Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #73459
Title: THE ROLE OF MRNA-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS IN DESICCATION-TOLERANCE

Author
item WOOD, ANDREW - SOUTHEN ILLINOIS UNIV
item Oliver, Melvin

Submitted to: Annual Meeting Illinois State Academy of Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/18/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In response to rehydration, desiccated Tortula ruralis produces a set of peptides unique to the rehydrated state; viz. rehydrins. Present evidence leads to the conclusion that T. ruralis pre-loads mRNAs into a messenger ribonucleotide particle (mRNP) during desiccation. Density gradient analysis and FPLC purification of RNPs containing poly-(A+) RNA have demonstrated that mRNPs exist both in desiccated and hydrated gametophytes. However, desiccation induces the appearance of several high molecular weight complexes that are absent in hydrated controls. Utilizing cDNAs to the abundant rehydrin Tr288 and quantitative RT-PCR, we have demonstrated the sequestration of rehydrin transcripts within these desiccation-induced mRNPs. The interaction of T. ruralis proteins with T. ruralis mRNA during desiccation has also been demonstrated using RNA gel retardation analysis. A [32P]-labeled, 3' fragment of Tr288 forms a stable mRNA-protein complex under native conditions and we are delineating the mRNA protein-binding sequence(s). Supported, in part, by USDA NRI grant #9401525 to AJW.