Oleosin gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana tapetum coincides with accumulation of lipids in plastids and cytoplasmic bodies
1997; Elsevier BV; Volume: 35; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1873-2690
AutoresMárcio Alves‐Ferreira, J. De Almeida Engler, F. Costa Miguens, M. Van Montagu, Gilbert Engler, Dulce E. de Oliveira,
Tópico(s)Research in Cotton Cultivation
ResumoOleosins are alkaline proteins found on the surface of oil bodies in plants. They serve a structural role in stabilizing the triacylglycerols of the oil bodies together with the phos pholipid layer. We studied the spatial and temporal expression pat;ern of three putative oleosin genes atgrp-6, atgrp-7, and atgrp-8, in anthers of Arabidopsis thaliana using RNA transcript in situ hybridization. For all three genes, transcripts were found within the tapetal cells during the process of senescence. To identify a putative function for corresponding proteins, the tapetum was characterized ultrastructurally by electron microscopy and analyzed cytochemically for the presence of unsaturated lipids and basic proteins. TWO lipid storage organelles were identified: elaioplastids and lipid protein bodies. The accumulation of lipids in these two organelles strictly coincides with oleosin gene expression in the tapetum of A. rhaliana. No typical oil body was observed during tapetum development. A putative function of oleosins in tapetal cells is discussed.
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