Biochemical evidence that phytochrome of the moss Ceratodon purpureus is a light-regulated protein kinase

AbstractThe phytochrome gene of the moss Ceratodon purpureus (phyCer) codes for a novel phytochrome polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 145 kDa that has a COOH-terminal domain which is homologous to the catalytic domain of eukaryotic protein kinases. In this paper we report the first biochemical evidence that in fact, as predicted from the gene sequence, PhyCer represents an active, light-regulated protein kinase. In vitro phosphorylation experiments with protonemata extracts revealed the existence of a 140 kDa protein, phosphorylated in a red/far-red light dependent manner. The binding of a polyclonal antibody directed to the protein kinase catalytic domain of PhyCer enhanced the phosphorylation of a 140 kDa band when assayed in a renaturation-auto-phosphorylation experiment with nitrocellulose bound protein. These findings strongly implicate that the phyCer gene product has protein kinase activity and is capable of auto-phosphorylation. The results of the renaturation-phosphorylation experiments were essentially the same, no matter whether protein extracts from light grown or dark adapted moss protonemata were used. Thus, phyCer expression most likely is not light regulated

Plant breeding at the onset of the 3rd millennium.

To improve crop yield, DNA technology has been used to enhance plant resistance toward pathogens and pests. Genes identified through understanding of host-pathogen interactions in viral, bacterial and fungal diseases, the mechanism of hypersensitive reaction in Arabidopsis and insect toxicity of natural peptides are used for their expression in plants. Progress on the use of simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers for resistance gene identification, development of virus-specific antibody gene expression in plants for virus control, construction of genes for multi-pathogen resistance, and use of viral vectors for gene efficiency evaluation are discussed

The Physcomitrella patens chromosome-scale assembly reveals moss genome structure and evolution

The draft genome of the moss model, Physcomitrella patens, comprised approximately 2000 unordered scaffolds. In order to enable analyses of genome structure and evolution we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly using genetic linkage as well as (end) sequencing of long DNA fragments. We find that 57% of the genome comprises transposable elements (TEs), some of which may be actively transposing during the life cycle. Unlike in flowering plant genomes, gene- and TE-rich regions show an overall even distribution along the chromosomes. However, the chromosomes are mono-centric with peaks of a class of Copia elements potentially coinciding with centromeres. Gene body methylation is evident in 5.7% of the protein-coding genes, typically coinciding with low GC and low expression. Some giant virus insertions are transcriptionally active and might protect gametes from viral infection via siRNA mediated silencing. Structure-based detection methods show that the genome evolved via two rounds of whole genome duplications (WGDs), apparently common in mosses but not in liverworts and hornworts. Several hundred genes are present in colinear regions conserved since the last common ancestor of plants. These syntenic regions are enriched for functions related to plant-specific cell growth and tissue organization. The P. patens genome lacks the TE-rich pericentromeric and gene-rich distal regions typical for most flowering plant genomes. More non-seed plant genomes are needed to unravel how plant genomes evolve, and to understand whether the P. patens genome structure is typical for mosses or bryophytes