쌀 Glutelin 유전자군의 구조 및 발현조절

Sturcture of the Rice Glutelin Multigene Family and Its Expression

Plants store a significant amount of their nitrogen, sulfur and carbon reserves as storage proteins in seed tissues. The major proteins present in rice seeds are the glutelins. Glutelins are initially synthesized at 4-6 days postanthesis and deposited into protein bodies via Golgi apparatus. Based on nucleic acid sequences and Southern blot analysis, the three isolated glutelin genomic clones were representative members of three gene subfamilies each containing 5 to 8 copies. A comparison of DNA sequences displayed by relevant regions of these genomic clones showed that two subfamilies, represented by clones, Gt1 and Gt2, were closely, related and probably evolved by more recent gene duplication events. The 5' flanking and coding sequences of Gt1 and Gt2 displayed at least 87% homolgy. In contrast, Gt3 showed little or no homolgy in the 5' flanking sequences upstream of the putative CAAT boxes and exhibited significant divergence in all other portions of the gene. Conserved sequences in the 5' flanking regions of these genes were identified and discussed in light of their potential regulatory role. The derived primary sequences of all three glutelin genomic clones showed significant homology to the legume 11S storage proteins indicating a common gene origin. A comparison of the derived glutelin primary sequences showed that mutations were clustered in three peptide regions. One peptide region corresponded to the highly rautable hypervariable region of legume peptide region of legume 11S storage proteins, a potential target area for protein modification. Expression studies indicated that glutelin mRNA transcripts are differentially accumulated during endosperm development. Promoterss of Gt2 and Gt3 were functional as they direct transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in cultured plant cell.