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. 1996 Apr;110(4):1231–1237. doi: 10.1104/pp.110.4.1231

Molecular characterization of two Brassica napus pollen-expressed genes encoding putative arabinogalactan proteins.

J Gerster 1, S Allard 1, L S Robert 1
PMCID: PMC160914  PMID: 8934626

Abstract

Two highly homologous cDNA clones, Sta 39-3 and Sta 39-4, corresponding to mRNAs highly expressed in Brassica napus cv Westar stamens were isolated by differential screening and characterized. Northern blot and in situ analyses demonstrated that Sta 39-3 and Sta 39-4 transcripts accumulate in pollen following the first pollen mitosis and are abundant at pollen maturity, thus identifying them as "late" pollen genes. Sta 39-3 and Sta 39-4 belong to a small gene family. Their predicted proteins share similarities with those deduced from recently isolated cDNAs encoding arabinogalactan proteins, which include a similar molecular mass (approximately 13 kD); high levels of alanine, proline, serine, and threonine, which are interspersed throughout the protein with no obvious repetitive motif; low levels of cysteine, histidine, tryptophan, and tyrosine; and hydrophobic N- and C-terminal ends. The Sta 39-3 and Sta 39-4 proteins may play a role in pollen germination and tube growth.

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Selected References

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