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A stable phytochrome pool regulates the expression of the phytochrome I gene in pea seedlings

Planta volume 183, pages 218–221 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

Two different molecular species of phytochrome apoprotein in terms of amino-acid sequences, phytochrome I (PI) and phytochrome II (PII), are found in pea tissues (H. Abe et al., 1989, Plant Cell Physiol. 30, 1089–1097). The single-copy pea PI gene produces at least three distinct transcripts (mRNAs 1, 2 and 3), differing in the length of the 5′ non-coding sequence. The abundance of PI mRNA1 and mRNA2 in pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska) seedlings was determined using a primer extension assay. When dark-grown seedlings pretreated with a red light pulse or white-light-grown seedlings were briefly irradiated with far-red light (FR) 4h after transfer to darkness, the abundance of PI mRNA1 and mRNA2 significantly increased within a few hours. This effect was also observed when the FR was given after a 16-h dark incubation period. This FR effect was reversed by a subsequent irradiation with red light. Therefore, this photoreversible effect, observed during the prolonged dark period, can be ascribed to a phytochrome pool that is stable in its FR-absorbing form (Pfr).

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Abbreviations

FR:

far-red light

PI:

phytochrome I (type I phytochrome)

Pfr:

far-red-light-absorbing form of phytochrome

Pr:

red-light-absorbing form of phytochrome

R:

red light

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Author notes

  1. Eberhard Schäfer

    Present address: Biologisches Institut II der Universität, W-7800, Freiburg i. Br., Germany

Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Biological Regulation, Frontier Research Program, RIKEN Institute, Wako City, 351-01, Saitama, Japan

    Masaki Furuya, Naoko Ito, Ken-ichi Tomizawa & Eberhard Schäfer

Authors
  1. Masaki Furuya
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  2. Naoko Ito
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  3. Ken-ichi Tomizawa
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  4. Eberhard Schäfer
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Additional information

Dedicated to Professor Hans Mohr on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

We are most grateful to Dr. R.E. Kendrick (Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherland) for his helpful disscussion on this subject throughout this work and his careful reading of the manuscript of this paper.

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Furuya, M., Ito, N., Tomizawa, Ki. et al. A stable phytochrome pool regulates the expression of the phytochrome I gene in pea seedlings. Planta 183, 218–221 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197791

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197791

Key words

  • Gene expression (phytochrome)
  • mRNA (phytochrome)
  • Phytochrome (stable-Pfr pool)
  • Pisum (phytochrome)