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R Villarroel

Publications and source records attributed to R Villarroel.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Molecular characterization and regulation of the phosphoglycerate kinase gene from Trichoderma viride.

We have isolated the phosphoglycerate kinase gene (pgk) of Trichoderma viride and characterized its expression. Comparison of genomic and cDNA clones allowed the correct deduction of the intron boundaries and the 3'-end cleavage site of this gene. Primer extension analysis showed that transcription initiated at three start points between -296 and -298 bp upstream of the translational start codon. The promoter sequence contained a number of cis-acting sequences commonly found in eukaryotic promoters. The pgk transcript analysis of T. viride grown on defined carbon sources showed that neither rate nor growth phase greatly affects pgk expression. By contrast, when Trichoderma spp. were grown in the presence of cell walls of a phytopathogenic fungus as carbon source, pgk messenger levels dropped markedly. This suggests that pgk mRNA accumulation is specifically repressed in the simulated mycoparasitic state.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Cis-analysis of a seed protein gene promoter: the conservative RY repeat CATGCATG within the legumin box is essential for tissue-specific expression of a legumin gene.

A 2.4 kb fragment containing the 5'-flanking region and the 5'-noncoding sequence of the Vicia faba legumin gene LeB4 mediates high level seed-specific expression in transgenic tobacco plants. Deleted derivatives of this legumin upstream sequence were fused to the npt-II reporter gene to determine the tissue-specific activity of the chimeric constructs in stably transformed tobacco plants. The results indicate the presence of positive regulatory, enhancer-like cis elements within 566 bp of the upstream sequence. Most importantly, however, these elements are only fully functional in conjunction with the core motif CATGCATG of the legumin box around position -95, since destruction of the motif by a 6 bp deletion in an otherwise intact 2.4 kb upstream sequence drastically reduces expression in seeds. At the same time, low level expression in leaves is observed. The occurrence of similar CATGCATG consensus cis elements with alternating purine and pyrimidine base pairs in front of several other plant genes suggests a functional role of the motif in a wider range of plant promoters.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

The extensin signal peptide allows secretion of a heterologous protein from protoplasts.

Extensins are hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins which are amongst the most abundant proteins present in the cell wall of higher plants. Here, we describe the structural analysis of an extensin-encoding gene from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. The encoded protein (46 kDa) has a highly repetitive structure and contains 37% proline, 18.1% tyrosine, 13.4% lysine, 8.1% serine and 7.1% histidine. The extensin-encoding sequence contains a typical signal peptide for translocation of the protein to the endoplasmic reticulum. By using chimeric genes consisting of different 5' parts of the extensin-encoding gene and the neomycin phosphotransferase II-encoding gene (nptII) as reporter gene, we show that the N-terminal part of extensin can mediate the secretion of NPTII from electroporated N. tabacum protoplasts.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Illegitimate recombination in plants: a model for T-DNA integration.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil bacterium capable of transferring DNA (the T-DNA) to the genome of higher plants, where it is then stably integrated. Six T-DNA inserts and their corresponding preinsertion sites were cloned from Arabidopsis thaliana and analyzed. Two T-DNA integration events from Nicotiana tabacum were included in the analysis. Nucleotide sequence comparison of plant target sites before and after T-DNA integration showed that the T-DNA usually causes only a small (13-28 bp) deletion in the plant DNA, but larger target rearrangements can occur. Short homologies between the T-DNA ends and the target sites, as well as the presence of filler sequences at the junctions, indicate that T-DNA integration is mediated by illegitimate recombination and that these processes in plants are very analogous to events in mammalian cells. We propose a model for T-DNA integration on the basis of limited base-pairing for initial synapsis, followed by DNA repair at the junctions. Variations of the model can explain the formation of filler DNA at the junctions by polymerase slipping and template switching during DNA repair synthesis and the presence of larger plant target DNA rearrangements.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

The Arabidopsis functional homolog of the p34cdc2 protein kinase.

The p34cdc2 protein kinase is a key component of the eukaryotic cell cycle, which is required for G1 to S-phase transition and for entry into mitosis. Using a 380-base pair DNA fragment obtained by polymerase chain reaction amplification from an Arabidopsis thaliana flower cDNA library as a probe, we isolated and sequenced a cdc2-homologous cDNA from Arabidopsis. The encoded polypeptide has extensive homology with cdc2-like kinases. Furthermore, when expressed in a CDC28ts Saccharomyces strain, it partially restores the capacity to grow at 36 degrees C, indicating that the plant cDNA is a functional homolog of the p34cdc2 kinase. Genomic hybridization demonstrated that there is one copy of the cdc2 gene per Arabidopsis haploid genome. Using RNA gel blot analysis, we found that cdc2 mRNA is present in all plant organs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Differential regulation of superoxide dismutases in plants exposed to environmental stress.

