Skip to main content
Log in

Cloning and characterisation of an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA clone encoding an organellar isoform of serine acetyltransferase

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

Abstract

We have cloned an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA encoding serine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.30) by functional complementation of the Escherichia coli cysE mutant JM15. The cDNA clone Sat-1 conferred serine acetyltransferase activity (with apparent K m for the two substrates acetyl CoA and L-serine of 0.043 and 3.47 mmol/dm3 respectively) on the cysE mutant. The 1515 bp full-length cDNA encodes a deduced protein of 391 amino acids which includes a putative chloroplastic targeting presequence. Northern analysis revealed a single message of 1.5 kb, while Southern hybridisation suggests a small multigene family of related sequences.

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

Access this article

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  1. Anderson JW: Assimilation of inorganic sulfate into cysteine. In: Miflin BJ (ed) The Biochemistry of Plants, vol. 5, pp. 203–223. Academic Press, New York (1980).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Arndt KT, Styles CA, Fink GR: A suppressor of a HIS4 transcriptional defect encodes a protein with homology to the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatases. Cell 56: 527–537 (1989).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Ascaño A, Nicholas DJD: Purification and properties of O-acetyl-L-serine sulphydrylase from wheat leaves. Phytochemistry 16: 889–893 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Baecker PA, Wedding RT: Purification of serine acetyl-transferase, a component of a multienzyme complex, by immunoadsorption and selective dissociation of the complex. Anal Biochem 102: 16–21 (1980).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bairoch A, Bucher P: PROSITE: recent developments. Nucl Acids Res 22: 3583–3589 (1994).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Bogdanova N, Bork C, Hell R: Cysteine biosynthesis in plants: isolation and functional identification of a cDNA encoding a serine acetyltransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana. FEBS Lett 358: 43–47 (1995).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Brunold C: Regulatory interactions between sulfate and nitrate assimilation. In: de Kok LJ, Stulen I, Rennenberg H, Brunold C, Rauser WE (eds) Sulfur Nutrition and Assimilation in Higher Plants, pp. 61–75. SPB Academic, The Hague (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Brunold C, Suter M: Intracellular localization of serine acetyltransferase in spinach leaves. Planta 155: 321–327 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Buwalda F, De Kok LJ, Stulen I: Flux of atmospheric H2S to spinach leaves can be affected by the supply of O-acetylserine. Phyton 32: 13–16 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Denk D, Böck A: L-cysteine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: nucleotide sequence and expression of the serine acetyltransferase (cysE) gene from the wild-type and a cysteine-excreting mutant. J Gen Microbiol 133: 515–525 (1987).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Devereux J, Haeberli P, Smithies O: A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucl Acids Res 12: 387–395 (1984).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Dicker IB, Seetharam S: What is known about the structure and function of the Escherichia coli protein FirA? Mol Microbiol 6: 817–823 (1992).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Droux M, Martin J, Sajus P, Douce R: Purification and characterization of O-acetylserine (thiol) lyase from spinach chloroplasts. Arch Biochem Biophys 295: 379–390 (1992).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Elledge SJ, Mulligan JT, Ramer SW, Spottswood M, Davis RW: λYES: a multifunctional cDNA expression vector for the isolation of genes by complementation of yeast and Escherichia coli mutants. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88: 1731–1735 (1991).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Evans DJ, Jones R, Woodley PR, Wilborn JR, Robson RL: Nucleotide sequence and genetic analysis of the Azotobacter chroococcum nifUSVWZM gene cluster, including a new gene (nifP) which encodes a serine acetyltransferase. J Bact 173: 5457–5469 (1991).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gagnon Y, Breton R, Putzer H, Pelchat M, Grunberg-Manago M, Lapointe J: Clustering and co-transcription of the Bacillus subtilis genes encoding the aminoacyl-tRNA synthatases specific for glutamate and for cysteine and the first enzyme for cysteine biosynthesis. J Biol Chem 269: 7343–7482 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Giovanelli J: Regulatory aspects of cysteine and methionine biosynthesis. In: de Kok LJ, Stulen I, Rennenberg H, Brunold C, Rauser WE (eds) Sulfur Nutrition and Assimilation in Higher Plants, pp. 33–48. SPB Academic, The Hague (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hulanicka MD, Kredich NM, Treiman DM: The structural gene for O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase A in Salmonella typhimurium. Identity with the trzA locus. J Biol Chem 249: 867–872 (1974).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Jacobson MR, Brigle KE, Bennett LT, Setterquist RA, Wilson MS, Cash VL, Beynon J, Newton WE, Dean DR: Physical and genetic map of the major nif gene cluster from Azotobacter vinelandii. J Bact 171: 1017–1027 (1989).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Jones-Mortimer MC: Positive control of sulphate reduction in Escherichia coli. Isolation, characterization and mapping of cysteineless mutants of E. coli K12. Biochem J 110: 589–595 (1968).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Joshi CP: An inspection of the domain between putative TATA box and translation start site in 79 plant genes. Nucl Acids Res 15: 6643–6653 (1987).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kozak M: Compilation and analysis of sequences upstream from the translational start site in eukaryotic mRNAs. Nucl Acids Res 12: 857–872 (1984).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kredich NM: Biosynthesis of cysteine. In: Neidhardt FC (ed) Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Cellular and Molecular Biology, pp. 419–428. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Kredich NM, Becker MA, Tomkins GM: Purification and characterization of cysteine synthase, a bifunctional protein complex, from Salmonella typhimurium. J Biol Chem 244: 2428–2439 (1969).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Kredich NM, Tomkins GM: The enzymatic synthesis of L-cysteine in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. J Biol Chem 241: 4955–4965 (1966).