Correct targeting of the bean storage protein phaseolin in the seeds of transformed tobacco

Comparative analysis of peroxiredoxin activation in the brown macroalgae Scytosiphon gracilis and Lessonia nigrescens (Phaeophyceae) under copper stress

Among thiol-dependent peroxidases (TDPs) peroxiredoxins (PRXs) standout, since they are enzymes capable of reducing hydrogen peroxide, alkylhydroperoxides and peroxynitrite, and have been detected in a proteomic study of the copper-tolerant species Scytosiphon gracilis. In order to determine the importance of these enzymes in copper-stress tolerance, TDP activity and type II peroxiredoxin (II PRX) protein expression were compared between the opportunistic S. gracilis and the brown kelp Lessonia nigrescens, a species absent from copper-impacted sites due to insufficient copper-tolerance mechanisms. Individuals of both species were cultured with increasing copper concentrations (0-300 µg l(-1) Cu) for 96 h and TDP activity and lipoperoxides (LPXs) were determined together with II PRX expression by immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. The results showed that TDP activity was higher in S. gracilis than L. nigrescens in all copper concentrations, independent of the reducing agent used (dithiothreitol, thioredoxin or glutaredoxin). This activity was copper inhibited in L. nigrescens at lower copper concentrations (20 µg l(-1) Cu) compared to S. gracilis (100 µg l(-1) Cu). The loss of activity coincided in both species with an increase in LPX, which suggests that TDP may control LPX production. Moreover, II PRX protein levels increased under copper stress only in S. gracilis. These results suggest that in S. gracilis TDP, particularly type II peroxiredoxin (II PRX), acts as an active antioxidant barrier attenuating the LPX levels generated by copper, which is not the case in L. nigrescens. Thus, from an ecological point of view these results help explaining the inability of L. nigrescens to flourish in copper-enriched environments.

Multivesicular bodies in developing tobacco seed and mung bean are functionally equivalent

Protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) are the primarily storage organelles in cotyledon cells for protein preservation in seeds. Storage proteins are transported from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus for subsequent delivery to PSVs via presumably Golgi-derived dense vesicles (DVs). However, recent studies demonstrated that storage proteins in early stage of developing cotyledon of mung beans reached the multivesicular bodies (MVBs) prior to the detection of DVs, indicating the possible involvement of MVBs in mediating transport of storage proteins during the early stage of seed development. Here, we further show that the MVBs in developing tobacco seeds are functionally and biochemically equivalent to those in developing mung beans. Thus, MVBs in developing tobacco seeds are structurally distinct from DVs, contain both vacuolar sorting receptors (VSRs) and storage proteins, and they are insensitive to treatments of wortmannin and brefeldin A (BFA).

Seed ultrastructure and water absorption pathway of the root-parasitic plant Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Orobanchaceae)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Obligate root parasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae do not germinate unless they chemically detect a host plant nearby. Members of this family, like Orobanche, Phelipanche and Striga, are noxious weeds that cause heavy damage to agriculture. In spite of their economic impact, only a few light microscopical studies of their minute seeds have been published, and there is no knowledge of their ultrastructure and of the role each tissue plays during the steps preceding germination. This paper describes the ultrastructure of Phelipanche seeds and contributes to our understanding of seed tissue function.

METHODS

Seeds of P. aegyptiaca were examined under light, scanning electron, transmission electron and fluorescence microscopy following various fixations and staining protocols. The results were interpreted with physiological data regarding mode of water absorption and germination stimulation.

KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The endothelium, which is the inner layer of the testa, rapidly absorbs water. Its interconnected cells are filled with mucilage and contain labyrinthine walls, facilitating water accumulation for germination that starts after receiving germination stimuli. Swelling of the endothelium leads to opening of the micropyle. The perisperm cells underneath this opening mediate between the rhizosphere and the embryo and are likely to be the location for the receptors of germination stimuli. The other perisperm cells are loaded with lipids and protein bodies, as are the endosperm and parts of the embryo. In the endosperm, the oil bodies fuse with each other while they are intact in the embryo and perisperm. Plasmodesmata connect the perisperm cells to each other, and the cells near the micropyle tightly surround the emerging seedling. These perisperm cells, and also the proximal embryo cells, have dense cytoplasmic contents, and they seem to represent the two seed components that are actively involved in transfer of reserve nutrients to the developing seedling during germination.

Cellular localization of soybean storage protein mRNA in transformed tobacco seeds

We transformed tobacco plants with a soybean beta-conglycinin gene that encodes the 1.7-kilobase beta-subunit mRNA. We showed that the beta-conglycinin mRNA accumulates and decays during tobacco seed development and that beta-conglycinin mRNA is undetectable in the tobacco leaf. We utilized in situ hybridization to localize beta-conglycinin mRNA within the tobacco seed. beta-Conglycinin mRNA is not detectable within the endosperm but is localized within specific embryonic cell types. The highest concentration of beta-conglycinin mRNA is found in cotyledon storage parenchyma cells. We conclude that sequences required for embryo expression, temporal control, and cell specificity are linked to the beta-conglycinin gene, and that factors regulating beta-conglycinin gene expression are compartmentalized within analogous soybean and tobacco seed regions.

