Plant Physiol.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (30)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hacham, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Amir, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hacham, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Amir, R.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Hacham, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Amir, R.

Plant Physiol, February 2002, Vol. 128, pp. 454-462

The N-Terminal Region of Arabidopsis Cystathionine gamma -Synthase Plays an Important Regulatory Role in Methionine Metabolism1

Yael Hacham, Tal Avraham, and Rachel Amir*

Plant Science Laboratory, Migal Galilee Technology Center, Rosh Pina 12100, Israel (Y.H., T.A., R.A.); and Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee 10120, Israel (R.A.)

Cystathionine gamma -synthase (CGS) is a key enzyme of Met biosynthesis in bacteria and plants. Aligning the amino acid sequences revealed that the plant enzyme has an extended N-terminal region that is not found in the bacterial enzyme. However, this region is not essential for the catalytic activity of this enzyme, as deduced from the complementation test of an Escherichia coli CGS mutant. To determine the function of this N-terminal region, we overexpressed full-length Arabidopsis CGS and its truncated version that lacks the N-terminal region in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. Transgenic plants expressing both types of CGS had a significant higher level of Met, S-methyl-Met, and Met content in their proteins. However, although plants expressing full-length CGS showed the same phenotype and developmental pattern as wild-type plants, those expressing the truncated CGS showed a severely abnormal phenotype. These abnormal plants also emitted high levels of Met catabolic products, dimethyl sulfide and carbon disulfide. The level of ethylene, the Met-derived hormone, was 40 times higher than in wild-type plants. Since the alien CGS was expressed at comparable levels in both types of transgenic plants, we further suggest that post-translational modification(s) occurs in this N-terminal region, which regulate CGS and/or Met metabolism. More specifically, since the absence of the N-terminal region leads to an impaired Met metabolism, the results further suggest that this region plays a role in protecting plants from a high level of Met catabolic products such as ethylene.

1 This study was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grant no. 410/98-2).

* Corresponding author; e-mail rachel{at}migal.org.il; fax 972-4-6944980.

© 2002 American Society of Plant Physiologists


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
S. Ufaz and G. Galili
Improving the Content of Essential Amino Acids in Crop Plants: Goals and Opportunities
Plant Physiology, July 1, 2008; 147(3): 954 - 961.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Phil Trans R Soc BHome page
E. S Dennis, J. Ellis, A. Green, D. Llewellyn, M. Morell, L. Tabe, and W.J Peacock
Genetic contributions to agricultural sustainability
Phil Trans R Soc B, February 12, 2008; 363(1491): 591 - 609.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
K. Loizeau, B. Gambonnet, G.-F. Zhang, G. Curien, S. Jabrin, D. Van Der Straeten, W. E. Lambert, F. Rebeille, and S. Ravanel
Regulation of One-Carbon Metabolism in Arabidopsis: The N-Terminal Regulatory Domain of Cystathionine {gamma}-Synthase Is Cleaved in Response to Folate Starvation
Plant Physiology, October 1, 2007; 145(2): 491 - 503.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
F. Rebeille, S. Jabrin, R. Bligny, K. Loizeau, B. Gambonnet, V. Van Wilder, R. Douce, and S. Ravanel
Methionine catabolism in Arabidopsis cells is initiated by a {gamma}-cleavage process and leads to S-methylcysteine and isoleucine syntheses
PNAS, October 17, 2006; 103(42): 15687 - 15692.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant CellHome page
J. Schuster, T. Knill, M. Reichelt, J. Gershenzon, and S. Binder
BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINOTRANSFERASE4 Is Part of the Chain Elongation Pathway in the Biosynthesis of Methionine-Derived Glucosinolates in Arabidopsis
PLANT CELL, October 1, 2006; 18(10): 2664 - 2679.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Exp BotHome page
G. Amira, M. Ifat, A. Tal, B. Hana, G. Shmuel, and A. Rachel
Soluble methionine enhances accumulation of a 15 kDa zein, a methionine-rich storage protein, in transgenic alfalfa but not in transgenic tobacco plants
J. Exp. Bot., September 1, 2005; 56(419): 2443 - 2452.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Exp BotHome page
H. Hesse, O. Kreft, S. Maimann, M. Zeh, and R. Hoefgen
Current understanding of the regulation of methionine biosynthesis in plants
J. Exp. Bot., August 1, 2004; 55(404): 1799 - 1808.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol Biol EvolHome page
Y. Hacham, U. Gophna, and R. Amir
In Vivo Analysis of Various Substrates Utilized by Cystathionine {gamma}-Synthase and O-Acetylhomoserine Sulfhydrylase in Methionine Biosynthesis
Mol. Biol. Evol., September 1, 2003; 20(9): 1513 - 1520.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
O. Kreft, R. Hoefgen, and H. Hesse
Functional Analysis of Cystathionine gamma -Synthase in Genetically Engineered Potato Plants
Plant Physiology, April 1, 2003; 131(4): 1843 - 1854.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ASPB Publications PLANT PHYSIOLOGY® THE PLANT CELL
Copyright © 2002 by the American Society of Plant Biologists