Plant-Specific Features of Ribosome Biogenesis

• Published in: Trends in plant science Vol. 20; no. 11; pp. 729 - 740
• Main Authors: Weis, Benjamin L., Kovacevic, Jelena, Missbach, Sandra, Schleiff, Enrico
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2015
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - physiology; Arabidopsis thaliana; embryogenesis; Organelle Biogenesis; plant development; Ribosomal Proteins - metabolism; ribosome biogenesis; ribosome heterogeneity; Ribosomes - genetics; Ribosomes - physiology; RNA Precursors - genetics; RNA Precursors - metabolism; RNA, Plant - genetics; RNA, Plant - metabolism; rRNA processing; plant development; embryogenesis; ribosome heterogeneity; rRNA processing; ribosome biogenesis
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2015.07.003

The biogenesis of eukaryotic ribosomes is a fundamental process involving hundreds of ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) in three compartments of the cell, namely the nucleolus, nucleus, and cytoplasm. Many RBFs are involved in the processing of the primary ribosomal (r)RNA transcript, in which three of the four rRNAs are imbedded. While pre-rRNA processing is well described for yeast and mammals, a detailed processing scheme for plants is lacking. Here, we discuss the emerging scheme of pre-rRNA processing in Arabidopsis thaliana in comparison to other eukaryotes, with a focus on plant characteristics. In addition, we highlight the impact of the ribosome and its biogenesis on developmental processes because common phenotypes can be observed for ribosomal protein and RBF mutants. Ribosome biogenesis is a central process in all eukaryotic cells, but is best studied in yeast. Although there is an overall conservation of ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes, recent results have shown significant diversions between ribosome biogenesis in fungi, mammals, and plants. Pre-ribosomal (r)RNA processing is a key process during ribosome biogenesis and has been elucidated in detail, mainly for Arabidopsis thaliana, leading to a complex scheme for plant pre-rRNA processing that follows two alternative routes, representing a hybrid between the yeast and mammalian pathways. Eukaryotes have a distinct pool of ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) with respect to the number of genes encoding a RBF and the existence of species-specific factors. With the analysis of an increasing number of RBFs in various plant species, general developmental abnormalities linked to defects in ribosome biogenesis have been observed.