Glycolate Oxidase Isozymes Are Coordinately Controlled by GLO1 and GLO4 in Rice

Glycolate oxidase (GLO) is a key enzyme in photorespiratory metabolism. Four putative GLO genes were identified in the rice genome, but how each gene member contributes to GLO activities, particularly to its isozyme profile, is not well understood. In this study, we analyzed how each gene plays a role in isozyme formation and enzymatic activities in both yeast cells and rice tissues. Five GLO isozymes were detected in rice leaves. GLO1 and GLO4 are predominately expressed in rice leaves, while GLO3 and GLO5 are mainly expressed in the root. Enzymatic assays showed that all yeast-expressed GLO members except GLO5 have enzymatic activities. Further analyses suggested that GLO1, GLO3 and GLO4 interacted with each other, but no interactions were observed for GLO5. GLO1/GLO4 co-expressed in yeast exhibited the same isozyme pattern as that from rice leaves. When either GLO1 or GLO4 was silenced, expressions of both genes were simultaneously suppressed and most of the GLO activities were lost, and consistent with this observation, little GLO isozyme protein was detected in the silenced plants. In contrast, no observable effect was detected when GLO3 was suppressed. Comparative analyses between the GLO isoforms expressed in yeast and the isozymes from rice leaves indicated that two of the five isozymes are homo-oligomers composed of either GLO1 or GLO4, and the other three are hetero-oligomers composed of both GLO1 and GLO4. Our current data suggest that GLO isozymes are coordinately controlled by GLO1 and GLO4 in rice, and the existence of GLO isozymes and GLO molecular and compositional complexities implicate potential novel roles for GLO in plants

BOLITA, an Arabidopsis AP2/ERF-like transcription factor that affects cell expansion and proliferation/differentiation pathways

The BOLITA (BOL) gene, an AP2/ERF transcription factor, was characterized with the help of an activation tag mutant and overexpression lines in Arabidopsis and tobacco. The leaf size of plants overexpressing BOL was smaller than wild type plants due to a reduction in both cell size and cell number. Moreover, severe overexpressors showed ectopic callus formation in roots. Accordingly, global gene expression analysis using the overexpression mutant reflected the alterations in cell proliferation, differentiation and growth through expression changes in RBR, CYCD, and TCP genes, as well as genes involved in cell expansion (i.e. expansins and the actin remodeling factor ADF5). Furthermore, the expression of hormone signaling (i.e. auxin and cytokinin), biosynthesis (i.e. ethylene and jasmonic acid) and regulatory genes was found to be perturbed in bol-D mutant leave

コリクスイガクテキ シュホウ オ モチイタ ビワコ ノ カコ 100ネン ニ ワタル ドウショクブツ プランクトン ドウタイ ノ カイセキ

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(理学)甲第11354号理博第2912号新制||理||1434(附属図書館)22997UT51-2005-D105京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻(主査)教授 山村 則男, 教授 山極 壽一, 助教授 遊磨 正秀学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of ScienceKyoto UniversityDA

An experimental test of the ability of Daphnia galeata resting egg production in Lake Biwa

The Daphnia galeata population in Lake Biwa (Japan) had almost ceased producing resting eggs by the 1980s. To examine whether D. galeata had lost the ability to produce resting eggs, or if chemical contamination was inhibiting resting egg production, individuals collected in fall (November) and late winter (March), were reared in the laboratory. More than 50% of these D. galeata individuals produced resting eggs irrespective of the month of collection, when reared with food supplied at a level lower than that available during the maternal generation. The results reflect that D. galeata in Lake Biwa have a high ability to produce resting eggs when appropriate stimuli are provided. As chemical substances, such as endocrine disrupters, are known to inhibit resting egg production in Daphnia and these accumulate in lake sediments, we tested whether Daphnia individuals produce resting eggs when reared in sediment-conditioned lake water. In sediment-conditioned lake water, only a few Daphnia that were collected in March produced resting eggs, while 50% of the individuals collected in November produced resting eggs. Thus, D. galeata collected from Lake Biwa are able to produce resting eggs, but genetic variation likely leads to variation in resting egg production in the presence of chemical contaminants. These results suggest that the recent decrease in the resting egg production of Daphnia populations in lake Biwa is mainly due to a decrease in the strength of the environmental queue that stimulates resting egg production rather than a genetic shift to strains that have a lower ability to produce resting eggs; yet, we cannot rule out the possibility that a chemical contamination plays a role in the decrease of resting egg production