specific, they exhibited distinct patterns of temporal regulation. The desaturase message was induced by 25 days after anthesis (DAA), peaking at 45 DAA but decreasing considerably thereafter. In contrast, the oleosin transcript did not increase until 45-50 DAA, reaching a peak much later at about 70 DAA.

Cloning and characterisation of an oleosin gene from Brassica napus.

The sequence of an oleosin gene from Brassica napus has been determined. This gene contains a single intron of 437 bp and encodes a polypeptide of 195 amino acids. The oleosin gene product has an estimated molecular mass of 21.5 kDa and consists of a highly hydrophobic central domain flanked by relatively polar N- and C-terminal domains. The central domain is highly conserved between all oleosins sequenced to date and contains a run of periodically spaced leucine residues similar to that of a leucine-zipper motif. The gene has been shown to be expressed specifically in the embryo, maximally between 9 and 11 weeks after flowering, i.e. during the seed desiccation stage. Two transcriptional start sites have been mapped to -70 and -21 of the ATG and a putative ABA-responsive element and three repeated motifs have been identified in the promoter. These short promoter sequences could correspond to regulatory elements responsible for embryo-specific gene expression. Up to six genes exist in the oleosin gene family.

A microtiter plate-based assay for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase.

A sensitive, quantitative assay for phosphenolpyruvate carboxylase which utilizes microtiter plates is described. The assay depends upon the production of a colored compound in the reaction between oxaloacetate, the product of the phosphoenolpyruvate reaction, and the dye Fast Violet B. The method is particularly appropriate for monitoring chromatographic eluates and its utility for this purpose is demonstrated by the detection of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in fractions of crude maize extract separated by size-exclusion chromatography.