Higher plants contain homologs of the bacterial celA genes encoding the catalytic subunit of cellulose synthase.

In spite of much effort, no one has succeeded in isolating and characterizing the enzyme(s) responsible for synthesis of cellulose, the major cell wall polymer of plants. We have characterized two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cDNA clones and identified one rice (Oryza sativa) cDNA that are homologs of the bacterial celA genes that encode the catalytic subunit of cellulose synthase. Three regions in the deduced amino acid sequences of the plant celA gene products are conserved with respect to the proteins encoded by bacterial celA genes. Within these conserved regions, there are four highly conserved subdomains previously suggested to be critical for catalysis and/or binding of the substrate UDP-glucose (UDP-Glc). An overexpressed DNA segment of the cotton celA1 gene encodes a polypeptide fragment that spans these domains and binds UDP-Glc, while a similar fragment having one of these domains deleted does not. The plant celA genes show little homology at the N- and C-terminal regions and also contain two internal insertions of sequence, one conserved and one hypervariable, that are not found in the bacterial gene sequences. Cotton celA1 and celA2 genes are expressed at high levels during active secondary wall cellulose synthesis in developing cotton fibers. Genomic Southern blot analyses in cotton demonstrate that celA forms a small gene family.

Genes encoding small GTP-binding proteins analogous to mammalian rac are preferentially expressed in developing cotton fibers.

In animals, the small GTP-binding proteins, Rac and Rho, of the ras superfamily participate in the signal transduction pathway that regulates the organization of the actin cytoskeleton. We report here on the characterization of two distinct cDNA clones isolated from a cotton fiber cDNA library that code for homologs of animal Rac proteins. Using gene-specific probes, we have determined that amphidiploid cotton contains two genes that code for each of the two Rac proteins, designated Rac13 and Rac9, respectively. The gene for Rac13 shows highly enhanced expression in developing cotton fibers, with maximal expression occurring at the time of transition between primary and secondary wall synthesis. This is also the time at which reorganization of the cytoskeleton occurs, and thus the pattern of expression of Rac13 is consistent with its possible role, analogous to animal Rac, in the signal transduction pathway that controls cytoskeletal organization.

Simultaneous inhibition of two tomato fruit cell wall hydrolases, pectinmethylesterase and polygalacturonase, with antisense gene constructs.

The cloning and sequencing of two cDNAs representing pectinmethylesterase (PME) RNAs from tomato fruit is reported. The clones were used to construct chimeric antisense PME genes designed for high-level constitutive expression in plants. A full-length antisense PME gene construct, in conjunction with a chimeric antisense polygalacturonase gene, was introduced into tomato plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Simultaneous and significant reduction in the mRNA and protein levels of these normally highly abundant cell wall hydrolases of the pectin degradation pathway were observed in ripe fruit of transformants. Thus, antisense gene constructs in plants can be used to block multiple steps in metabolic pathways simultaneously.

Isolation and characterization of a fruit-specific cDNA and the corresponding genomic clone from tomato.

Differential screening of a cDNA bank constructed from ripe tomato fruit mRNA allowed the isolation of cDNA clone 2A11 which is entirely fruit-specific, is expressed at steadily increasing levels from anthesis to breaker, and accounts for approximately 1% of the messenger RNA in mature tomato fruit. A genomic clone corresponding to the 2A11 cDNA was isolated from a tomato genomic library. Sequence comparison of the cDNA clone with the genomic clone shows they are identical over the shared region with the genomic clone possessing a single large intron near the 5' end of the message. The open reading frame of 2A11 would encode a sulfur-rich polypeptide 96 amino acids in length. The identity of the putative protein is unknown. In situ hybridization shows that the 2A11 message is found throughout the pericarp cells in a tomato fruit. In contrast, in situ hybridization of early ripening stages with a polygalacturonase probe shows higher mRNA levels in cells of the outer pericarp and cells surrounding the vascular regions of the pericarp.

Isolation of DNA encoding sucrase genes from Streptococcus salivarius and partial characterization of the enzymes expressed in Escherichia coli.

Restriction enzyme fragments containing two sucrase genes have been isolated from a cosmid library of Streptococcus salivarius DNA. The genes were expressed in Escherichia coli cells, and the properties of both enzymes were studied in partially purified protein extracts from E. coli. One gene encoding an invertase-type sucrase was subcloned on a 2.4-kilobase-pair fragment. The sucrase enzyme had a Km for sucrose of 48 mM and a pH optimum of 6.5. The S. salivarius sucrase clone showed no detectable hybridization to a yeast invertase clone. Two overlapping subclones which had 1 kilobase pair of DNA in common were used to localize a fructosyltransferase gene. The fructosyltransferase had a Km of 93 mM and a pH optimum of 7.0. The product of the fructosyltransferase was a levan. A fructosyltransferase clone from Bacillus subtilis did not hybridize to S. salivarius DNA. The properties of the enzymes were compared with those of previously characterized sucrases.