Abstract
We review the coordinated production and integration of the RNA (ribosomal RNA, rRNA) and protein (ribosomal protein, RP) components of wheat cytoplasmic ribosomes in response to changes in genetic constitution, biotic and abiotic stresses. The components examined are highly conserved and identified with reference to model systems such as human, Arabidopsis, and rice, but have sufficient levels of differences in their DNA and amino acid sequences to form fingerprints or gene haplotypes that provide new markers to associate with phenotype variation. Specifically, it is argued that populations of ribosomes within a cell can comprise distinct complements of rRNA and RPs to form units with unique functionalities. The unique functionalities of ribosome populations within a cell can become central in situations of stress where they may preferentially translate mRNAs coding for proteins better suited to contributing to survival of the cell. In model systems where this concept has been developed, the engagement of initiation factors and elongation factors to account for variation in the translation machinery of the cell in response to stresses provided the precedents. The polyploid nature of wheat adds extra variation at each step of the synthesis and assembly of the rRNAs and RPs which can, as a result, potentially enhance its response to changing environments and disease threats.
Highlights
The wheat seed, like all plant seeds, is a “special living state” retaining only 10–15% moisture in the “dry” state to which tissue in the grain has adapted for long-term storage (Bonner and Varner, 1965; Swift and O’Brien, 1972)
The cytoplasmic ribosomes constitute the central RNA–protein complex responsible for synthesizing new proteins in wheat cells, and studies in model organisms have developed the concept that diversity in the composition of ribosomes can be linked to phenotypic diversity
The observations relating to clusters of rRNA unit types that can be co-regulated in a tissue-specific manner support the concept of tissue-specific ribosome subpopulations differing in their functional attributes and contributing to responses to environmental challenges (Tulpová et al, 2020; Sims et al, 2021)
Summary
The wheat seed, like all plant seeds, is a “special living state” retaining only 10–15% moisture in the “dry” state to which tissue in the grain has adapted for long-term storage (Bonner and Varner, 1965; Swift and O’Brien, 1972). The overall 3D structure of wheat ribosomes determined by Armache et al (2010) is used as a basis for reviewing the component RNA and proteins in wheat in order to understand changes in ribosome structure and the adaptation of the translational process in cells to biotic and abiotic stresses. The coordinated production and integration of both RNA and protein components into the wheat cytoplasmic ribosome assembly processes are considered in the present review in the context of adjustment to selection pressures and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. UniProt identifiers were used to recover amino acid sequences for searches against the Triticum aestivum L. reference genome using BLASTP in Ensembl and manual recovery of low-confidence (LC) gene models in a genome viewer Apollo instance for the Chinese Spring wheat genome assembly ver to curate their status. 1 gene identifiers to the version 2.1 gene identifiers that will appear in Ensembl Plants updates in due course
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