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SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, AND GENE REGULATION

Plant SMU-1 and SMU-2 Homologues Regulate Pre-mRNA Splicing and Multiple Aspects of Development^{1,[C],[W],[OA]}

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721

In eukaryotes, alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs contributes significantly to the proper expression of the genome. However, the functions of many auxiliary spliceosomal proteins are still unknown. Here, we functionally characterized plant homologues of nematode suppressors of mec-8 and unc-52 (smu). We compared transcript profiles of maize (Zea mays) smu2 endosperm with those of wild-type plants and identified pre-mRNA splicing events that depend on the maize SMU2 protein. Consistent with a conserved role of plant SMU-2 homologues, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) smu2 mutants also show altered splicing of similar target pre-mRNAs. The Atsmu2 mutants occasionally show developmental phenotypes, including abnormal cotyledon numbers and higher seed weights. We identified AtSMU1 as one of the SMU2-interacting proteins, and Atsmu1 mutations cause similar developmental phenotypes with higher penetrance than Atsmu2. The AtSMU2 and AtSMU1 proteins are localized to the nucleus and highly prevalent in actively dividing tissues. Taken together, our data indicated that the plant SMU-1 and SMU-2 homologues appear to be involved in splicing of specific pre-mRNAs that affect multiple aspects of development.

² Present address: 425-G Henry Mall, Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.

³ Present address: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Agricultural Plant Stress Research Center, Chonnam National University, Kwangju 500–757, Korea.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Brian A. Larkins (larkins{at}ag.arizona.edu).

^[C] Some figures in this article are displayed in color online but in black and white in the print edition.

^[W] The online version of this article contains Web-only data.

^[OA] Open Access articles can be viewed online without a subscription.

www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.109.141705

^* Corresponding author; e-mail larkins{at}ag.arizona.edu.

Received May 22, 2009; accepted August 31, 2009; published September 4, 2009.