OsCASP1 (Casparian strip domain protein 1) was recently identified to function in Casparian strip (CS) formation at the endodermal cells in rice roots, which was required for selective mineral uptake in rice. Here, we further investigate the functional form of OsCASP1 in vivo. Expression analysis shows that OsCASP1, OsCASP2, OsCASP3, and OsCASP5 were expressed in roots apart from OsCASP4. A yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay revealed that OsCASP1 can interact with itself and OsCASP2, but not with OsCASP3 and OsCASP5. These interactions of OsCASP1 with itself and OsCASP2 at the plasma membrane were confirmed using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) in rice protoplasts. These results indicated that OsCASP1 can form complexes with itself and OsCASP2 in rice roots.
Keywords: CASP1; Casparian strip; homomultimer; rice.