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Title: ATJ6, A UNIQUE J-DOMAIN PROTEIN FROM ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA

Author
item KROCZYNSKA, BARBARA - FGN RES ASSOC, POLAND
item Coop, Nichole
item Miernyk, Jan

Submitted to: Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/14/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: When cells are exposed to adverse environmental conditions, such as temperature extremes, harmful chemicals, or attack by insect or fungal pathogens, they reply with a general stress response. During the stress response, the production of typical "housekeeping" chemicals is halted and production of a small number of specific stress chemicals turned on. The stress chemicals help the cells survive stress and then recover from it. The genetic material for an important stress chemical was isolated from a model plant and studied. Comparisons were made with similar genetic material from animals, other plants, and fungi in order to identify which parts might be important in control of the stress response. The plant was separated into various parts, and the production of the stress chemical was determined in each part. This information will be important to researchers in their attempts to develop plants that are more resistant to stress and to other plant scientists who will try to design more efficient crop plants through either classical breeding or biotechnology.

Technical Abstract: An Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA encoding a protein, AtJ6, related to Escherichia coli DnaJ was sequenced. Translation of the AtJ6 nucleotide sequence yields a protein with an N-terminal J-domain, but which lacks the G/F, and C-rich domains characteristic of DnaJ. In addition to the J-domain, one region of the sequence has homology with the prokaryotic FtsA protein. The remainder of the AtJ6 sequence is not notably related to anything in the sequence databases. The results of Northern analysis revealed that the AtJ6 mRNA is expressed in all organs of A. thaliana; expression was high in leaves, flowers, and siliques, and low in roots. The results of Southern analysis suggest a single unique gene.