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Lai C-Y, Baumann P: Sequence analysis of a DNA fragment from Buchnera aphidicola (an endosymbiont of aphids) containing genes homologous to dnaG, rpoD, cysE, and secB. Gene 119: 113–118 (1992).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Lütcke HA, Chow KC, Mickel FS, Moss KA, Kern HF, Scheele GA: Selection of AUG initiation codons in plants and animals. EMBO J 6: 43–48 (1987).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Masada M, Fukushima K, Tamura G: Cysteine synthase from rape leaves. J Biochem 77: 1107–1115 (1975).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Nakamura K, Hayama A, Masada M, Fukushima K, Tamura G: Measurement of serine acetyltransferase activity in crude plant extracts by a coupled assay system using cysteine synthase. Plant Cell Physiol 28: 885–891 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Nakamura K, Hayama A, Masada M, Fukushima K, Tamura G: Purification and some properties of plant serine acetyltransferase. Plant Cell Physiol 29: 689–693 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Nakamura K, Tamura G: Isolation of serine acetyltransferase complexed with cysteine synthase from Allium tuberosum. Agric Biol Chem 54: 649–656 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Neuenschwander U, Suter M, Brunold C: Regulation of sulfate assimilation by light and O-acetyl-L-serine in Lemna minor L. Plant Physiol 97: 253–258 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Ngo TT, Shargool PD: The enzymatic synthesis of L-cysteine in higher plant tissues. Can J Biochem 52: 35–440 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Pang Q, Hays JB, Rajagopal I: A plant cDNA that partially complements Escherichia coli recA mutations predicts a polypeptide not strongly homologous to RecA proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89: 8073–8077 (1992).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Rennenberg H: Role of O-acetylserine in hydrogen sulphide emission from pumpkin leaves in response to sulfate. Plant Physiol 73: 560–565 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Ruffet M-L, Droux M, Douce R: Purification and kinetic properties of serine acetyltransferase free of O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase from spinach chloroplasts. Plant Physiol 104: 597–604 (1994).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Ruffet M-L, Lebrun M, Droux M, Douce R: Subcellular distribution of serine acetyltransferase from Pisum sativum and characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana putative cytosolic isoform. Eur J Biochem 227: 500–509 (1995).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Saito K, Kurosawa M, Tatsuguchi K, Takagi Y, Murakoshi I: Modulation of cysteine biosynthesis in chloroplasts of transgenic tobacco overexpressing cysteine synthase [O-acetylserine(thiol)-lyase]. Plant Physiol 106: 887–895 (1994).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Saito K, Miura N, Yamazaki M, Hirano H, Murakoshi I: Molecular cloning and bacterial expression of cDNA encoding a plant cysteine synthase. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89: 8078–8082 (1992).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Saito K, Yokoyama H, Noji M, Murakoshi I: Molecular cloning and characterization of a plant serine acetyltransferase playing a regulatory role in cysteine biosynthesis from watermelon. J Biol Chem 270: 16321–16326 (1995).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Sauer B, Henderson N: The cyclization of linear DNA in Escherichia coli by site-specific recombination. Gene 70: 331–341 (1988).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Sanger F, Nicklen S, Coulsen AR: DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 74: 5463–5467 (1977).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Smith IK: Studies of L-cysteine biosynthetic enzymes in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Plant Physiol 50: 477–479 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Smith IK, Thompson JF: Purification and characterisation of L-serine-transacetylase and O-acetyl-L-serine sulfhydrylase from kidney bean seedlings. Biochim Biophys Acta 227: 288–295 (1971).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Snustad DP, Hunsperger JP, Chereskin BM, Messing J: Maize glutamine synthetase cDNAs: isolation by direct genetic selection in Escherichia coli. Genetics 120: 1111–1124 (1988).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Stulen I, De Kok LJ: Whole plant regulation of sulfur metabolism: a theoretical approach and comparison with current ideas on regulation of nitrogen metabolism. In: de Kok LJ, Stulen I, Rennenberg H, Brunold C, Rauser WE (eds) Sulfur Nutrition and Assimilation in Higher Plants, pp. 77–91. SPB Academic, The Hague (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Vaara M: Eight bacterial proteins, including UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase (LpxA) and three other transferases of Escherichia coli, consist of a six-residue periodicity theme. FEMS Microbiol Lett 97: 249–254 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. von Heijne G: Cleavage-site motifs in protein targeting sequences. In: Setlow JK (ed) Genetic Engineering. pp. 1–11. Plenum, New York (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  49. von Heijne G, Nishikawa K: Chloroplast transit peptides. The perfect random coil? FEBS Lett 278: 1–3 (1991).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. von Heijne G, Steppuhn J, Herrmann RG: Domain structure of mitochondrial and chloroplast targeting peptides. Eur J Biochem 180: 535–545 (1989).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Vuorio R, Härkönen T, Tolvanen M, Vaara M: The novel hexapeptide motif found in the acyltransferases LpxA and LpxD of lipid A biosynthesis is conserved in various bacteria. FEBS Lett 337: 289–292 (1994).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Vuorio R, Hirvas L, Vaara M: The Ssc protein of enteric bacteria has significant homology to the acyltransferase Lpxa of lipid A biosynthesis, and to three acetyltransferases. FEBS Lett 292: 90–94 (1991).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Wu L, Ueda T, Messing J: The formation of mRNA 3′-ends in plants. Plant J 8: 323–329 (1995).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roberts, M.A., Wray, J.L. Cloning and characterisation of an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA clone encoding an organellar isoform of serine acetyltransferase. Plant Mol Biol 30, 1041–1049 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020814

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020814

Key words

Navigation