Synthesis and Phosphorylation of Maize Acidic Ribosomal
Proteins1
Implications in Translational Regulation
Raúl Aguilar,
Leonel Montoya, and
Estela Sánchez de
Jiménez*
Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química,
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, D.F. 04510, México
The objective of this research was to
determine the role of acidic ribosomal protein (ARP) phosphorylation in
translation. Ribosomes (Rbs) from germinated maize (Zea
mays L.) axes had four ARP bands within 4.2 to 4.5 isoelectric
points when analyzed by isoelectric focusing. Two of these bands
disappeared after alkaline phosphatase hydrolysis. During germination a
progressive change from nonphosphorylated (0 h) to phosphorylated ARP
(24 h) forms was observed in the Rbs; a free cytoplasmic pool of
nonphosphorylated ARPs was also identified by immunoblot and
isoelectric focusing experiments. De novo ARP synthesis initiated very
slowly early in germination, whereas ARP phosphorylation occurred
rapidly within this period. ARP-phosphorylated versus
ARP-nonphosphorylated Rbs were tested in an in vitro reticulocyte
lysate translation system. Greater in vitro mRNA translation rates were
demonstrated for the ARP-phosphorylated Rbs than for the
non-ARP-phosphorylated ones. Rapamycin application to maize axes
strongly inhibited S6 ribosomal protein phosphorylation, but did not
interfere with the ARP phosphorylation reaction. We conclude that ARP
phosphorylation does not depend on ARP synthesis or on ARP assembly
into Rbs. Rather, this process seems to be part of a translational
regulation mechanism.
1
This work was supported by the Dirección
General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional
Autonoma de Mexico (grant nos. IN200793 and IN217496).
*
Corresponding author; e-mail estelas{at}servidor.unam.mx; fax
52-5-6-22-53-29.
Plant Physiol. (1998) 116: 379-385
Copyright Clearance Center: 0032-0889/98/116/0379/07
© 1998 American Society of Plant Physiologists