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P Mullineaux

Publications and source records attributed to P Mullineaux.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Are diverse signalling pathways integrated in the regulation of arabidopsis antioxidant defence gene expression in response to excess excitation energy?

When low-light-grown Arabidopsis rosettes are partially exposed to excess light (EL), the unexposed leaves become acclimated to excess excitation energy (EEE) and consequent photo-oxidative stress. This phenomenon, termed systemic acquired acclimation (SAA), is associated with redox changes in the proximity of photosystem II, changes in foliar H2O2 content and induction of antioxidant defences. The induction of extra-plastidial antioxidant systems is important in the protection of the chloroplast under EL conditions. A larger range of transcripts encoding different antioxidant defence enzymes may be induced in the systemically acclimated leaves and these include those encoded by the glutathione peroxidase (GPX2) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) genes, which are also highly induced in the hypersensitive response and associated systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in incompatible plant-pathogen interactions. Furthermore, the expression of the SAR-inducible pathogenesis-related protein gene, PR2, is enhanced in SAA leaves. Wounded leaf tissue also shows enhanced systemic induction of a cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase gene (APX2) under EL conditions. These and other considerations, suggest H2O2 and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) could be the common factor in signalling pathways for diverse environmental stresses. These effects may be mediated by changes in the level and redox state of the cellular glutathione pool. Mutants with constitutive expression of a normally EL-inducible APX2 gene have much reduced levels of foliar glutathione. The expression of APX1 and APX3, encoding cytosolic and peroxisome-associated isoforms, respectively, are also under phytochrome-A-mediated control. The expression of these genes is tightly linked to the greening of plastids in etiolated seedlings. These data suggest that part of the developmental processes that bring about the acclimation of leaves to high light includes the configuration of antioxidant defences. Therefore, the linkage between immediate responses of leaves to EL, acclimation of chloroplasts to EEE and the subsequent changes to leaf form and function in high light could be mediated by the activity of foliar antioxidant defences and changes in the concentration of ROS.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2000

Regulation of tomato leaf curl viral gene expression in host tissues.

The regulation of expression of the two virion-sense (V1 and V2) and four complementary-sense (C1, C2, C3, and C4) open reading frames (ORFs) of Tomato leaf curl virus (TLCV) was studied in both stably and transiently transformed Nicotiana tabacum tissues with fusions with the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. GUS-expressing transgenic lines were obtained with each of the four complementary-sense gene-GUS fusion constructs and with truncated versions of the virion-sense gene-GUS fusion constructs (V1GUSdeltaC and V2GUSdeltaC) lacking complementary-sense sequences encoding the C1, C2, and C3 ORFs. However, little or no GUS expression was observed in kanamycin-resistant plants transformed with full-length, virion-sense gene constructs (V1GUS and V2GUS) constituting the complete viral genome. In contrast, V1GUS and V2GUS were found to direct high-level GUS expression in transient assays with tobacco protoplasts, suggesting that integration of viral constructs containing functional, complementary-sense genes may lead to repression or deletion of the introduced constructs in transgenic tissues. V2GUS expression in the transient protoplast assay was found to be severely curtailed by specific mutation of the C2 ORF, supporting a role for the C2 protein in transactivation of TLCV virion-sense gene expression. TLCV ORF-GUS constructs displayed distinctive tissue expression patterns in transgenic tobacco plants that could be divided into constitutive (C1, C4, and V2GUSdeltaC), predominantly vascular (C2, C3), or reduced expression in cells associated with the vascular bundles (V1GUSdeltaC). The significance of these results is discussed in terms of current models of gene function and regulation in geminiviruses.

Geminiviridae↗
PubMed2000

Low temperature-induced changes in the distribution of H2O2 and antioxidants between the bundle sheath and mesophyll cells of maize leaves.