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are metalloproteins that catalyze the dismutation of superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. The enzyme is ubiquitous in aerobic organisms where it plays a major role in defense against oxygen radical-mediated toxicity. In plants, environmental adversity often leads to the increased generation of reduced oxygen species and, consequently, SOD has been proposed to be important in plant stress tolerance. Here we describe the isolation of a cDNA clone encoding a cytosolic copper/zinc SOD from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. Using this, together with previously isolated cDNAs encoding the mitochondrial manganese SOD and the chloroplastic iron SOD as probes in RNA gel blot analyses, we have studied SOD transcript abundance during different stress conditions: in response to light, during photoinhibitory conditions (light combined with high or low temperatures), and in response to a xenobiotic stress imposed by the herbicide paraquat. Evidence is presented that iron SOD mRNA abundance increases whenever there is a chloroplast-localized oxidative stress, similar to the previous finding that manganese SOD responds to mitochondria-localized events. The diverse effects of the different stress conditions on SOD mRNA abundance thus might provide an insight into the way that each treatment affects the different subcellular compartments.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Characterization of iron superoxide dismutase cDNAs from plants obtained by genetic complementation in Escherichia coli.

The inability of superoxide dismutase (SOD; superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1)-deficient mutants of Escherichia coli to grow aerobically on minimal medium can be restored by functional complementation with a heterologous SOD-encoding sequence. Based upon this property, a phenotypic selection system has been developed for the isolation of clones containing eukaryotic SOD cDNAs. cDNA expression libraries from both Nicotiana plumbaginifolia and Arabidopsis thaliana were transformed into a SOD-deficient E. coli strain by electroporation, and clones containing functional SODs were selected by growth on minimal medium. Analysis of these clones revealed the identity of cDNAs encoding the iron form of superoxide dismutase (FeSOD)--the first SODs of this type to be cloned from eukaryotes. The presence of this enzyme in these two divergent plant species challenges previous ideas that FeSOD is found in only a few plant families. In addition, these results show the potential for shotgun cloning of eukaryotic genes by complementation of bacterial mutants, particularly when it is combined with a highly efficient transformation method, such as electroporation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Characterization of a rice gene showing organ-specific expression in response to salt stress and drought.

Protein changes induced by salinity stress were investigated in the roots of the salt-sensitive rice cultivar Taichung native 1. We found eight proteins to be induced and obtained partial sequences of one with a molecular mass of 15 kilodaltons and an isoelectric point of 5.5. Using an oligonucleotide probe based on this information, a cDNA clone, salT, was selected and found to contain an open reading frame coding for a protein of 145 amino acid residues. salT mRNA accumulates very rapidly in sheaths and roots from mature plants and seedlings upon treatment with Murashige and Skoog salts (1%), air drying, abscisic acid (20 microM), polyethylene glycol (5%), sodium chloride (1%), and potassium chloride (1%). Generally, no induction was seen in the leaf lamina even when the stress should affect all parts of the plant uniformly. The organ-specific response of salT is correlatable with the pattern of Na+ accumulation during salt stress.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Heteroduplex analysis of P-plasmid evolution: the role of insertion and deletion of transposable elements.

DNA homology of thirteen R-plasmids of group P was examined by heteroduplex analysis and Southern blotting. Ten of these plasmids showed homology for extensive regions including all genes reported as necessary for replication and conjugational transfer. The differences between these plasmids could be explained by gain or loss of DNA sequences, many of which have been shown to be transposons. Of the other three plasmids, two showed unambiguous homology with the typical P-plasmids but this homology was imperfect, implying that these plasmids are products of lines which have evolved separately for long periods. One plasmid failed to produce heteroduplexes with the reference P plasmid.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1980

Direct repetition of a 1.2 Md DNA sequence is involved in site-specific recombination by the P1 plasmid R68.

R68.45, a mutant R68 plasmid, carries a 1.5 Md DNA insertion near its kanamycin-resistance region. This DNA consists of a 1.2 Md DNA repetition of neighbouring R68-DNA and a 0.3 Md "foreign" DNA fragment that is flanked by this direct DNA repeat. This fragment seems to be involved in the formation of R'68.45 plasmids. Duplication of the 1.2 Md DNA sequence is also involved in site-specific recombination events of RP4. This 1.2 Md DNA fragment has the properties of an IS sequence and is denoted IS8.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1979

Interactions and DNA transfer between Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the Ti-plasmid and the plant host.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a gram-negative bacterium with the unique capacity to induce neoplasmic transformations in dicotyledonous plants. Recently, both the mechanism and the biological significance of this transformation have been elucidated. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains contain a large extrachromosomal DNA plasmid (the Ti-plasmid). This Ti-plasmid is responsible for the oncogenic properties of Agrobacterium strains. A particular segment of the Ti-plasmid, containing information determining the tumorous growth pattern and the synthesis of so-called 'opines', e.g. octopine (N-alpha-(D-1-carboxyethyl)-L-arginine) and nopaline (N-alpha-(1,3-dicarboxypropyl)-L-argine), is transferred and stably maintained and expressed in the transformed plant cells. This phenomenon can be understood as a 'genetic colonization' of the plant cells by bacterial plasmid DNA so that the transformed plant cells will produce and secrete into the medium amino acid derivatives (the opines) that Ti-plasmid carrying agrobacteria can selectively use as carbon and nitrogen sources.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