Structure and expression of a light-inducible shoot-specific rice gene

• DOI: 10.1007/bf00019157
• Publication Date: 2004-10-30T07:53:01Z
• Authors: Sylvia de Pater; Lambert A. M. Hen...; Rob A. Schilperoort
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Chloroplasts; Base Sequence; Light; Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase; Molecular Sequence Data; Oryza; DNA; Genes, Plant; Open Reading Frames; 03 medical and health sciences; Gene Expression Regulation; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Consensus Sequence; Amino Acid Sequence; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Plant Proteins

By differential screening of a cDNA library of two-week-old rice seedlings cDNA clones were obtained, corresponding to shoot-specific mRNAs. By sequence analysis two of these clones were found to be rbcS cDNA clones. The mRNA corresponding to a third cDNA clone (COS5) displayed an expression pattern similar to the expression pattern of rbcS genes. The mRNA (800 bases) was light-inducible and encoded by a single-copy gene. The genomic clone (GOS5) was isolated and the intron/exon structure was determined by comparing the nucleotide sequences of the mRNA and the genomic clone. The gene contains two introns. Transcription start sites were determined by S1-nuclease mapping and primer extension. The start site obtained by both methods is located 87 bp upstream of the translation start site and 23 bp downstream of TATA box-like sequence. In the 5' non-coding region motifs can be found that are homologous to sequences in promoters that are light- or UV-inducible or confer leaf-specific expression. The open reading frame present in GOS5 codes for a protein (15 kDa) that contains a putative chloroplast transit peptide and does not show any significant homology to protein sequences in the NBRF protein database.