Abstract
DEAD-box RNA helicases comprise a large family and are involved in a range of RNA processing events. Here, we identified one of the Arabidopsis thaliana DEAD-box RNA helicases, AtRH7, as an interactor of Arabidopsis COLD SHOCK DOMAIN PROTEIN 3 (AtCSP3), which is an RNA chaperone involved in cold adaptation. Promoter:GUS transgenic plants revealed that AtRH7 is expressed ubiquitously and that its levels of the expression are higher in rapidly growing tissues. Knockout mutant lines displayed several morphological alterations such as disturbed vein pattern, pointed first true leaves, and short roots, which resemble ribosome-related mutants of Arabidopsis. In addition, aberrant floral development was also observed in rh7 mutants. When the mutants were germinated at low temperature (12°C), both radicle and first leaf emergence were severely delayed; after exposure of seedlings to a long period of cold, the mutants developed aberrant, fewer, and smaller leaves. RNA blots and circular RT-PCR revealed that 35S and 18S rRNA precursors accumulated to higher levels in the mutants than in WT under both normal and cold conditions, suggesting the mutants are partially impaired in pre-rRNA processing. Taken together, the results suggest that AtRH7 affects rRNA biogenesis and plays an important role in plant growth under cold.
Highlights
In eukaryotes, ribosome biosynthesis is a complicated cellular process that sequentially takes place in the nucleolus, nucleoplasm, and cytoplasm [1,2]
We identified one of the Arabidopsis thaliana DEAD-box RNA helicases, AtRH7, as an interactor of Arabidopsis COLD SHOCK DOMAIN PROTEIN 3 (AtCSP3), which is an RNA chaperone involved in cold adaptation
The results suggest that AtRH7 affects rRNA biogenesis and plays an important role in plant growth under cold
Summary
Ribosome biosynthesis is a complicated cellular process that sequentially takes place in the nucleolus, nucleoplasm, and cytoplasm [1,2]. DEAD-box proteins comprise the largest family of RNA helicases, and exist in most organisms [6,7]. They possess 12 conserved motifs that are involved in ATPase, helicase, and RNAbinding activities, and participate in a variety of RNA-associated events from transcription to RNA decay [8,9]. Five DEAD-box proteins exist in Escherichia coli, and four of them are involved in ribosome biogenesis in different ways [10,11]. In contrast to E.coli, DEAD-box protein functions in ribosome biogenesis are essential for yeast survival under normal growth conditions [6]. The Homo sapiens (human) DEAD-box family contains 36 members, and several of them are essential for ribosome biogenesis [13]
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