Transcriptional regulation of storage protein synthesis during dicotyledon seed filling

Seeds represent a major source of nutrients for human and animal livestock diets. The nutritive value of seeds is largely due to storage products which accumulate during a key phase of seed development, seed filling. In recent years, our understanding of the mechanisms regulating seed filling has advanced significantly due to the diversity of experimental approaches used. This review summarizes recent findings related to transcription factors that regulate seed storage protein accumulation. A framework for the regulation of storage protein synthesis is established which incorporates the events before, during and after seed storage protein synthesis. The transcriptional control of storage protein synthesis is accompanied by physiological and environmental controls, notably through the action of plant hormones and other intermediary metabolites. Finally, recent post-genomics analyses on different model plants have established the existence of a conserved seed filling process involving the master regulators (LEC1, LEC2, ABI3 and FUS3) but also revealed certain differences in fine regulation between plant families.

Sequence-specific, Golgi-dependent vacuolar targeting of castor bean 2S albumin

The targeting of the castor bean (Ricinus communis) 2S albumin precursor has been investigated by expressing cDNA in transformed tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf cells and by following biosynthesis in the native tissue. Correct targeting in both tissues was accompanied by processing of the precursor. Delivery to vacuoles was sensitive to brefeldin A (BFA) treatment in both tissues and to perturbation of COPII function in tobacco, supporting the view that transport through the Golgi is required. The targeting signal for this Golgi-dependent routing lies within the propeptide of the first heterodimer of proalbumin. This propeptide directed a normally secreted reporter protein to the vacuoles of tobacco cells in a Golgi-dependent manner in vivo, unless a critical Leu residue was mutated, supporting the view that a sequence-specific signal was needed to target a seed storage protein to the vacuoles of a vegetative cell.

A C-terminal sequence of soybean beta-conglycinin alpha' subunit acts as a vacuolar sorting determinant in seed cells

In maturing seed cells, many newly synthesized proteins are transported to the protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) via vesicles unique to seed cells. Vacuolar sorting determinants (VSDs) in most of these proteins have been determined using leaf, root or suspension-cultured cells apart from seed cells. In this study, we examined the VSD of the alpha' subunit of beta-conglycinin (7S globulin), one of the major seed storage proteins of soybean, using Arabidopsis and soybean seeds. The wild-type alpha' was transported to the matrix of the PSVs in seed cells of transgenic Arabidopsis, and it formed crystalloid-like structures. Some of the wild-type alpha' was also transported to the translucent compartments (TLCs) in the PSV presumed to be the globoid compartments. However, a derivative lacking the C-terminal 10 amino acids was not transported to the PSV matrix, and was secreted out of the cells, although a portion was also transported to the TLCs. The C-terminal region of alpha' was sufficient to transport a green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the PSV matrix. These indicate that alpha' contains two VSDs: one is present in the C-terminal 10 amino acids and is for the PSV matrix; and the other is for the TLC (the globoid compartment). We further verified that the C-terminal 10 amino acids were sufficient to transport GFP to the PSV matrix in soybean seed cells by using a transient expression system.

The position of the proricin vacuolar targeting signal is functionally important

Ricin is synthesised as an ER-targeted precursor containing an enzymatic A chain and a galactose-binding B chain separated by a 12-amino acid linker propeptide. This internal propeptide is known to contain a sequence-specific vacuolar sorting signal whose functionality depends on the presence of an isoleucine residue. Conversion of this isoleucine to glycine completely abolished vacuolar targeting of proricin and led to its secretion. However, when this mutated signal was positioned at the C-terminus of a normally secreted reporter, vacuolar targeting of a significant fraction still occurred. Likewise, when the corrupted linker was C-terminally exposed within its natural context following the mature ricin A chain, and then co-expressed with ricin B chain, toxin heterodimers were still partially transported to tobacco cell vacuoles. By contrast, when placed at the N-terminus of the secreted reporter, or at the N-terminus of ricin B chain for co-expression with ricin A chain, the propeptide behaved most strikingly as a sequence-specific vacuolar targeting signal that, when mutated, resulted in complete secretion of the proteins. It would appear that the position of the linker peptide influences the specificity of its vacuolar targeting function.

Manipulation of the napin primary structure alters its packaging and deposition in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) seeds

Napin is a 2S storage protein found in the seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and related species. Using protein structural prediction programs we have identified a region in the napin protein sequence which forms a 'hydrophilic loop' composed of amino acid residues located at the protein surface. Targeting this region, we have constructed two napin chimeric genes containing the coding sequence for the peptide hormone leucine-enkephalin as a topological marker. One version has a single enkephalin sequence of 11 amino acids including linkers and the second contains a tandem repeat of this peptide comprising 22 amino acids, inserted into the napin large subunit. The inserted peptide sequences alter the balance of hydrophilic to hydrophobic amino acids and introduce flexibility into this region of the polypeptide chain. The chimeric genes have been expressed in tobacco plants under the control of the seed-specific napA gene promoter. Analyses indicate that the engineered napin proteins are expressed, transported, post-translationally modified and deposited inside the protein bodies of the transgenic seeds demonstrating that the altered napin proteins behave in a similar fashion to the authentic napin protein. Detailed immunolocalisation studies indicate that the insertion of the peptide sequences has a significant effect on the distribution of the napin proteins within the tobacco seed protein bodies.