The distribution of antioxidants between bundle sheath and mesophyll cells of maize leaves was analysed in plants grown at 20 degrees C, 18 degrees C and 15 degrees C. The purity of the isolated bundle sheath and mesophyll fractions was determined using compartment-specific marker enzymes. In plants grown at 15 degrees C, ascorbate peroxidase, CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) and monodehydroascorbate reductase activities were increased in the bundle sheath cells, and glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase and monodehydroascorbate reductase activities were enhanced in the mesophyll cells. SOD was absent from the mesophyll of plants grown at 20 degrees C but an Fe-SOD activity was found in the mesophyll of plants grown at 15 degrees C. Foliar Mn-SOD activities were decreased at 15 degrees C compared to 20 degrees C. Catalase was undetectable in the mesophyll extracts of plants grown at 15 degrees C. Ascorbate and glutathione contents were considerably higher in the mesophyll than the bundle sheath fractions of plants grown at 20 degrees C. The ratios of reduced to oxidized forms of these antioxidants were significantly decreased in the bundle sheath, but increased in the mesophyll of leaves grown at 15 degrees C. Foliar H2O2 accumulated at 15 degrees C compared to 20 degrees C. Most of the foliar H2O2 was localized in the mesophyll tissues at all growth temperatures. The differential distribution of antioxidants between leaf bundle sheath and mesophyll tissues, observed at 20 degrees C, is even more pronounced when plants are grown at 15 degrees C and may contribute to the extreme sensitivity of maize to low temperatures.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1999

Systemic signaling and acclimation in response to excess excitation energy in Arabidopsis.

Land plants are sessile and have developed sophisticated mechanisms that allow for both immediate and acclimatory responses to changing environments. Partial exposure of low light-adapted Arabidopsis plants to excess light results in a systemic acclimation to excess excitation energy and consequent photooxidative stress in unexposed leaves. Thus, plants possess a mechanism to communicate excess excitation energy systemically, allowing them to mount a defense against further episodes of such stress. Systemic redox changes in the proximity of photosystem II, hydrogen peroxide, and the induction of antioxidant defenses are key determinants of this mechanism of systemic acquired acclimation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1999

Elevated glutathione biosynthetic capacity in the chloroplasts of transgenic tobacco plants paradoxically causes increased oxidative stress

Glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant in most aerobic organisms, is perceived to be particularly important in plant chloroplasts because it helps to protect the photosynthetic apparatus from oxidative damage. In transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing a chloroplast-targeted gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-ECS), foliar levels of GSH were raised threefold. Paradoxically, increased GSH biosynthetic capacity in the chloroplast resulted in greatly enhanced oxidative stress, which was manifested as light intensity-dependent chlorosis or necrosis. This phenotype was associated with foliar pools of both GSH and gamma-glutamylcysteine (the immediate precursor to GSH) being in a more oxidized state. Further manipulations of both the content and redox state of the foliar thiol pools were achieved using hybrid transgenic plants with enhanced glutathione synthetase or glutathione reductase activity in addition to elevated levels of gamma-ECS. Given the results of these experiments, we suggest that gamma-ECS-transformed plants suffered continuous oxidative damage caused by a failure of the redox-sensing process in the chloroplast.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase from Arabidopsis thaliana L. is encoded by a small multigene family.

A second cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase (cAPX; EC 1.11.1.11) gene from Arabidopsis thaliana has been characterised. This second gene (designated APX1b) maps to linkage group 3 and potentially encodes a cAPX as closely related to that from other dicotyledonous species as to the other member of this gene family (Kubo et al., 1993, FEBS Lett 315: 313 317; here designated APX1a), which maps to linkage group 1. In contrast, the lack of sequence similarity in non-coding regions of the genes implies that they are differentially regulated. Under non-stressed conditions only APX1a is expressed. APX1b was identified during low-stringency probing using a cDNA coding for pea cAPX which, in turn, was recovered from a cDNA library by immunoscreening with an antiserum raised against tea plastidial APX (pAPX). No pAPX cDNAs were recovered, despite the antiserum displaying specificity for pAPX in Western blots.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Characterisation of a glutathione reductase gene and its genetic locus from pea (Pisum sativum L.).

