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. 1992 Dec 1;89(23):11490–11494. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.23.11490

Brain proteins in plants: an Arabidopsis homolog to neurotransmitter pathway activators is part of a DNA binding complex.

G Lu 1, A J DeLisle 1, N C de Vetten 1, R J Ferl 1
PMCID: PMC50577  PMID: 1454838

Abstract

The G box is a well-characterized cis-acting DNA regulatory element found in the promoters of several seemingly unrelated plant genes, including the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene of Arabidopsis thaliana. Using a monoclonal antibody screening approach coupled with electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we have isolated a cDNA clone encoding a protein that is part of the in vitro protein/G box complex. The derived amino acid sequence is homologous to a class of proteins in mammalian brains described as protein kinase C inhibitors and as activators of tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases, the rate-limiting enzymes in the pathways leading to the catecholamines and serotonin. The fact that a homologous member of this regulatory protein family is found in plants and is associated with binding to transcriptional regulatory elements suggests a much wider role for these proteins.

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Selected References

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