Biogenesis of the protein storage vacuole crystalloid

We identify new organelles associated with the vacuolar system in plant cells. These organelles are defined biochemically by their internal content of three integral membrane proteins: a chimeric reporter protein that moves there directly from the ER; a specific tonoplast intrinsic protein; and a novel receptor-like RING-H2 protein that traffics through the Golgi apparatus. Highly conserved homologues of the latter are expressed in animal cells. In a developmentally regulated manner, the organelles are taken up into vacuoles where, in seed protein storage vacuoles, they form a membrane-containing crystalloid. The uptake and preservation of the contents of these organelles in vacuoles represents a unique mechanism for compartmentalization of protein and lipid for storage.

Processing, targeting, and antifungal activity of stinging nettle agglutinin in transgenic tobacco

The gene encoding the precursor to stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L. ) isolectin I was introduced into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). In transgenic plants this precursor was processed to mature-sized lectin. The mature isolectin is deposited intracellularly, most likely in the vacuoles. A gene construct lacking the C-terminal 25 amino acids was also introduced in tobacco to study the role of the C terminus in subcellular trafficking. In tobacco plants that expressed this construct, the mutant precursor was correctly processed and the mature isolectin was targeted to the intercellular space. These results indicate the presence of a C-terminal signal for intracellular retention of stinging nettle lectin and most likely for sorting of the lectin to the vacuoles. In addition, correct processing of this lectin did not depend on vacuolar deposition. Isolectin I purified from tobacco displayed identical biological activities as isolectin I isolated from stinging nettle. In vitro antifungal assays on germinated spores of the fungi Botrytis cinerea, Trichoderma viride, and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum revealed that growth inhibition by stinging nettle isolectin I occurs at a specific phase of fungal growth and is temporal, suggesting that the fungi had an adaptation mechanism.

Extensive modifications for methionine enhancement in the beta-barrels do not alter the structural stability of the bean seed storage protein phaseolin

Common beans are widely utilized as a food source, yet are low in the essential amino acid methionine. As an initial step to overcome this defect the methionine content of the primary bean seed storage protein phaseolin was increased by replacing 20 evolutionarily variant hydrophobic residues with methionine and inserting short, methionine-rich sequences into turn and loop regions of the protein structure. Methionine enhancement ranged from 5 to 30 residues. An Escherichia coli expression system was developed to characterize the structural stability of the mutant proteins. Proteins of expected sizes were obtained for all constructs except for negative controls, which were rapidly degraded in E. coli. Thermal denaturation of the purified proteins demonstrated that both wild-type and mutant phaseolin proteins denatured reversibly at approximately 61 degrees C. In addition, urea denaturation experiments of the wild-type and a mutant protein (with 30 additional methionines) confirmed that the structural stability of the proteins was very similar. Remarkably, these results indicate that the phaseolin protein tolerates extensive modifications, including 20 substitutions and two loop inserts for methionine enhancement in the beta-barrel and loop structures, with extremely small effects on protein stability.

Degradation of transport-competent destabilized phaseolin with a signal for retention in the endoplasmic reticulum occurs in the vacuole

To understand how plant cells exert quality control over the proteins that pass through the secretory system we examined the transport and accumulation of the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) vacuolar storage protein phaseolin, structurally modified to contain a helix-breaking epitope and carboxyterminal HDEL, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-retention signal. The constructs were expressed in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) with a seed-specific promoter. The results show that phaseolin-HDEL accumulates in the protein-storage vacuoles, indicating that HEDL does not contain sufficient information for retention in the ER. However, the ER of seeds expressing the phaseolin-HDEL construct contain relatively more phaseolin-HDEL compared to phaseolin in the ER of seeds expressing the phaseolin construct. This result indicates that the flow out of the ER is retarded but not arrested by the presence of HDEL. Introduction into phaseolin of the epitope "himet" (Hoffman et al., 1988, Plant Mol. Biol. 11, 717-729) greatly reduces the accumulation of HiMet phaseolin compared to normal phaseolin. However, the increased abundance within the ER is similar for both phaseolin-HDEL and HiMet phaseolin-HDEL. Using immunocytochemistry with specific antibodies, HiMet phaseolin was found in the ER, the Golgi stack, and in transport vesicles indicating that it was transport competent. It was also present at an early stage of seed development in the protein-storage vacuoles, but was not found there at later stages of seed development. Together these results support the conclusion that the HiMet epitope did not alter the structure of the protein sufficiently to make it transport incompetent.

Tonoplast and Soluble Vacuolar Proteins Are Targeted by Different Mechanisms

The delivery of proteins to the vacuole and its limiting membrane (the tonoplast) by the secretory system is thought to be a dissociative process in which vesicles bud from one compartment and fuse with another. We studied the transport kinetics of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) in mesophyll protoplasts obtained from transgenic tobacco plants transformed with genes encoding these two proteins. In pulse-chase experiments, arrival of PHA in the vacuole was found to be slower (completed 24 hr after synthesis) than the arrival of TIP in the tonoplast (completed 6 hr after synthesis). Brefeldin A and monensin block protein transport by interfering in specific vesicle transport steps. Brefeldin A prevents anterograde vesicle transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi, whereas monensin inhibits correct sorting in the trans-Golgi network by disrupting the proton gradient across the membrane. Both inhibitors blocked the transport of PHA to the vacuole and altered the rate at which its complex glycan is processed by Golgi enzymes. Neither drug stopped the arrival of TIP in the tonoplast, suggesting that the flow of vesicles continues in the presence of these inhibitors. We suggest that soluble proteins like PHA and membrane proteins like TIP reach their vacuolar destinations by different paths.

