Skip to main content
PMC home page
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1985 Oct;79(2):327–331. doi: 10.1104/pp.79.2.327

On the Role of Stored mRNA in Protein Synthesis in Embryonic Axes of Germinating Vigna unguiculata Seeds 1

Yoshiharu Suzuki 1,2, Takao Minamikawa 1
PMCID: PMC1074883  PMID: 16664410

Abstract

Polyadenylated (poly A+) RNAs were prepared from both dry and incubated embryonic axes of Vigna unguiculata seeds and were translated by a wheat germ translation system. Analysis with gel electrophoresis and fluorography showed that translation products of poly A+ RNA from dry embryonic axes were nearly the same as those from 2-hour incubated axes but somewhat different from those of 4- to 24-hour incubated axes, and that translation products remained almost unchanged between the 4- and 24-hour stages of postimbibition. The results indicate the possibility that the stored mRNA (poly A+ RNA from dry embryonic axes) directs the protein synthesis required for early stages of germination. This is supported by comparison of the in vitro translation products of poly A+ RNAs with those of polysomal RNAs. Experiments with α-amanitin, a specific inhibitor of RNA polymerase II (J. Jendrisak 1980 J Biol Chem 255: 8529-8533), suggested that the synthesis of some of the stored mRNA species is resumed as early as 4 hours after the onset of imbibition.

Full text

PDF
327

Images in this article

329Fig. 3
on p.329
329Fig. 4
on p.329
330Fig. 6
on p.330

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aviv H., Leder P. Purification of biologically active globin messenger RNA by chromatography on oligothymidylic acid-cellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Jun;69(6):1408–1412. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.6.1408. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brooker J. D., Tomaszewski M., Marcus A. Preformed Messenger RNAs and Early Wheat Embryo Germination. Plant Physiol. 1978 Feb;61(2):145–149. doi: 10.1104/pp.61.2.145. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cuming A. C., Lane B. G. Protein synthesis in imbibing wheat embryos. Eur J Biochem. 1979 Sep;99(2):217–224. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1979.tb13248.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dommes J., Van de Walle C. Newly Synthesized mRNA Is Translated during the Initial Imbibition Phase of Germinating Maize Embryo. Plant Physiol. 1983 Oct;73(2):484–487. doi: 10.1104/pp.73.2.484. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hammett J. R., Katterman F. R. Storage and metabolism of poly(adenylic acid)-mRNA in germinating cotton seeds. Biochemistry. 1975 Oct 7;14(20):4375–4379. doi: 10.1021/bi00691a005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jackson A. O., Larkins B. A. Influence of Ionic Strength, pH, and Chelation of Divalent Metals on Isolation of Polyribosomes from Tobacco Leaves. Plant Physiol. 1976 Jan;57(1):5–10. doi: 10.1104/pp.57.1.5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Laskey R. A., Mills A. D. Quantitative film detection of 3H and 14C in polyacrylamide gels by fluorography. Eur J Biochem. 1975 Aug 15;56(2):335–341. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1975.tb02238.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Marcu K., Dudock B. Characterization of a highly efficient protein synthesizing system derived from commercial wheat germ. Nucleic Acids Res. 1974 Nov;1(11):1385–1397. doi: 10.1093/nar/1.11.1385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mori T., Wakabayashi Y., Takagi S. Occurrence of mRNA for storage protein in dry soybean seeds. J Biochem. 1978 Nov;84(5):1103–1111. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a132224. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Roberts L. M., Lord J. M. Developmental changes in the activity of messenger RNA isolated from germinating castor bean endosperm. Plant Physiol. 1979 Oct;64(4):630–634. doi: 10.1104/pp.64.4.630. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Thompson E. W., Lane B. G. Relation of protein synthesis in imbibing wheat embryos to the cell-free translational capacities of bulk mRNA from dry and imbibing embryos. J Biol Chem. 1980 Jun 25;255(12):5965–5970. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. de Jiménez E. S., Aguilar R. Protein synthesis patterns : relevance of old and new messenger RNA in germinating maize embryos. Plant Physiol. 1984 May;75(1):231–234. doi: 10.1104/pp.75.1.231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Plant Physiology are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES