Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 62-70 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | GENE |
| Volume | 381 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Oct 2006 |
Abstract
The expression of genes in higher plant chloroplasts includes a complex transcriptional regulation which can be explained only in part with the action of the actually known components of the transcriptional machinery. This suggests the existence of still unknown important regulatory factors which influence chloroplast transcription. In order to test if such factors could exist we performed in silico analyses of Arabidopsis genes encoding putative transcription factors looking for putative N-terminal chloroplast transit peptides in the amino acid sequences. Our results suggest that 48 (and maybe up to 100) transcription factors of eukaryotic origin are likely to be imported into plastids. None of them has been described yet. This set of transcription factors highly expands the actually known regulation capacity of the chloroplast transcription machinery and provides a possible explanation for the complex initiation patterns of chloroplast transcripts. As consequence of a massive import of eukaryotic transcription factors a comprehensive reconstruction of the ancient prokaryotic gene expression machinery must be assumed resulting in a novel compatible combination of eukaryotic and prokaryotic protein components. In turn, the opposite process has been induced in the nucleus by the integration of prokaryotic components of the plastid ancestor via its loss of genes during endosymbiosis. Thus, a mutual exchange of regulatory factors, i.e. transcription factors occurred which resulted in the unique signalling network of today's plants. An evolutionary model of how this could have emerged during endosymbiosis in a timely coordinated manner is proposed.
Keywords
- Arabidopsis/genetics, Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics, Cell Nucleus/genetics, Chloroplasts/physiology, Chromosome Mapping, Chromosomes, Plant/genetics, Computational Biology, Eukaryotic Cells, Evolution, Molecular, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Genome, Plant, Plastids/genetics, Transcription Factors/genetics, Transcription, Genetic/genetics
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In: GENE, Vol. 381, 15.10.2006, p. 62-70.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Eukaryotic transcription factors in plastids--Bioinformatic assessment and implications for the evolution of gene expression machineries in plants
AU - Wagner, Raik
AU - Pfannschmidt, Thomas
N1 - Funding information: This work was supported by grants from the DFG to TP and the DFG research group FOR 387 and by the NWP programme of Thuringia.
PY - 2006/10/15
Y1 - 2006/10/15
N2 - The expression of genes in higher plant chloroplasts includes a complex transcriptional regulation which can be explained only in part with the action of the actually known components of the transcriptional machinery. This suggests the existence of still unknown important regulatory factors which influence chloroplast transcription. In order to test if such factors could exist we performed in silico analyses of Arabidopsis genes encoding putative transcription factors looking for putative N-terminal chloroplast transit peptides in the amino acid sequences. Our results suggest that 48 (and maybe up to 100) transcription factors of eukaryotic origin are likely to be imported into plastids. None of them has been described yet. This set of transcription factors highly expands the actually known regulation capacity of the chloroplast transcription machinery and provides a possible explanation for the complex initiation patterns of chloroplast transcripts. As consequence of a massive import of eukaryotic transcription factors a comprehensive reconstruction of the ancient prokaryotic gene expression machinery must be assumed resulting in a novel compatible combination of eukaryotic and prokaryotic protein components. In turn, the opposite process has been induced in the nucleus by the integration of prokaryotic components of the plastid ancestor via its loss of genes during endosymbiosis. Thus, a mutual exchange of regulatory factors, i.e. transcription factors occurred which resulted in the unique signalling network of today's plants. An evolutionary model of how this could have emerged during endosymbiosis in a timely coordinated manner is proposed.
AB - The expression of genes in higher plant chloroplasts includes a complex transcriptional regulation which can be explained only in part with the action of the actually known components of the transcriptional machinery. This suggests the existence of still unknown important regulatory factors which influence chloroplast transcription. In order to test if such factors could exist we performed in silico analyses of Arabidopsis genes encoding putative transcription factors looking for putative N-terminal chloroplast transit peptides in the amino acid sequences. Our results suggest that 48 (and maybe up to 100) transcription factors of eukaryotic origin are likely to be imported into plastids. None of them has been described yet. This set of transcription factors highly expands the actually known regulation capacity of the chloroplast transcription machinery and provides a possible explanation for the complex initiation patterns of chloroplast transcripts. As consequence of a massive import of eukaryotic transcription factors a comprehensive reconstruction of the ancient prokaryotic gene expression machinery must be assumed resulting in a novel compatible combination of eukaryotic and prokaryotic protein components. In turn, the opposite process has been induced in the nucleus by the integration of prokaryotic components of the plastid ancestor via its loss of genes during endosymbiosis. Thus, a mutual exchange of regulatory factors, i.e. transcription factors occurred which resulted in the unique signalling network of today's plants. An evolutionary model of how this could have emerged during endosymbiosis in a timely coordinated manner is proposed.
KW - Arabidopsis/genetics
KW - Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics
KW - Cell Nucleus/genetics
KW - Chloroplasts/physiology
KW - Chromosome Mapping
KW - Chromosomes, Plant/genetics
KW - Computational Biology
KW - Eukaryotic Cells
KW - Evolution, Molecular
KW - Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
KW - Genome, Plant
KW - Plastids/genetics
KW - Transcription Factors/genetics
KW - Transcription, Genetic/genetics
U2 - 10.1016/j.gene.2006.06.022
DO - 10.1016/j.gene.2006.06.022
M3 - Article
C2 - 16934950
VL - 381
SP - 62
EP - 70
JO - GENE
JF - GENE
SN - 0378-1119
ER -