In situ localization of faba bean and oat legumin-type proteins in transgenic tobacco seeds by a highly sensitive immunological tissue print technique

We have used a highly sensitive immunological tissue print technique to study cell- and tissue-specific expression of heterologous genes in transgenic plants. Primary polyclonal antibodies, raised against legumin of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and 12S globulin of oat (Avena sativa L.) were used to localize these proteins in transgenic tobacco seeds in a streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase assay in combination with biotinylated secondary antibodies producing a higher sensitivity (by several amplification steps) of the assay. Both storage protein genes were found to be expressed in a specific pattern. While legumin is preferentially accumulated in certain parts of the embryo, the oat legumin-type globulin is restricted to the endosperm. The applied technique is highly sensitive with a resolution power down to the single-cell level and allows rapid screening of large numbers of samples.

Sorting of proteins to the vacuoles of plant cells

The secretory system of plant cells sorts a large number of soluble proteins that either are secreted or accumulate in vacuoles. Secretion is a bulk-flow process that requires no information beyond the presence of a signal peptide necessary to enter the endoplasmic reticulum. Many vacuolar proteins are glycoproteins and the glycans are often modified as the proteins pass through the Golgi complex. Vacuolar targeting information is not contained in glycans as it is in animal cells; rather, targeting information is in polypeptide domains as it is in yeast cells. Several such domains have now been identified, but these show little or no amino acid sequence homology. We discuss the possibilities that targeting of protein to plant vacuoles may involve receptors as well as aggregation of protein at low pH.

Different legumin protein domains act as vacuolar targeting signals

Legumin subunits are synthesized as precursor polypeptides and are transported into protein storage vacuoles in field bean cotyledons. We expressed a legumin subunit in yeast and found that in these cells it is also transported into the vacuoles. To elucidate vacuolar targeting information, we constructed gene fusions of different legumin propolypeptide segments with either yeast invertase or chloramphenicol acetyltransferase as reporters for analysis in yeast or plant cells, respectively. In yeast, increasing the length of the amino-terminal segment increased the portion of invertase directed to the vacuole. Only the complete legumin alpha chain (281 amino acids) directed over 90% to the vacuole. A short carboxy-terminal legumin segment (76 amino acids) fused to the carboxy terminus of invertase also efficiently targeted this fusion product to yeast vacuoles. With amino-terminal legumin-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusions expressed in tobacco seeds, efficient vacuolar targeting was obtained only with the complete alpha chain. We conclude that legumin contains multiple targeting information, probably formed by higher structures of relatively long peptide sequences.

The protein-body proteins phytohemagglutinin and tonoplast intrinsic protein are targeted to vacuoles in leaves of transgenic tobacco

To demonstrate the relationship between protein-bodies in seeds and vacuoles in other tissues, we expressed the coding sequences of two bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) protein-body proteins in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). We chose phytohemagglutinin-L (PHA-L) and tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) as representatives of the protein-body contents and protein-body membrane, respectively. The location of the two proteins in the leaves of transgenic tobacco was examined by immunocytochemistry and in preparations of isolated vacuoles. Tonoplast intrinsic protein accumulates primarily in tonoplasts in tobacco leaves, whereas PHA is found exclusively in the vacuolar sap, showing that the signals that target proteins to protein-bodies and their limiting membranes in seeds are correctly recognized in leaves. This observation provides further evidence that proteinbodies of dicotyledonous seeds should be considered as protein-storage vacuoles.

Positive and negative cis-acting DNA domains are required for spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression by a seed storage protein promoter

Mutations affecting spatial and temporal regulation of a beta-phaseolin gene encoding the major storage protein of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) were analyzed by stable and transient transformation approaches. The results substantiate the value of transient assays for rapid determination of the functionality of cis-acting sequences and the importance of stable transformation to identify tissue-specific determinants. Spatial information is specified primarily by two upstream activating sequences (UAS). UAS1 (-295 to -109) was sufficient for seed-specific expression from both homologous and heterologous (CaMV 35S) promoters. In situ localization of GUS expression in tobacco embryos demonstrated that UAS1 activity was restricted to the cotyledons and shoot meristem. A second positive domain, UAS2 (-468 to -391), extended gene activity to the hypocotyl. Temporal control of GUS expression was found to involve two negative regulatory sequences, NRS1 (-391 to -295) and NRS2 (-518 to -418), as well as the positive domain UAS1. The deletion of either negative element caused premature onset of GUS expression. These findings indicate combinatorial interactions between multiple sequence motifs specifying spatial information, and provide the first example of the involvement of negative elements in the temporal control of gene expression in higher plants.

