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Cloning and characterization of a pollen-specific cDNA encoding a glutamic-acid-rich protein (GARP) from potato Solanum berthaultii

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Abstract

A pollen-specific cDNA was isolated from a cDNA library of in vitro germinated pollen of the diploid potato species Solanum berthaultii. The cDNA clone, designated SB401, hybridizes to a messenger RNA of 1.2 kb length in mature and germinated pollen. SB401 messenger RNA is absent from other parts of the plant, including other flower tissues. SB401 cDNA, which possesses a long stretch of AT-rich 5′-untranslated leader sequence, encodes a glutamic acid-rich protein (GARP) which is hydrophilic throughout and contains six imperfect repeated motifs of the sequence V-V-E-K-K-N/E-E with the di-basic amino acid residue pair (K-K) as the core within the repeats. These repeats are spaced at irregular intervals and predicted to form an α-helical structure. The SB401 protein was over-expressed in Escherichia coli and the purified protein was used for raising antiserum. Both E. coli-expressed and the endogenous SB401 proteins in pollen and pollen tubes appear much larger on SDS-polyacrylamide gels than their calculated molecular masses. Immunoblotting revealed the protein to be most abundant in germinated pollen. The structural features of SB401 protein and a possible role for the protein in pollen development, pollen germination, and pollen tube growth are discussed.

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Author notes

  1. Jun-qi Liu

    Present address: National Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Beijing Agricultural University, 100094, Beijing, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung, Carl-von-Linne Weg 10, D-50829, Köln, Germany

    Jun-qi Liu, Ursula Seul & Richard Thompson

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  1. Jun-qi Liu
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  2. Ursula Seul
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  3. Richard Thompson
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Liu, Jq., Seul, U. & Thompson, R. Cloning and characterization of a pollen-specific cDNA encoding a glutamic-acid-rich protein (GARP) from potato Solanum berthaultii. Plant Mol Biol 33, 291–300 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005746713759

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