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Tobacco Nia2 cDNA functionally complements a Hansenula polymorpha yeast mutant lacking nitrate reductase. A new expression system for the study of plant proteins involved in nitrate assimilation.

An integrative expression vector based on promoter and terminator transcriptional sequences from the Hansenula polymorpha nitrate reductase gene (YNR1) has been developed to express nitrate assimilation plant genes in the nitrate assimilatory yeast H. polymorpha. Using this vector a plant nitrate reductase cDNA (tobacco Nia2) was expressed for the first time in a nitrate assimilatory yeast. The heterologous nitrate reductase produced retained its biochemical and physiological properties such as its NADH-dependent nitrate reductase activity, and allowed growth in nitrate containing media in a strain lacking endogenous nitrate reductase activity. In the transgenic strain, maximum tobacco nitrate reductase activity was about 70% of that presented in the wild-type. On the other hand, the disappearance of nitrate reductase activity correlated with that of the enzyme protein in response to the addition of ammonium to the medium and took place more rapidly in the transgenic strain than in the wild-type. Nitrate reductase activity of the recombinant strain assayed in the presence of Mg2+ was about 30% of that observed when assayed with EDTA. This result, together with a decreased growth rate in nitrate, suggests that tobacco nitrate reductase could be partially inactivated in H. polymorpha by phosphorylation and binding of 14-3-3-like proteins. These results show that H. polymorpha is a useful yeast heterologous expression system for studying plant proteins involved in nitrate assimilation.

Cell Division↗

Predicting N-terminal myristoylation sites in plant proteins.

BACKGROUND: N-terminal myristoylation plays a vital role in membrane targeting and signal transduction in plant responses to environmental stress. Although N-myristoyltransferase enzymatic function is conserved across plant, animal, and fungal kingdoms, exact substrate specificities vary, making it difficult to predict protein myristoylation accurately within specific taxonomic groups. RESULTS: A new method for predicting N-terminal myristoylation sites specifically in plants has been developed and statistically tested for sensitivity, specificity, and robustness. Compared to previously available methods, the new model is both more sensitive in detecting known positives, and more selective in avoiding false positives. Scores of myristoylated and non-myristoylated proteins are more widely separated than with other methods, greatly reducing ambiguity and the number of sequences giving intermediate, uninformative results. The prediction model is available at http://plantsp.sdsc.edu/myrist.html. CONCLUSION: Superior performance of the new model is due to the selection of a plant-specific training set, covering 266 unique sequence examples from 40 different species, the use of a probability-based hidden Markov model to obtain predictive scores, and a threshold cutoff value chosen to provide maximum positive-negative discrimination. The new model has been used to predict 589 plant proteins likely to contain N-terminal myristoylation signals, and to analyze the functional families in which these proteins occur.

Acyltransferases↗

Studies on the development of infant foods from plant protein sources. Part I. Effect of germination of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) on the nutritive value and digestibility of proteins.

For the purpose of developing an infant food of improved dispersibility characteristics and high nutritive quality, different treatments and technologies were applied to chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Samples were germinated for two and four days at room temperature (25 - 27 degrees C). One portion of each germinated chickpea sample was boiled for 40 min and the other portion was autoclaved at 15 psi for 15 min. These processed samples were then compared with the corresponding value of raw germinated and ungerminated samples as well as with the ungerminated processed ones for the following characteristics: chemical composition, contents of antiphysiological factors, solubility of proteins, lysine availability, net protein ratio (NPR), and digestibility of proteins. Germination caused an increase in the protein content of the seeds. No appreciable changes were observed in the trypsin inhibitor and tannin contents during germination. Availability of lysine was found slightly lower in the germinated seeds. The solubility of the nitrogenous constituents was markedly increased during germination. Along with processing, germination had no beneficial effect in improving protein quality, although digestibility of the proteins was increased. Boiling was more advantageous in the case of germinated seeds than autoclaving, whereas the reverse was true in the case of ungerminated seeds.

Animals↗

[Plant protein kinases stimulated by calcium].

Calcium signals play an important role in many aspects of plant growth and development, including plant response to biotic and abiotic stress. The stimulus characteristic intracellular Ca2+ signals are generated in plant cells by a variety of stimuli, including changes in environmental conditions, interaction with microbes and growth and development processes. Cytoplasmatic calcium brings about responses by interacting with target proteins, like calcium-dependent kinases. In plant there are at least five classes of protein kinases (CDPK, CRK, CCaMK, CaMK and SnRK3), which activity is regulated by calcium ions. In this article the structure, regulation and function of calcium stimulated protein kinases are briefly reviewed.

Calcium↗

MPB2C, a microtubule-associated plant protein binds to and interferes with cell-to-cell transport of tobacco mosaic virus movement protein.

The movement protein of tobacco mosaic virus, MP30, mediates viral cell-to-cell transport via plasmodesmata. The complex MP30 intra- and intercellular distribution pattern includes localization to the endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasmic bodies, microtubules, and plasmodesmata and likely requires interaction with plant endogenous factors. We have identified and analyzed an MP30-interacting protein, MPB2C, from the host plant Nicotiana tabacum. MPB2C constitutes a previously uncharacterized microtubule-associated protein that binds to and colocalizes with MP30 at microtubules. In vivo studies indicate that MPB2C mediates accumulation of MP30 at microtubules and interferes with MP30 cell-to-cell movement. In contrast, intercellular transport of a functionally enhanced MP30 mutant, which does not accumulate and colocalize with MP30 at microtubules, is not impaired by MPB2C. Together, these data support the concept that MPB2C is not required for MP30 cell-to-cell movement but may act as a negative effector of MP30 cell-to-cell transport activity.

Biological Transport↗