Differential accumulation of four phaseolin glycoforms in transgenic tobacco

An intron-less phaseolin gene was used to express phaseolin polypeptides in transgenic tobacco plants. The corresponding amounts of phaseolin immunoreactive polypeptides and mRNA were similar to those found in plants transformed with a bean genomic DNA sequence that encodes an identical beta-phaseolin subunit. These results justified the use of the intron-less gene for engineering of the phaseolin protein by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. Each and both of the two Asn residues that serve as glycan acceptors in wild-type phaseolin were modified to prevent N-linked glycosylation. Wild-type (beta wti-) and mutant phaseolin glycoforms (beta dgly1, beta dgly2 and beta dgly1,2) were localized to the protein body matrix by immunogold microscopy. Although quantitative slot-blot hybridization analysis showed similar levels of phaseolin mRNA in transgenic seed derived from all constructs, seed from the beta dgly1 and beta dgly2 mutations contained only 41% and 73% of that expressed from the wild-type control; even less (23%) was present in seed of plants transformed with the phaseolin beta dgly1,2 gene. Additionally, the profile of 25-29 kDa processed peptides was different for each of the glycoforms, indicating that processing of the full-length phaseolin polypeptides was modified. Thus, although targeting of phaseolin to the protein body was not eliminated by removal of the glycan side-chains, decreased accumulation and stability of the full-length phaseolin protein in transgenic tobacco seed were evident.

Comparisons of Golgi structure and dynamics in plant and animal cells

The Golgi apparatus of both higher plant and animal cells sorts and packages macromolecules which are in transit to and from the cell surface and to the lysosome (vacuole). It is also the site of oligosaccharide and polysaccharide synthesis and modification. The underlying similarity of function of plant and animal Golgi is reflected in similar morphological features, such as cisternal stacking. There are, however, several fundamental differences between the Golgi of plant and animal cells, reflecting, in large part, the fact that the extracellular matrices and lysosomal systems differ between these kingdoms. These include 1) the form and replication of the Golgi during cell division; 2) the disposition of the Golgi in the interphase cell; 3) the nature of "anchoring" the Golgi in the cytoplasm; 4) the genesis, extent, and nature of membranes at the trans side of the stack; 5) targeting signals to the lysosome (vacuole); and 6) physiological regulation of secretion events (constitutive vs. regulated secretion). The degree of participation of the Golgi in endocytosis and membrane recycling is becoming clear for animal cells, but has yet to be explored in detail for plant cells.

Propeptide of a precursor to a plant vacuolar protein required for vacuolar targeting

Sporamin is a protein without glycans that accumulates in large quantities in the vacuoles of the tuberous root of the sweet potato. It is synthesized as a prepro precursor with an N-terminal extension composed of a 21-amino-acid signal peptide and a 16-amino-acid propeptide. A total of 48 base pairs, corresponding to the nucleotide sequence that encodes the propeptide, was deleted from a cDNA clone for sporamin. This delta pro mutant sequence, as well as the sequence of the wild-type sporamin cDNA, was placed downstream from the promoter of the 35S transcript from cauliflower mosaic virus and introduced into the genome of suspension-cultured tobacco cells by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. In contrast to the vacuolar localization of sporamin in cells that expressed the wild-type precursor, sporamin was secreted into the culture medium from cells in which the delta pro precursor was expressed. The secreted form of sporamin was shorter by two amino acids at its N terminus than authentic sporamin; it migrated anomalously during electrophoresis on SDS/polyacrylamide gel as a result of the presence of intramolecular disulfide bridges, as does authentic sporamin. The kinetics of secretion of sporamin from the cell were similar to those of proteins normally secreted by the host tobacco cells. These results indicate that the propeptide of the precursor to sporamin is required for correct targeting of sporamin to the vacuole and that proteins can be secreted from plant cells by a bulk-flow default pathway in the absence of a functional sorting signal.

Upstream sequences regulating legumin gene expression in heterologous transgenic plants

We have previously isolated a legumin gene LeB4 from Vicia faba and shown that a 4.7 kb DNA fragment containing the gene leads to seed-specific expression in transgenic tobacco plants. Here we report that the 2.4 kb upstream sequence alone, when fused to either the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene or the beta-glucuronidase (uidA) gene, leads to high enzyme levels in transgenic seeds of both tobacco and Arabidopsis. beta-Glucuronidase (GUS) activity is especially intense in the cotyledons fading out towards the embryonal root tip, a result confirmed by in situ hybridization. Staining of endosperm cells is consistent in both species. Analysis of a series of promoter deletion mutants fused to the nptII gene and introduced into tobacco plants revealed that about 1 kb of 5'-flanking sequence is sufficient for high-level expression but indirect evidence suggests the presence of weak positive regulatory elements further upstream. Deletions leaving only 0.2 kb of upstream sequence reduce enzyme levels to less than 10%. A deletion which destroys the legumin box with its seed protein gene-specific CATGCATG motif has no obvious effects on expression levels.

Normal and lysine-containing zeins are unstable in transgenic tobacco seeds

Chimeric genes composed of the beta-phaseolin promoter, an alpha-zein coding sequence and its modified versions containing lysine codons, and a beta-zein polyadenylation signal were inserted into the genome of tobacco by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. alpha-Zein mRNA levels in the transgenic tobacco seeds 20 days after self-pollination varied between 1.0% and 2.5% of the total mRNA population. At 25 days after pollination the 19 kDa alpha-zein was immunologically detected with a polyclonal antiserum in protein extracts from the seeds of transgenic plants. The transgenic plant with the highest level of zein gene expression had an alpha-zein content that was approximately 0.003% of the total seed protein. The amount of alpha-zein in other transgenic plants varied between 1 x 10(-4)% and 1 x 10(-5)% of the total seed protein. The differences in the amounts of mRNA and protein did not correlate with the lysine substitutions introduced into the alpha-zein protein. Polysomes translating alpha-zein mRNA isolated from tobacco seeds contained fever ribosomes than those from maize endosperm, but this did not appear to be the cause of the inefficient protein synthesis. In vivo labelling and immunoprecipitation indicated that newly synthesized alpha-zein was degraded in tobacco seeds with a half-life of less than 1 hour.