A cDNA encoding the chloroplast/mitochondrial form of glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2) from pea (Pisum sativum L.) was used to map a single GR locus, named GOR1. In two domesticated genotypes of pea (cv. Birte and JI 399) it is likely that the GOR1 locus contains a single gene. However, in a semi-domesticated land race of pea (JI 281) two distinct but closely related sets of GR gene sequences were detected at the GOR1 locus. The extra GR sequences in JI 281 represent either a second intact gene or a partial or pseudogene copy. A GR gene was cloned from cv. Birte, sequenced and its structure analysed. No feature of the transcription or structure of the gene suggested a mechanism for generating any more than one form of GR. From these data plus previously published biochemical evidence we suggest that a second, distinct gene encoding for the cytosolic form of GR should be present in peas. The GOR1-encoded GR mRNA can be detected in all main organs of the plant and no alternative spliced species was present which could perhaps account for the generation of multiple isoforms of GR. The mismatch between the number of charge-separable isoforms in pea and the proposed number of genes suggests that different GR isoforms arise by some form of post-translational modification.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Manipulation of glutathione metabolism in transgenic plants.

There is clear potential for the genetic manipulation of key enzymes involved in stress metabolism in transgenic plants. However, the data emerging so far from such experiments are equivocal. The detailed analysis of stress responses in progeny of primary transgenics, coupled with comparisons with control transgenic plants that do not contain the GR transgene, allows us to take into account the possible variation in response to stress associated with regeneration of plants from tissue culture. The picture that is now beginning to emerge with respect to the role of GR in stress protection is that, although there are clearly benefits to be had from overexpression of the enzymes, there is no direct correlation between enzyme levels and stress tolerance. It may be that overexpression of the cytosolic isoform (gor2) will prove to be of greater benefit. Furthermore, the types of stresses to which transgenic plants have been exposed in order to assess the consequences of oxidative stress tolerance cannot reproduce those that will experienced in field conditions. Only when plants with higher GR levels and increased glutathione synthesis capacity are grown in field trials will it be possible to make a full assessment of the benefits of engineering plants with altered glutathione metabolism.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Simultaneous targeting of pea glutathione reductase and of a bacterial fusion protein to chloroplasts and mitochondria in transgenic tobacco.

N-terminal presequences from cDNAs encoding mitochondrion- or chloroplast-specific proteins are able, with variable efficiencies, to target preproteins to their respective organelles. In the few cases studied in which a nuclear-encoded protein is found in both these organelles, each compartment-specific isoform is encoded by a separate gene. Glutathione reductase (GR) from peas is encoded by a single nuclear gene and yet GR is distributed between chloroplasts, mitochondria and the cytosol. Previous sequence analysis of a full-length GR cDNA revealed the presence of a putative plastid transit peptide. However, expression of this cDNA in transgenic tobacco resulted in substantially elevated GR activities in both chloroplasts and mitochondria in four independent lines examined. There was no effect on expression of the endogenous tobacco GR genes. Replacement of the GR presequence with presequences from pea rbcS (chloroplast) and Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Mn-SOD (mitochondrion) resulted in targeting of GR only into the appropriate organelle. Expression of a fusion protein between the amino terminal region of GR and phosphinothricin acetyl transferase resulted in targeting of the foreign protein to chloroplasts and mitochondria. Thus, the pea GR presequence is capable of co-targeting this enzyme or a foreign protein to chloroplasts and mitochondria in vivo. This is the first example of co-targeting by a higher plant preprotein.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1994

Isolation of a pea (Pisum sativum) seed lipoxygenase promoter by inverse polymerase chain reaction and characterization of its expression in transgenic tobacco.

Part of the 5'-flanking sequence of a pea (Pisum sativum) lipoxygenase (LOX) gene was cloned, after amplification from genomic DNA by inverse polymerase chain reaction. Translational and transcriptional fusions of 818 bp of the 5'-flanking region and its deletion derivatives (-513 and -356) were made to a beta-glucuronidase (GUS)-coding sequence and introduced into tobacco. Analysis of T1 transformants showed that the 818 bp 5'-flanking sequence drove GUS expression in seeds that was temporally regulated in a fashion similar to the accumulation of LOX mRNA in developing pea seeds. Contrary to expectations, however, expression of the 818 bp promoter-GUS fusion was not seed-specific; GUS activity was highest in leaves and also present in stems and, to a lesser extent, roots. Deletion analyses identified the region between -818 and -513 as essential for high-level, temporally regulated expression in seeds and also indicated that the sequence between -513 and -356 plays a negative role in leaf/stem, but not seed, expression. Comparison of translational and transcriptional fusions indicated that the LOX initiation codon was used more efficiently than the GUS initiation codon by the tobacco leaf translational apparatus.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Effect of two consensus sequences preceding the translation initiator codon on gene expression in plant protoplasts.

