Biomedical subjects

T Thorbjørnsen

Publications and source records attributed to T Thorbjørnsen.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

Molecular cloning and expression of the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from barley (Hordeum vulgare) leaves.

A cDNA clone, blpl14, corresponding to the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), has been isolated from a cDNA library prepared from leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). An open reading frame encodes a protein of 503 aa, with a calculated molecular weight of 54815. The derived aa sequence contains a putative transit peptide sequence, required for targeting to plastids, and has a highly conserved positioning of critical Lys residues that are believed to be involved in effector binding. The derived aa sequence shows 97% identity with the corresponding protein from wheat, but only 36% identity with AGPase from E. coli. The blpl14 gene is expressed predominantly in leaves and to a lesser degree in seed endosperm, but not roots, of barley.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

A single gene encodes two different transcripts for the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase small subunit from barley (Hordeum vulgare).

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), a heterotetrameric enzyme composed of two small and two large subunits, catalyses the first committed step of starch synthesis in plant tissues. In an attempt to learn more about the organization and expression of the small-subunit gene of AGPase, we have studied the small-subunit transcripts as well as the structure of the gene encoding these transcripts in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Bomi). Two different transcripts (bepsF1 and blps14) were identified: bepF1 was abundantly expressed in the starchy endosperm but not in leaves, whereas blps14 was isolated from leaves but was also found to be present at a moderate level in the starchy endosperm. The sequences for the two transcripts are identical over approx. 90% of the length, with differences being confined solely to their 5' ends. In blps14, the unique 5' end is 259 nt long and encodes a putative plastid transit peptide sequence. For the 178-nt 5' end of bepsF1, on the other hand, no transit peptide sequence could be recognized. A lambda clone that hybridized to the AGPase transcripts was isolated from a barley genomic library and characterized. The restriction map has suggested a complex organization of the gene, with alternative exons encoding the different 5' ends of the two transcripts followed by nine exons coding for the common part of the transcripts. The sequence of a portion of the genomic clone, covering the alternative 5'-end exons as well as upstream regions, has verified that both transcripts are encoded by the gene. The results suggest that the small-subunit gene of barley AGPase transcribes two different mRNAs by a mechanism classified as alternative splicing.

Alternative Splicing↗

PubMed1996

The major form of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in maize endosperm is extra-plastidial.

Preparations enriched in plastids were used to investigate the location of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) in the developing endosperm of maize (Zea mays L.). These preparations contained more than 25% of the total activity of the plastid marker enzymes alkaline pyrophosphatase and soluble starch synthase, less than 2% of the cytosolic marker enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and pyrophosphate, fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, and approximately 3% of the AGPase activity. Comparison with the marker enzyme distribution suggests that more than 95% of the activity of AGPase in maize endosperm is extra-plastidial. Two proteins were recognized by antibodies to the small subunit of AGPase from maize endosperm Brittle-2 (Bt2). The larger of the two proteins was the major small subunit in homogenates of maize endosperm, and the smaller, less abundant of the two proteins was enriched in preparations containing plastids. These results suggest that there are distinct plastidial and cytosolic forms of AGPase, which are composed of different subunits. Consistent with this was the finding that the bt2 mutation specifically eliminated the extraplastidial AGPase activity and the larger of the two proteins recognized by the antibody to the Bt2 subunit.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