Developmental regulation of expression of the malate synthase gene in transgenic plants

The cucumber malate synthase (MS) gene, including 1856 bp of 5' non-transcribed sequence, has been transferred into Petunia (Mitchell) and Nicotiana plumbaginifolia plants using an Agrobacterium binary vector. The transferred gene is found in variable copy number in different transformants, and is stably transmitted in each case as a single Mendelian character. Transgene mRNA accumulates in the seedling during the first three days of germination, then declines in amount as the cotyledons emerge from the seed. The decline is more pronounced in light-grown seedlings than in dark-grown seedlings. Expression of the MS transgene is also detected at a low level in petals of transformed Petunia plants. In these respects the pattern of MS gene expression is similar in cucumber and in transformed plants, showing that the transferred DNA fragment contains a functional MS gene. A 1076 bp fragment of 5' sequence was linked to the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene and transferred into Nicotiana, where it was shown to direct temporal and spatial patterns of expression similar to that of the complete MS gene. However, histochemical localisation of beta-glucuronidase activity demonstrated that the chimaeric gene is expressed not only in cotyledons of transgenic plants, but also in endosperm and some hypocotyl cells during early germination. The relevance of these findings to the control of malate synthase gene expression is discussed.

Developmentally regulated expression of a sunflower 11S seed protein gene in transgenic tobacco

Helianthinin is the major 11S seed storage protein of sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Like most seed proteins, helianthinin is encoded by a small gene family; two members of this gene family, HaG3-A and HaG3-D, have been isolated and characterized. Tobacco was transformed with a 6 kb fragment of HaG3-A containing the helianthinin coding region flanked by 3.8 kb upstream and 0.4 kb downstream sequence. Expression of helianthinin was developmentally regulated in seeds of transgenic tobacco plants; furthermore, helianthinin polypeptides were proteolytically processed and targeted to the protein bodies of transgenic tobacco. A fragment of HaG3-A from -2376 to +24 was fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and transferred to tobacco. GUS expression driven by this helianthinin upstream region was developmentally regulated in seeds. Germinating seedlings of the same transformant exhibited a time-dependent decrease in GUS activity with none detected by 6 days post imbibition (DPI). Histochemical analysis of GUS activity in embryos and 2 to 5 DPI seedlings showed expression restricted to the cotyledons and upper embryonic axis with none detected at the radicle end. No GUS activity was found in cotyledons, hypocotyls, leaves, and roots of 18 day seedlings or in leaves of an 8 week F1 plant. These results indicate that the cis-regulatory elements required for developmental control of the HaG3-A helianthinin gene are located in a 2.4 kb upstream region of this gene. This region was sequenced together with the upstream region of the HaG3-D helianthinin gene.

Expression of the 2S albumin from Bertholletia excelsa in Brassica napus

The methionine rich 2S albumin seed storage protein of Bertholletia excelsa has been expressed in seeds of Brassica napus (rapeseed). A chimeric gene driven by the soybean lectin 5' flanking regions was used to produce a fusion protein consisting of the soybean lectin signal peptide and the propeptide of the Brazil nut 2S albumin. Several transgenic plants were studied at the RNA and protein levels; in each case the chimeric gene was expressed and the protein detected at levels ranging from 0.02% to 0.06% of total protein. Transcriptional studies in a particular transgenic plant show that expression of the gene is tissue specific and developmentally regulated during seed maturation. The endogenous napin genes and the introduced gene are regulated differently, with expression of the chimeric gene paralleling that seen when the soybean lectin gene is expressed in other plant species. Western analysis using antibodies to Brazil nut 2S albumins resulted in the detection of a protein whose size is consistent with correct processing of the precursor.

Expression and Processing of an Arabidopsis 2S Albumin in Transgenic Tobacco

2S albumin seed storage proteins undergo a complex series of posttranslational proteolytic cleavages. In order to determine if this process is correctly carried out in transgenic plants, the gene AT2S1 encoding an Arabidopsis thaliana 2S albumin isoform has been expressed in transgenic tobacco. Initial experiments using a reporter gene demonstrated that the AT2S1 promoter directs seed specific expression in both transgenic tobacco and Brassica napus plants. The entire AT2S1 gene was then transferred into tobacco plants, where it showed a tissue specific and developmentally regulated expression. Arabidopsis 2S albumin accumulates up to 0.1% of the total high-salt extractable seed protein. Protein sequencing demonstrated that the amino termini of the two Arabidopsis 2S albumin subunits were correctly processed, suggesting that the protease(s) necessary for posttranslational processing of 2S albumin precursors may display common specificities among different dicot plant species. Immunocytochemical studies showed that the Arabidopsis 2S albumin is localized in the protein body matrix of tobacco endosperm and embryo. Correct processing and targeting of the 2S albumin in transgenic plants suggests that modified versions could be expressed, allowing the study of 2S albumin processing and in particular the possible roles of the processed fragments in protein stability and/or targeting.

