THE PLANT CELL, Vol 5, Issue 6 701-714, Copyright © 1993 by American Society of Plant Biologists

RESEARCH ARTICLES

DST Sequences, Highly Conserved among Plant SAUR Genes, Target Reporter Transcripts for Rapid Decay in Tobacco

T. C. Newman, M. Ohme-Takagi, C. B. Taylor and P. J. Green
Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory and Department of Biochemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1312

DST elements are highly conserved sequences located in the 3[prime] untranslated regions (UTRs) of a set of unstable soybean transcripts known as the small auxin-up RNAs (SAURs). To test whether DST sequences could function as mRNA instability determinants in plants, a model system was developed to facilitate the direct measurement of mRNA decay rates in stably transformed cells of tobacco. Initial experiments established that the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and [beta]-glucuronidase (GUS) transcripts degraded with similar half-lives in this system. In addition, their decay kinetics mirrored the apparent decay kinetics of the corresponding transcripts produced in transgenic plants under the control of a regulated promoter (Cab-1). The model system was then used to measure the decay rates of GUS reporter transcripts containing copies of the DST sequence inserted into the 3[prime]UTR. An unmodified CAT gene introduced on the same vector served as the internal reference. These experiments and a parallel set utilizing a [beta]-globin reporter gene demonstrated that a synthetic dimer of the DST sequence was sufficient to destabilize both reporter transcripts in stably transformed tobacco cells. The decrease in transcript stability caused by the DST sequences in cultured cells was paralleled by a coordinate decrease in transcript abundance in transgenic tobacco plants. The implications of these results for the potential function of DST sequences within the SAUR transcripts are discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Wachter, M. Tunc-Ozdemir, B. C. Grove, P. J. Green, D. K. Shintani, and R. R. Breaker Riboswitch Control of Gene Expression in Plants by Splicing and Alternative 3' End Processing of mRNAs PLANT CELL, November 1, 2007; 19(11): 3437 - 3450. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Narsai, K. A. Howell, A. H. Millar, N. O'Toole, I. Small, and J. Whelan Genome-Wide Analysis of mRNA Decay Rates and Their Determinants in Arabidopsis thaliana PLANT CELL, November 1, 2007; 19(11): 3418 - 3436. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Yakir, D. Hilman, M. Hassidim, and R. M. Green CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1 Transcript Stability and the Entrainment of the Circadian Clock in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology, November 1, 2007; 145(3): 925 - 932. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. W. Manfield, P. F. Devlin, C.-H. Jen, D. R. Westhead, and P. M. Gilmartin Conservation, Convergence, and Divergence of Light-Responsive, Circadian-Regulated, and Tissue-Specific Expression Patterns during Evolution of the Arabidopsis GATA Gene Family Plant Physiology, February 1, 2007; 143(2): 941 - 958. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. X. Wen, L. D. Teel, N. A. Judge, and A. D. O'Brien A plant-based oral vaccine to protect against systemic intoxication by Shiga toxin type 2 PNAS, May 2, 2006; 103(18): 7082 - 7087. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Lidder, R. A. Gutierrez, P. A. Salome, C. R. McClung, and P. J. Green Circadian Control of Messenger RNA Stability. Association with a Sequence-Specific Messenger RNA Decay Pathway Plant Physiology, August 1, 2005; 138(4): 2374 - 2385. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. D. Price, L. D. Eckerle, L. A. Ball, and K. L. Johnson Nodamura Virus RNA Replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Heterologous Gene Expression Allows Replication-Dependent Colony Formation J. Virol., January 1, 2005; 79(1): 495 - 502. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. Sullivan, R. D. Hatfield, S. L. Thoma, and D. A. Samac Cloning and Characterization of Red Clover Polyphenol Oxidase cDNAs and Expression of Active Protein in Escherichia coli and Transgenic Alfalfa Plant Physiology, October 1, 2004; 136(2): 3234 - 3244. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Kimbrough, R. Salinas-Mondragon, W. F. Boss, C. S. Brown, and H. W. Sederoff The Fast and Transient Transcriptional Network of Gravity and Mechanical Stimulation in the Arabidopsis Root Apex Plant Physiology, September 1, 2004; 136(1): 2790 - 2805. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Coupe, L. M. Watson, D. J. Ryan, T. T. Pinkney, and J. R. Eason Molecular analysis of programmed cell death during senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica oleracea: cloning broccoli LSD1, Bax inhibitor and serine palmitoyltransferase homologues J. Exp. Bot., January 1, 2004; 55(394): 59 - 68. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Lambein, Y. Chiba, H. Onouchi, and S. Naito Decay Kinetics of Autogenously Regulated CGS1 mRNA That Codes for Cystathionine {gamma}-Synthase in Arabidopsis thaliana Plant Cell Physiol., September 15, 2003; 44(9): 893 - 900. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Knauss, T. Rohrmeier, and L. Lehle The Auxin-induced Maize Gene ZmSAUR2 Encodes a Short-lived Nuclear Protein Expressed in Elongating Tissues J. Biol. Chem., June 20, 2003; 278(26): 23936 - 23943. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Perez-Amador, J. Leon, P. J. Green, and J. Carbonell Induction of the Arginine Decarboxylase ADC2 Gene Provides Evidence for the Involvement of Polyamines in the Wound Response in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology, November 1, 2002; 130(3): 1454 - 1463. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Gutierrez, R. M. Ewing, J. M. Cherry, and P. J. Green Identification of unstable transcripts in Arabidopsis by cDNA microarray analysis: Rapid decay is associated with a group of touch- and specific clock-controlled genes PNAS, August 20, 2002; 99(17): 11513 - 11518. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. P. Devarenne, A. Ghosh, and J. Chappell Regulation of Squalene Synthase, a Key Enzyme of Sterol Biosynthesis, in Tobacco Plant Physiology, July 1, 2002; 129(3): 1095 - 1106. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S.-i. Tanaka, N. Mochizuki, and A. Nagatani Expression of the AtGH3a Gene, an Arabidopsis Homologue of the Soybean GH3 Gene, is Regulated by Phytochrome B Plant Cell Physiol., March 1, 2002; 43(3): 281 - 289. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. D. Price, P. Ahlquist, and L. A. Ball DNA-Directed Expression of an Animal Virus RNA for Replication-Dependent Colony Formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae J. Virol., February 15, 2002; 76(4): 1610 - 1616. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-L. Qiu, R. Jilk, M. D. Marks, and D. B. Szymanski The Arabidopsis SPIKE1 Gene Is Required for Normal Cell Shape Control and Tissue Development PLANT CELL, January 1, 2002; 14(1): 101 - 118. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Perez-Amador, P. Lidder, M. A. Johnson, J. Landgraf, E. Wisman, and P. J. Green New Molecular Phenotypes in the dst Mutants of Arabidopsis Revealed by DNA Microarray Analysis PLANT CELL, December 1, 2001; 13(12): 2703 - 2717. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Chen, A. Noueiry, and P. Ahlquist Brome Mosaic Virus Protein 1a Recruits Viral RNA2 to RNA Replication through a 5' Proximal RNA2 Signal J. Virol., April 1, 2001; 75(7): 3207 - 3219. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				B. D. Price, M. Roeder, and P. Ahlquist DNA-Directed Expression of Functional Flock House Virus RNA1 Derivatives in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Heterologous Gene Expression, and Selective Effects on Subgenomic mRNA Synthesis J. Virol., December 15, 2000; 74(24): 11724 - 11733. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. A. Johnson, M. A. Pérez-Amador, P. Lidder, and P. J. Green Mutants of Arabidopsis defective in a sequence-specific mRNA degradation pathway PNAS, November 16, 2000; (2000) 240354097. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				T. Ahola, J. A. den Boon, and P. Ahlquist Helicase and Capping Enzyme Active Site Mutations in Brome Mosaic Virus Protein 1a Cause Defects in Template Recruitment, Negative-Strand RNA Synthesis, and Viral RNA Capping J. Virol., October 1, 2000; 74(19): 8803 - 8811. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. Itai, K. Suzuki, H. Yamaguchi, H. Nakanishi, N.-K. Nishizawa, E. Yoshimura, and S. Mori Induced activity of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) in iron-deficient barley roots: a possible role for phytosiderophore production J. Exp. Bot., July 1, 2000; 51(348): 1179 - 1188. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Klahre, E. Friederich, B. Kost, D. Louvard, and N.-H. Chua Villin-Like Actin-Binding Proteins Are Expressed Ubiquitously in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology, January 1, 2000; 122(1): 35 - 48. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Perez-Amador, M. L. Abler, E. J. De Rocher, D. M. Thompson, A. van Hoof, N. D. LeBrasseur, A. Lers, and P. J. Green Identification of BFN1, a Bifunctional Nuclease Induced during Leaf and Stem Senescence in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology, January 1, 2000; 122(1): 169 - 180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Chiba, M. Ishikawa, F. Kijima, R. H. Tyson, J. Kim, A. Yamamoto, E. Nambara, T. Leustek, R. M. Wallsgrove, and S. Naito Evidence for Autoregulation of Cystathionine -Synthase mRNA Stability in Arabidopsis Science, November 12, 1999; 286(5443): 1371 - 1374. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. B. Anderson, K. Folta, K. M. Warpeha, J. Gibbons, J. Gao, and L. S. Kaufman Blue Light–Directed Destabilization of the Pea Lhcb1*4 Transcript Depends on Sequences within the 5' Untranslated Region PLANT CELL, August 1, 1999; 11(8): 1579 - 1590. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. L. Sullivan and P. Ahlquist A Brome Mosaic Virus Intergenic RNA3 Replication Signal Functions with Viral Replication Protein 1a To Dramatically Stabilize RNA In Vivo J. Virol., April 1, 1999; 73(4): 2622 - 2632. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H. Holtorf, H. Schob, C. Kunz, R. Waldvogel, and F. Meins , Jr. Stochastic and Nonstochastic Post-Transcriptional Silencing of Chitinase and ß-1,3-Glucanase Genes Involves Increased RNA Turnover—Possible Role for Ribosome-Independent RNA Degradation PLANT CELL, March 1, 1999; 11(3): 471 - 484. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. A. Bariola, G. C. MacIntosh, and P. J. Green Regulation of S-Like Ribonuclease Levels in Arabidopsis. Antisense Inhibition of RNS1 or RNS2 Elevates Anthocyanin Accumulation Plant Physiology, January 1, 1999; 119(1): 331 - 342. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. H. Diehn, W.-L. Chiu, E. Jay De Rocher, and P. J. Green Premature Polyadenylation at Multiple Sites within a Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Gene-Coding Region Plant Physiology, August 1, 1998; 117(4): 1433 - 1443. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. J. De Rocher, T. C. Vargo-Gogola, S. H. Diehn, and P. J. Green Direct Evidence for Rapid Degradation of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin mRNA as a Cause of Poor Expression in Plants Plant Physiology, August 1, 1998; 117(4): 1445 - 1461. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. Ruegger, E. Dewey, W. M. Gray, L. Hobbie, J. Turner, and M. Estelle The TIR1 protein of Arabidopsis functions in auxin response and is related to human SKP2 and yeast Grr1p Genes & Dev., January 15, 1998; 12(2): 198 - 207. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. A. Johnson, M. A. Perez-Amador, P. Lidder, and P. J. Green Mutants of Arabidopsis defective in a sequence-specific mRNA degradation pathway PNAS, December 5, 2000; 97(25): 13991 - 13996. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]