Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Post-transcriptional regulation of bifunctional α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor expression in barley embryos by abscisic acid

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Plant Molecular Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Changes in bifunctional α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor (BASI) expression induced by abscisic acid (ABA) were studied using in vitro cultured barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Bonanza) embryos. The steady-state levels of BASI mRNA and BASI protein were increased by exogenously applied ABA. Accumulation of BASI protein was preceded by an increase in message level. The results suggest that ABA does not affect BASI mRNA translation. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrated that ABA had no effect on transcriptional activity. BASI mRNA was not detectable in the embryos treated with a protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, which had no inhibitory effect on BASI transcription rate. We propose that ABA increases the stability of BASI mRNA through synthesis of a short-lived protein that protects the message.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Atwater JA, Wisdom R, Verma IM: Regulated mRNA stability. Annu Rev Genet 24: 519–411 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Callis J, Ho T-HD. Multiple molecular forms of the gibberellin-induced α-amylase from the aleurone layers of barley seeds. Arch Biochem Biophys 224: 224–234 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Chrispeels MJ, Varner JE: Hormonal control of enzyme synthesis: on the mode of action of gibberellic acid and abscisin in aleurone layers of barley. Plant Physiol 42: 1008–1016 (1967).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Cuming AC: Developmental regulation of gene expression in wheat embryos. Molecular cloning of a DNA sequence encoding the early-methionine-labeled (Em) polypeptide. Eur J Biochem 145: 351–357 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Grzelczak ZK, Sattolo MH, Hanley-Bowdoin CK, Kennedy TD, Lane BG: Synthesis and turnover of proteins and mRNA in germinating wheat embryos. Can J Biochem 60: 389–397 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Higgins TJV, Jacobsen JV, Zwar JA: Gibberellic acid and abscisic acid modulate protein synthesis and mRNA levels in barley aleurone layers. Plant Mol Biol 1: 191–215 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Leah R, Mundy J: The bifunctional α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor of barley: nucleotide sequence and patterns of seed-specific expression. Plant Mol Biol 12: 673–682 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Luo M, Liu J-H, Mohapatra S, Hill RD, Mohapatra SS: Characterization of a gene family encoding abscisic acid-and environmental stress-inducible proteins of alfalfa. J Biol Chem 267: 15367–15374 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Lu J-L, Ertl JR, Chen C-M: Cytokinin enhancement of the light induction of nitrate reductase transcript levels in etiolated barley leaves. Plant Mol Biol 14: 585–594 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Mohapatra SS, Poole RJ, Dhindsa RS: Changes in protein patterns and translatable messenger RNA populations during cold acclimation of alfalfa. Plant Physiol 84: 1172–1176 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Müllner EW, Neupert B, Kühn LC: A specific mRNA-binding factor regulates the iron-dependent stability of cytoplasmic transferrin receptor mRNA. Cell 58: 373–382 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mundy J, Svendsen IB, Hejgaard J: Barley α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor. I. Isolation and characterization. Carlsberg Res Commun 48: 81–90 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Munro DJ: The effect of exogenous ABA, dehydration and osmotic stress on the synthesis of the α-amylase inhibitor protein in young seedling tissue of Hordeum vulgare L. M.Sc. thesis, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (1994).

  14. Robertson M: Effect of environment and ABA on α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor accumulation during kernel development and early seedling growth in Hordeum vulgare L. Ph.D thesis, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (1989).

  15. Watson JC, Thompson WF: Purification and restriction endonuclease analysis of plant nuclear DNA. Meth Enzymol 118: 57–75 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Weselake RJ, MacGregor AW, Hill RD: An endogenous α-amylase inhibitor in barley kernels. Plant Physiol 72: 809–812 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Williamson JD, Quatrano RS: ABA-regulation of two classes of embryo-specific sequences in mature wheat embryos. Plant Physiol 86: 208–215 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Jin-Hao Liu & Robert D. Hill

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, T2N 1N4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Jin-Hao Liu & Robert D. Hill

Authors
  1. Jin-Hao Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert D. Hill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Liu, JH., Hill, R.D. Post-transcriptional regulation of bifunctional α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor expression in barley embryos by abscisic acid. Plant Mol Biol 29, 1087–1091 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014980

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014980

Key words

Search

Navigation