Immunocytochemical localization of patatin, the major glycoprotein in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers

Patatin is a family of glycoproteins with an apparent molecular weight of 40 kDa. The protein is synthesized as a pre-protein with a hydrophobic signal sequence of 23 amino acids. Using different immunocytochemical methods we determined the tissue-specific as well as subcellular localization of the patatin protein. Since antibodies raised against patatin showed crossreactivity with glycans of other glycoproteins, antibodies specific for the protein portion of the glycoprotein were purified. Using these antibodies for electron-microscopical immunocytochemistry, the protein was found to be localized mainly in the vacuoles of both tubers and leaves of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) induced for patatin expression. Neither cell walls nor the intercellular space contained detectable levels of patatin protein. Concerning the tissue specificity, patatin was mainly found in parenchyma cells of potato tubers. The same distribution was observed for the esterase activity in potato tubers.

Endoplasmic reticulum targeting and glycosylation of hybrid proteins in transgenic tobacco

The correct compartmentation of proteins to the endomembrane system, mitochondria, or chloroplasts requires an amino-terminal signal peptide. The major tuber protein of potato, patatin, has a signal peptide in common with many other plant storage proteins. When the putative signal peptide of patatin was fused to the bacterial reporter protein beta-glucuronidase, the fusion proteins were translocated to the endoplasmic reticulum in planta and in vitro. In addition, translocated beta-glucuronidase was modified by glycosylation, and the signal peptide was correctly processed. In the presence of an inhibitor of glycosylation, tunicamycin, the enzymatically active form of beta-glucuronidase was assembled in the endoplasmic reticulum. This is the first report of targeting a cytoplasmic protein to the endoplasmic reticulum of plants using a signal peptide.

Transport of proteins to the plant vacuole is not by bulk flow through the secretory system, and requires positive sorting information

Plant cells, like other eukaryotic cells, use the secretory pathway to target proteins to the vacuolar/lysosomal compartment and to the extracellular space. We wished to determine whether the presence of a hydrophobic signal peptide would result in the transport of a reporter protein to vacuoles by bulk flow; to investigate this question, we expressed a chimeric gene in transgenic tobacco. The chimeric gene, Phalb, used for this study consists of the 1,188-bp 5' upstream sequence and the hydrophobic signal sequence of a vacuolar seed protein phytohemagglutinin, and the coding sequence of a cytosolic seed albumin (PA2). The chimeric protein PHALB cross-reacted with antibodies to PA2 and was found in the seeds of the transgenic plants (approximately 0.7% of total protein), but not in the leaves, roots, or flowers. Immunoblot analyses of seed extracts revealed four glycosylated polypeptides ranging in molecular weight from 29,000 to 32,000. The four polypeptides are glycoforms of a single polypeptide of Mr 27,000, and the heterogeneity is due to the presence of high mannose and endoglycosidase H-resistant glycans. The PHALB products reacted with an antiserum specific for complex plant glycans indicating that the glycans had been modified in the Golgi apparatus. Subcellular fractionation of glycerol extracts of mature seeds showed that only small amounts of PHALB accumulated in the protein storage vacuoles of the tobacco seeds. In homogenates made in an isotonic medium, very little PHALB was associated with the organelle fraction containing the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus; most of it was in the soluble fraction. We conclude that PHALB passed through the Golgi apparatus, but did not arrive in the vacuoles. Transport to vacuoles is not by a bulk-flow mechanism, once proteins have entered the secretory system, and requires information beyond that provided by a hydrophobic signal peptide.

The synthesis of a 19 kilodalton zein protein in transgenic petunia plants

Transcriptional fusions composed of a 19 kilodalton zein cDNA, the 5' flanking region from a beta-phaseolin gene, and 3' flanking regions from either the phaseolin or a 15-kilodalton zein gene were introduced into Petunia by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The expression of both zein mRNA and protein in these transgenic plants was seed-specific and developmentally regulated. Both monocot (zein) and dicot (phaseolin) polyadenylation consensus sequences were recognized in Petunia. Analysis by immunoblotting showed that the M(r) of the zein protein corresponded to that of the mature protein, suggesting that recognition and cleavage of the signal sequence had occurred. While zein mRNA accumulated to approximately 1% of the total poly(A)(+) RNA in seeds of the transformed plants, zein protein was present at a much lower concentration than expected, at most being 0.005% of the total seed protein. These results suggest that the 19 kilodalton zein gene, in addition to lacking specific sequences required for efficient transcription in dicots, might also lack sequences required for the efficient synthesis, targeting, transport, or stabilization of the protein.

A modified storage protein is synthesized, processed, and degraded in the seeds of transgenic plants

In vitro mutagenesis was used to supplement the sulfur amino acid codon content of a gene encoding β-phaseolin, a Phaseolus vulgaris storage protein. The number of methionine codons in the phaseolin gene was increased from three to nine by insertion of a 45 base pair (bp) synthetic duplex. Either modified or normal phaseolin genes were integrated into the genome of tobacco plants through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Although similar levels of phaseolin RNA are detected in seeds of plants transformed with either the normal or modified (himet) gene, the quantity of himet protein is consistently much lower than normal β-phaseolin. Himet phaseolin is expressed in a temporal- and organ-specific fashion, and is N-glycosylated and assembled into trimers in the manner of normal phaseolin. After germination, both types of phaseolin are hydrolyzed, but the himet protein is more quickly degraded. Electron microscopic immunocytochemical observations of developing seeds indicate that the himet protein is primarily localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and in Golgi apparatus secretion vesicles. Himet phaseolin is absent from protein storage vacuoles, termed protein bodies, where normal phaseolin is deposited in transgenic tobacco. We interpret the immunocytochemical data to indicate that himet phasolin is transported through the ER and Golgi apparatus and is then degraded in Golgi secretion vesicles or the protein bodies.

