Isolation and Characterization of Translational Activators

9514698 Mayfield本研究的总体目的是了解叶绿体基因表达的翻译调控。 调节叶绿体mRNA翻译的核基因正在被分离和表征。 这些基因已被标记的插入诱变的绿色藻类莱茵衣藻。 核基因和基因产物翻译所需的pbsA mRNA，编码光调节D1蛋白的光系统II反应中心，正在确定。 这些基因正在被克隆，其蛋白质产物的特点。 通过这种分析，应该可以鉴定在叶绿体mRNA翻译的各个方面起作用的蛋白质。 这将包括翻译起始因子，延伸因子，甚至信号转导蛋白。 该方法是一种遗传方法，并没有假设可以识别出什么类型的蛋白质。 预计这些基因中的一些可能编码与信使RNA的5'非翻译区直接相互作用的蛋白质，这些蛋白质正在另一项资助下进行研究。 叶绿体的形成及其光合作用的能力依赖于发育和环境信号，并且需要叶绿体和细胞核的基因组的密切合作。 这项研究有望为我们理解光合作用基因的调控做出重要贡献，光合作用是植物利用光能的过程。 ***

9514698 Mayfield The general aims of this research are to understand translational regulation of chloroplast gene expression. Nuclear genes that regulate translation of chloroplast mRNAs are being isolated and characterized. These genes have been tagged by insertional mutagenesis in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Nuclear genes and gene products required for the translation of the pbsA mRNA, which encodes the light regulated D1 protein of the photosystem II reaction center, are being identified. These genes are being cloned and their protein products characterized. From this analysis it should be possible to identify proteins that function in all aspects of translation of chloroplast mRNAs. This would include translation initiation factors, elongation factors, and even signal transduction proteins. The approach is a genetic one and makes no assumptions about what type of proteins might be identified. It is expected that some of these genes may encode proteins that directly interact with the 5' untranslated region of the messenger RNA, which are being studied under another grant. Formation of the chloroplast and its ability to photosynthesize is dependent upon developmental and environmental signals, and requires close cooperation of the genomes of the chloroplast and nucleus. This research is expected to make an important contribution to our understanding of the regulation of the genes involved in photosynthesis, a process used by plants to utilize energy from light. ***