The tomato [Lycopersicon esculentum] photomorphogenetic mutant, aurea, is deficient in phytochromobilin synthase for phytochrome chromophore biosynthesis

• Published in: Plant and cell physiology Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 661 - 665
• Main Authors: Muramoto, T.(Kyoto Univ. (Japan)), Kami, C, Kataoka, H, Iwata, N, Linley, P.J, Mukougawa, K, Yokota, A, Kohchi, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Oxford University Press 01.04.2005; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Arabidopsis; Aurea; biliverdin; biosynthesis; chromophore; complementary DNA; Cph1; cyanobacterial phytochrome 1; enzyme activity; ESCHERICHIA COLI; EST; Evolution, Molecular; EXPRESION GENICA; expressed sequence tag; expressed sequence tags; EXPRESSION DES GENES; FITOCROMA; gene deletion; GENE EXPRESSION; genetic recombination; glutathione S-transferase; GST; LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM; Lycopersicon esculentum - enzymology; Lycopersicon esculentum - genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; morphogenesis; MUTANT; MUTANTES; MUTANTS; Mutation - physiology; nucleotide sequences; nucleotide substitution; oxidoreductases; Oxidoreductases - deficiency; Oxidoreductases - genetics; Oxidoreductases - metabolism; PCB; PcyA; Photomorphogenesis; photoreceptors; phycocyanobilin; phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase; Phylogeny; PHYTOCHROME; Phytochrome - genetics; Phytochrome - metabolism; Phytochromobilin; phytochromobilin synthase; plant biochemistry; plant genetics; plant proteins; PΦB; recombinant fusion proteins; Solanum lycopersicum var. lycopersicum; tomatoes; vegetable crops; YELLOW-GREEN-2; YG-2
• ISSN: 0032-0781; 1471-9053
• DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pci062

The aurea mutants of tomato have been widely used as phytochrome-deficient mutants for photomorphogenetic and photobiological studies. By expressed sequence tag (EST)-based screening of sequence databases, we found a tomato gene that encodes a protein homologous to Arabidopsis HY2 for phytochromobilin synthase catalyzing the last step of phytochrome chromophore biosynthesis. The tomato protein expressed in Escherichia coli showed phytochromobilin synthase activity. The corresponding loci in all aurea mutants tested have nucleotide substitutions, deletions or DNA rearrangements. These results indicate that aurea is a mutant of phytochromobilin synthase in tomato. We also discuss a phylogenetic analysis of phytochromobilin synthases in the bilin reductase family.