Expression cassettes containing a duplicated cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter fused to a polylinker preceded by the CCACCATGG and AACAATGG sequences were constructed. These two sequences correspond to the consensus sequences around the translation start codons in vertebrates and plants respectively. Translational fusions were made with the beta-glucuronidase-coding sequence and transient expression was recorded in tobacco mesophyll protoplasts. Approximately three times more GUS activity was found in protoplasts incubated with the constructs harbouring translational fusions as compared to a control harbouring a transcriptional fusion. No significant difference was observed between GUS activities obtained with the two consensus sequences.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Molecular characterization of glutathione reductase cDNAs from pea (Pisum sativum L.).

A cDNA for pea glutathione reductase has been cloned and sequenced. The derived amino acid sequence of 562 residues shows a high degree of homology to the previously published GR sequences from human erythrocytes and from two prokaryotes: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pea enzyme differs from other GRs in having an N-terminal leader sequence of about 60-70 residues which may be a chloroplast transit peptide and a 20 amino acid C-terminal extension of unknown function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Effect of deletions in the cauliflower mosaic virus polyadenylation sequence on the choice of the polyadenylation sites in tobacco protoplasts.

Deletions were made in the cauliflower mosaic virus polyadenylation sequence which was cloned downstream of the beta-glucuronidase gene (gus). The populations of mRNAs generated in tobacco mesophyll protoplasts by transient expression with the various constructs were analysed using a polymerase chain reaction procedure. When no deletion was present in the sequence, the mRNA appeared to be polyadenylated at two major polyadenylation sites. A deletion upstream from the AATAAA sequence made the population of polyadenylated mRNAs very heterogenous at their 3' ends. A deletion downstream of the AATAAA sequence had no effect on the choice of the site. Alternative polyadenylation sites were used when the native polyadenylation site was deleted. These results are discussed in relation to data obtained with other polyadenylation sequences from both plants and animals.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Sulfonamide resistance gene for plant transformation.

The sulfonamide resistance gene from plasmid R46 encodes for a mutated dihydropteroate synthase insensitive to inhibition by sulfonamides. Its coding sequence was fused to the pea ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase transit peptide sequence. Incubation of isolated chloroplasts with the fusion protein synthesised in vitro, showed that the bacterial enzyme was transported to the chloroplast stroma and processed into a mature form. Expression of the gene fusion in transgenic plants resulted in a high level of resistance to sulfonamides. Direct selection of transformed shoots on leaf explants was efficient using sulfonamides as sole selective agents. Transformed shoots rooted normally on sulfonamides at concentrations toxic for untransformed ones. Sulfonamide resistance was transmitted to the progeny of transformed plants as a single Mendelian dominant character. These results demonstrate that this chimeric gene can be used as an efficient and versatile selectable marker for plant transformation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Expression of the sulfonamide resistance gene from plasmid R46.

The expression of the sul I gene from plasmid R46, a wide host range plasmid of the IncN incompatibility group, was studied in Escherichia coli. Using a promoter test vector, a promoter was detected upstream of the sul I gene. From a nuclease protection experiment, the transcription was determined to start 360 bp upstream of the coding sequence. Two putative promoter -35 and -10 sequences were found upstream from the predicted transcription start. The presence of this promoter sequence in other R factors was discussed in relation with previous data showing that the sul I genes were transcribed from other promoters. The translation product of the sul I gene was detected in minicells. Its size indicates that the translation starts at the first ATG codon found in the open reading frame.

Base Sequence↗