Identification of agthi1, whose product is involved in biosynthesis of the thiamine precursor thiazole, in actinorhizal nodules of Alnus glutinosa

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 361 - 368
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, Ana, Praekelt, Uta, Akkermans, Antoon D.L., Meacock, Peter A., Kammen, Ab, Bisseling, Ton, Pawlowski, Katharina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0EL, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.08.1996; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Alnus glutinosa; Arabidopsis - genetics; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cloning, Molecular; DNA, Complementary - genetics; DNA, Plant - genetics; Economic plant physiology; EPS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal Proteins - genetics; Fungal Proteins - metabolism; Genes, Plant; Genetic Complementation Test; In Situ Hybridization; Laboratorium voor Microbiologie; Laboratorium voor Moleculaire biologie; Laboratory of Molecular Biology; Microbiological Laboratory; Microbiologie; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Parasitism and symbiosis; Plant physiology and development; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants - genetics; Plants - metabolism; Plants - microbiology; Restriction Mapping; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Symbiosis; Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...); Thiamine - biosynthesis; Thiazoles - metabolism; Symbiosis; Alnus glutinosa; Frankiaceae; Homology; Biosynthesis; Plant nodule; Gene expression; Frankia; Actinomycetales; Complementary DNA; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Bacteria; Actinorrhiza; Isolation; Actinomycetes; Hardwood forest tree; Spermatophyta; Thiazole; Betulaceae
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313X.1996.10020361.x

A cDNA clone, pAgthi1, encoding a homologue of yeast Thi4, which is involved in thiazole biosynthesis, was isolated from a library made from poly(A) RNA from actinorhizal nodules of Alnus glutinosa by differential screening with nodule and root cDNA, respectively. The corresponding gene, agthi1, was shown to be expressed at high levels in nodules and shoot tips of A. glutinosa, while having low expression levels in roots, flowers, and developing fruits. The function of AgThi1 was demonstrated by yeast complementation studies, in which AgThi1 was able to rescue a yeast thi4 mutant when fused to the yeast Thi4 signal peptide. In A. glutinosa nodules, high levels of agthi1 mRNA were detected in the infected cortical cells and in the pericycle of the nodule vascular system. A homologue of this cDNA, ara6/tz, was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana. ara6 maps in a region of chromosome 5 of Arabidopsis containing the tz locus which is consistent with the fact that ara6transcription is disturbed in two tz mutant lines. ara6/tz is expressed at high levels in chloroplast‐containing parenchymatic cells of leaves, inflorescence shoots and flowers of Arabidopsis, and at lower levels in the vascular system.