PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Van der Straeten

Publications and source records attributed to D Van der Straeten.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Monitoring of isothiocyanates emanating from Arabidopsis thaliana upon paraquat spraying.

Arabidopsis thaliana plants were sprayed with the superoxide-generating herbicide paraquat. The headspace of sprayed plants was characterized by a number of compounds, which were absent in the headspace of untreated plants. They were identified as isothiocyanates (ITCs) with 4-methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate as main compound. After identification, a GC-system, based on PDMS sorption, was used to continuously monitor the ITC emissions. The specificity of isothiocyanate emission was also determined by subjecting the Arabidopsis thaliana plants to in vitro mechanical wounding. Again, 4-methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate was the main component, but the emission profile was completely different since the compound was emitted immediately, i.e., during wounding itself.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed1997

An abscisic-acid- and salt-stress-responsive rice cDNA from a novel plant gene family.

A novel cDNA clone osr40cl, encoding a abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive 40-kDa protein previously associated with salt tolerance (Moons et al. '1995' Plant Physiol 107: 177-186), was isolated from roots of rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.). Exogenously applied ABA and salt shock induced a marked increase of the osr40cl transcript level in roots of seedlings whereas constant osr40cl mRNA levels were found in the shoot. The root-specific salinity-induced osr40cl mRNA accumulation was rapid and gradually declined upon prolonged salt shock. Plant growth regulators, signalling the wounding and the pathogen response, did not enhance osr40cl expression, indicating a salt- and osmotic-stress-specific response. The encoded OSR40cl protein was found to be hydrophilic, rich in histidine residues (6%) constituting putative metal-binding domains, and to consist of a duplicated domain of 151 amino acids (75% identical), that can form amphiphilic alpha-helical structures. The gene osr40cl belongs to a multigene family. Two osr40 genes were isolated, osr40g2 and osr40g3, tandemly arranged in an 8-kb region of the rice genome. Antisera raised against a conserved OSR40 peptide recognized different OSR40 proteins that accumulated in roots upon exposure to salt stress. The OSR40 protein family included 29-KDa proteins and two 40-kDa proteins, the latter most probably corresponding to OSR40cl and OSR40g2 with duplicated domain structures. The osr40g3 transcript encoded a single copy of the OSR40 domain and exhibited a shoot-specific expression. Results indicate that OSR40cl plays a role in the adaptive response of roots to an hyper-osmotic environment and belongs to a novel plant protein family that most probably has structural functions.

Abscisic Acid↗
PubMed1996

Evidence for the nitrate-dependent spatial regulation of the nitrate reductase gene in chicory roots.

Young chicory plants (Cichorium intybus L. var. Witloof) show a tenfold higher nitrate reductase NR activity in roots compared to leaves. Northern analysis revealed, besides the nitrate inducibility of the nitrate reductase gene (nia), a higher level of expression in the roots. By modifying the external nitrate concentration the NR activity in the leaves remained negligible whereas a maximal activity was observed in the roots when grown in the presence of 5 mM nitrate. Surprisingly, variation of the external nitrate concentration induced changes in the spatial regulation of nia within the root. In-situ hybridization mainly localized nia mRNA in the cortical cells of roots grown at low nitrate concentrations (0.2 nM). At high nitrate concentrations (5 mM), nia mRNA was more abundant in the vascular tissues. The root apex revealed a strong signal under both conditions. The isolation and characterization of the NR structural gene from chicory is also presented. Southern blot analysis revealed the presence of a single nia gene per haploid genome of chicory.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1995

Molecular and physiological responses to abscisic acid and salts in roots of salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant Indica rice varieties.

The Indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties Pokkali and Nona Bokra are well-known salt tolerance donors in classical breeding. In an attempt to understand the molecular basis of their tolerance, physiological and gene expression studies were initiated. The effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on total proteins in roots from 12-d-old seedlings of Pokkali, Nona Bokra, and the salt-sensitive cultivar Taichung N1 were analyzed on two-dimensional gels. The abundance of ABA-induced proteins was highest in the most tolerant variety, Pokkali. Three ABA-responsive proteins, present at different levels in roots from tolerant and sensitive varieties, were further characterized by partial amino acid analysis. A novel histidine-rich protein and two types of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins were identified. Protein immunoblotting revealed that the levels of dehydrins and group 3 LEA proteins were significantly higher in roots from tolerant compared with sensitive varieties. Endogenous ABA levels showed a transient increase in roots exposed to osmotic shock (150 mM NaCl). Peak ABA concentrations were 30-fold higher for Nona Bokra and 6-fold higher for Pokkali compared with Taichung N1. Both the salt-induced endogenous ABA levels and a greater molecular response of root tissue to ABA were associated with the varietal differences in tolerance.

Abscisic Acid↗
PubMed1994

A group of chromosomal proteins is specifically released by spermine and loses DNA-binding activity upon phosphorylation.

