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Components of chlorophyll biosynthesis in a barley albina mutant unable to synthesize δ-aminolevulinic acid by utilizing the transfer RNA for glutamic acid

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Abstract

Components of chlorophyll biosynthesis were investigated in the plastid-ribosome-deficient albostrians mutant of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Compared with green leaves, white leaves lacked chloroplast tRNAGlu and 16S ribosomal RNA, but contained a much higher level of the mRNA for glutamate 1-semialdehyde aminotransferase. Substantial amounts of protochlorophyllide were accumulated when the mutant was incubated in a solution of δ-aminolevulinic acid. The level of protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase mRNA (PCOR, EC 1.6.99.1.) in etiolated albostrians plants reached only about 50% of the level in wild-type plants. In addition the content of PCOR protein and the activity of chlorophyll synthetase were distinctly lower than in the wild-type. Mutant and wild-type barley seedlings which were grown under a daily light/dark regime and were therefore nonetiolated both possessed PCOR mRNA. The data presented may help explain the albino phenotype of this mutant. The results are discussed in relation to biosynthesis of tetrapyrrols in higher plants, regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis and the action of a plastidderived signal involved in the expression of certain nuclear genes.

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Abbreviations

δ-Ala:

δ-aminolevulinic acid

cab:

light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein

CS:

chlorophyll synthetase

GSA-AT:

glutamate 1-semialdehyde aminotransferase

PChlide:

protochlorophyllide

PCOR:

NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

tRNAGlu :

transfer RNA for glutamic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Genetik, Invalidenstrasse 43, 1040, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany

    Wolfgang R. Hess, Birte Fieder & Thomas Börner

  2. Botanisches Institut der Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität München, Menzinger Strasse 67, 19, München, Federal Republic of Germany

    Rudolf Schendel & Wolfhart Rüdiger

Authors
  1. Wolfgang R. Hess
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  2. Rudolf Schendel
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  3. Wolfhart Rüdiger
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  4. Birte Fieder
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  5. Thomas Börner
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Additional information

We thank Dr. K. Apel (Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften der ETH, Zürich, Switzerland) for the gift of pHvDF1, pHvLF2 and pC222, Dr. M. Ryberg (Botanical Institut, University of Göteborg, Sweden), for antibodies directed against wheat PCOR, Dr. R.B. Meagher (Department of Molecular and Population Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., USA) for providing us with the actin gene probe (pSAc3). We are grateful to Dr. M. Sugiura (Center for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Japan) for rice chloroplast clone bank, Dr. A.R. Subramanian (MPI of Molecular Genetics, Berlin, FRG) for the rye chloroplast 16S rRNA probe and Dr. B. Grimm (Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark) for the GSA-AT cDNA-probe. We thank Dr. G. Künzel (Institut für Genetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, Gatersleben, FRG) for generous gift of seed material and Dr. B.B. Sears (Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., USA) for critical comments on the manuscript. Support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to Wolfhart Rüdiger (SFB 184) and to Thomas Börner is greatly acknowledged.

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Hess, W.R., Schendel, R., Rüdiger, W. et al. Components of chlorophyll biosynthesis in a barley albina mutant unable to synthesize δ-aminolevulinic acid by utilizing the transfer RNA for glutamic acid. Planta 188, 19–27 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00198935

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