Blue light specific and differential expression of a plastid σ factor, Sig5 in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 516; no. 1; pp. 225 - 228
• Main Authors: Tsunoyama, Yuichi, Morikawa, Kazuya, Shiina, Takashi, Toyoshima, Yoshinori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 10.04.2002
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis - radiation effects; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Blue light; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - radiation effects; Genes, Plant - radiation effects; Light; Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins - genetics; Photosystem II Protein Complex; Plastids - genetics; Plastids - radiation effects; Promoter Regions, Genetic - radiation effects; psbD; RNA polymerase; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; RNA, Plant - genetics; RNA, Plant - metabolism; Sig5; Sigma Factor - genetics; σ factor; psbD; Sig5; RNA polymerase; Blue light; σ factor
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/S0014-5793(02)02538-3

The transcription of plastid gene psbD is under the control of the BLRP ( b lue- l ight- r esponsive p romoter) recognized by plastid-encoded RNA polymerase, in which nuclear-encoded σ factors play a crucial role in the promoter recognition. We examined the effects of light on mRNA levels of six different SIG genes in Arabidopsis and found that blue light extensively induced the accumulation of SIG5 transcripts, but red light did not. The blue light specificity was not observed in the accumulations of remaining five SIG genes. The blue light dependency of the SIG5 expression well explains the light-dependent behavior of the psbD BLRP.