Open AccessFerredoxin-1 mRNA is destabilized by changes in photosynthetic electron transport
Author(s) -
Marie E. Petracek,
Lynn F. Dickey,
Tuyen Nguyen,
Christiane Gatz,
Dolores A. Sowinski,
George C. Allen,
William F. Thompson
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.95.15.9009
Subject(s) - dcmu , photosynthesis , messenger rna , darkness , biology , ferredoxin , transgene , microbiology and biotechnology , photosystem ii , biophysics , biochemistry , botany , gene , enzyme
In transgenic tobacco, pea Ferredoxin-1 (Fed-1 ) mRNA accumulates rapidly in response to photosynthesis even when the transgene is driven by a constitutive promoter. To investigate the role of photosynthesis onFed-1 mRNA stability, we used the tetracycline repressible Top10 promoter system to specifically shut off transcription of theFed-1 transgene. TheFed-1 mRNA has a half-life of approximately 2.4 hr in the light and a half-life of only 1.2 hr in the dark or in the presence of the photosynthetic electron transport inhibitor 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU). These data indicate that cessation of photosynthesis, either by darkness or DCMU results in a destabilization of theFed-1 mRNA. Furthermore, theFed-1 mRNA half-life is reduced immediately upon transfer to darkness, suggesting thatFed-1 mRNA destabilization is a primary response to photosynthesis rather than a secondary response to long-term dark adaptation. Finally, the two different methods for efficient tetracycline delivery reported here generally should be useful for half-life measurements of other mRNAs in whole plants.