The pentatricopeptide repeat protein GEND1 is required for root development and high temperature tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2021 Nov 12:578:63-69. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.09.022. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

Abstract

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are a large family in land plants that play a role in organellular RNA processing, editing, and splicing. Here, we identify an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, gend1-1, which exhibits a short root phenotype with reduced meristem size and cell numbers. Positional cloning of GEND1 revealed that it encodes a PPR protein, and functional analysis showed that GEND1 can bind and edit mitochondrial ccmFn-1 mRNA, causing gend1 mutants to have decreased levels of cytochrome C. GEND1 was up-regulated by high temperature conditions, to which gend1 mutants were hypersensitive. Analysis of a set of PPR mutants under high temperature showed that mutants with defects in cytochrome C had comparable temperature sensitivity to gend1. Collectively, these results suggest that cytochrome C plays an important role in root development and high temperature response in Arabidopsis.

Keywords: Cytochrome C; High temperature response; PPR protein; Root development; ccmFn-1 editing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / physiology
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / growth & development*
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cytochromes c / metabolism
  • Hot Temperature
  • Meristem / growth & development
  • Meristem / metabolism
  • Plant Roots / genetics
  • Plant Roots / growth & development
  • Plant Roots / metabolism
  • RNA Splicing
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • RNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
  • RNA, Mitochondrial / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Mitochondrial
  • mitochondrial messenger RNA
  • Cytochromes c