Expression, glycosylation and secretion of phaseolin in a baculovirus system

In this report, we describe the efficient expression and glycosylation, in insect cells, of β-phaseolin polypeptides (M r 45 and 48 kDa) from Phaseolus vulgaris, by means of a baculovirus expression vector. N-terminal sequence analysis demonstrated that the signal peptide was efficiently processed. Tunicamycin treatment suppressed both phaseolin bands seen in untreated or control cells, and resulted in a single species (M r 43 kDa). We provide evidence that the observed size heterogeneity arises by asymmetric glycosylation of a single, high-molecular weight precursor. These results also indicate that differential glycosylation of phaseolin polypeptides can occur on the product of a single gene, and, in that sense, is not dependent on amino acid sequence variations. Phaseolin accumulates to a very high level (90 µg/10(6) cells), 90% of it being secreted into the culture medium. Immuno-gold staining and electron microscopy demonstrated phaseolin polypeptides in electron-dense, membrane-bound vesicles seen at the periphery of the cytoplasm of infect cells and in cytoplasmic multivesicular bodies. The effect on protein accumulation of a single-basepair transversion (G»C) at position +6 is also described. This study constitutes, to our knowledge, one of the first instances of a plant protein being expressed in insect cells and suggests possible differences in the sorting mechanisms of glycoproteins from legume seeds and those from Spodoptera frugiperda cell line Sf9.

The sequence of a pea vicilin gene and its expression in transgenic tobacco plants

A 5.5 kb Eco RI fragment containing a vicilin gene was selected from a Pisum sativum genomic library, and the protein-coding region and adjacent 5' and 3' regions were sequenced. A DNA construction comprising this 5.5 kb fragment together with a gene for neomycin phosphotransferase II was stably introduced into tobacco using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens binary vector, and the fidelity of expression of the pea vicilin gene in its new host was studied. The seeds of eight transgenic tobacco plants showed a sixteen-fold range in the level of accumulated pea vicilin. The level of accumulation of vicilin protein and mRNA correlated with the number of integrated copies of the vicilin gene. Pea vicilin was confined to the seeds of transgenic tobacco. Using immunogold labelling, vicilin was detected in protein bodies of eight out of ten embryos (axes plus cotyledons) and, at a much lower level, in two out of eleven endosperms. Pea vicilin was synthesized early in tobacco seed development; some molecules were cleaved as is the case in pea seeds, yielding a major parental component of M r∼50000 together with a range of smaller polypeptides.

Correct glycosylation, Golgi-processing, and targeting to protein bodies of the vacuolar protein phytohemagglutinin in transgenic tobacco

We used a heterologous system (transgenic Nicotiana tabacum L.) to investigate the processing, assembly and targeting of phytohemagglutinin (PHA), the lectin of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. In the bean, this glycoprotein accumulates in the protein bodies of the storage parenchyma cells in the cotyledons, and each polypeptide has a high-mannose glycan attached to Asn12 and a complex glycan on Asn60. The gene for PHA-L, dlec2, with 1200 basepairs (bp) 5' upstream and 1600 bp 3' downstream from the coding sequence was introduced into tobacco using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (T. Voelker et al., 1987, EMBO J. 6, 3571-3577). Examination of thin sections of tobacco seeds by immunocytochemistry with antibodies against PHA showed that PHA-L accumulated in the amorphous matrix of the protein bodies in the embryo and endosperm. This localization was confirmed using a non-aqueous method to isolate the protein bodies from mature tobacco seeds. The biochemical analysis of tobacco PHA indicated that the signal peptide had been correctly removed, and that the polypeptides formed 6.4 S oligomers; tobacco PHA had a high-mannose glycan at Asn12 and a complex glycan at Asn60. The presence of the complex glycan shows that transport to the protein bodies was mediated by the Golgi complex. At seed maturity, a substantial portion of the PHA-L remained associated with the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex, as indicated by fractionation experiments using aqueous media and the presence of two high-mannose glycans on some of the polypeptides. Taken together, these data show that insertion of the nascent PHA into the endoplasmic reticulum, signal peptide processing, glycosylation, assembly into oligomers, glycan modification in the Golgi, and targeting of the protein occur faithfully in this heterologous system, although transport may not be as efficient as in bean cotyledons.

The 5' flanking region of a barley B hordein gene controls tissue and developmental specific CAT expression in tobacco plants

The 549 base pairs of the 5' flanking region of a barley seed storage protein (B1 hordein) gene were linked to the reporter gene encoding chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT). The chimaeric gene was transferred into tobacco plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. CAT enzyme activity was detected in the seeds, but not in the leaves, of the transgenic plants. Furthermore, enzyme activity was found only in the endosperm, and only from fifteen days after pollination. In contrast, the constitutive 19S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) directed the expression of the CAT gene in the leaves as well as in both the endosperm and embryo and at all stages in seed development.