Biologically relevant concentrations as low as 500 microM spermine led to the specific release of chromatin-associated proteins from nuclei of rice (Oryza sativa) seedlings. Using a southwestern technique, it was shown that several of these proteins bind DNA. This affinity was lost upon in organello phosphorylation by an endogenous kinase. The effect of spermine was very specific. Spermidine was far less effective and putrescine was essentially ineffective in releasing these proteins. The most abundant spermine-released protein was shown to be homologous to the maize HMG1 protein. Our results suggest that spermine induces the release of spermine-released proteins by changing DNA conformation. Binding of these proteins might be sensitive to long-range changes in chromosome structure caused by torsional stress.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Cloning, genetic mapping, and expression analysis of an Arabidopsis thaliana gene that encodes 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase.

A genomic clone of one member of the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase (S-adenosyl-L-methionine methylthioadenosine-lyase, EC 4.4.1.14) gene family (AT-ACC1) was isolated and sequenced. A region of homology was found in the 5'-untranslated region with the promoter of a zucchini and a tomato ACC synthase gene. Comparison of its primary structure with other ACC synthases revealed conservation of seven peptide regions as well as similarity with 11 amino acids of the catalytic site of aminotransferases. Genomic DNA gel blotting suggested the existence of an ACC synthase multigene family in Arabidopsis, possibly with three other members, none of which is very closely related to AT-ACC1. The existence of at least one other gene was confirmed by the isolation of a cDNA (AT-ACC2) from a flower-specific cDNA library. The AT-ACC1 gene was mapped on the Arabidopsis restriction fragment length polymorphism map and is located on the top of chromosome 1. This position does not correspond to any known mutation on the genetic map. Expression of the AT-ACC1 gene was studied by reverse transcription-PCR on total RNA. Messenger accumulation was strong in young leaves and flowers. The gene was not induced by wounding of young leaves or in seedlings in the presence of auxin. Ethylene exposure of mature plants led to an induction of AT-ACC1 gene expression. It is suggested that AT-ACC1 protein has a role in developmental control of ethylene synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Plant enolase: gene structure, expression, and evolution.

Enolase genes were cloned from tomato and Arabidopsis. Comparison of their primary structures with other enolases revealed a remarkable degree of conservation, except for the presence of an insertion of 5 amino acids unique to plant enolases. Expression of the enolase genes was studied under various conditions. Under normal growth conditions, steady-state messenger and enzyme activity levels were significantly higher in roots than in green tissue. Large inductions of mRNA, accompanied by a moderate increase in enzyme activity, were obtained by an artificial ripening treatment in tomato fruits. However, there was little effect of anaerobiosis on the abundance of enolase messenger. In heat shock conditions, no induction of enolase mRNA was observed. We also present evidence that, at least in Arabidopsis, the hypothesis that there exists a complete set of glycolytic enzymes in the chloroplast is not valid, and we propose instead the occurrence of a substrate shuttle in Arabidopsis chloroplasts for termination of the glycolytic cycle.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Cloning and sequence of two different cDNAs encoding 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase in tomato.

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACC synthase; S-adenosyl-L-methionine methylthioadenosine-lyase, EC 4.4.1.14), the key enzyme in ethylene biosynthesis, was purified 5000-fold from induced tomato pericarp. ACC synthase activity was unambiguously correlated with a 45-kDa protein by two independent methods. Peptide sequences were obtained both from the N terminus after electroblotting and from tryptic peptides separated by reversed-phase chromatography. Mixed oligonucleotide probes were used to screen a lambda gt11 library prepared from RNA of induced pericarp tissue. Putative ACC synthase clones were isolated with a frequency of 0.01%. One of these contained a 1.9-kilobase insert with a single open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 55 kDa. A second, partial cDNA clone was found that differed from the first one in 18% of its bases. Genomic Southern blotting suggests possible tandem organization of the two genes in tomato. The entire coding region was expressed in Escherichia coli and the denatured recombinant polypeptide was used to raise polyclonal antibodies. The antibody preparation both immunoinhibits and immunoprecipitates ACC synthase activity from an enriched tomato extract, confirming the identity of the clone. Northern blot analysis demonstrates that the ACC synthase messenger accumulation is coordinated with fruit ripening.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Purification and partial characterization of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase from tomato pericarp.

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase was purified 5000-fold from LiCl-induced tomato fruit slices by conventional and high-performance liquid chromatography. The final preparation was estimated to be between 25% and 50% pure. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis indicates that 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase activity is associated with a 45-kDa polypeptide, with a pI of 5.8 +/- 0.2. The enzyme is inactivated both by its substrate, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) and by one of its products, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate. Due to the extremely low abundance of the protein it was necessary to scale up the extraction in order to obtain reasonable amounts for sequence analysis. Therefore, 200 kg tomatoes were extracted on semi-industrial scale and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase purified. This yielded approximately 150 micrograms enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