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CELL BIOLOGY AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION

The Arabidopsis Tandem Zinc Finger Protein AtTZF1 Traffics between the Nucleus and Cytoplasmic Foci and Binds Both DNA and RNA^{1,2,[C],[W],[OA]}

Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (M.C.P., C.H., S.G.K., J.J.F., J.-C.J.), Plant Biotechnology Center (M.C.P., C.H., P.-C.L., S.G.K., J.-C.J.), and Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology (P.-C.L., J.-C.J.), Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio 44691 (J.J.F.); National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 (P.J.B.); and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710 (P.J.B.)

Processing bodies (PBs) are specialized cytoplasmic foci where mRNA turnover and translational repression can take place. Stress granules are related cytoplasmic foci. The CCCH tandem zinc finger proteins (TZFs) play pivotal roles in gene expression, cell fate specification, and various developmental processes. Human TZF binds AU-rich elements at the 3' untranslated region and recruits decapping, deadenylation, and exonucleolytic enzymes to PBs for RNA turnover. Recent genetic studies indicate that plant TZFs are involved in gene regulation and hormone-mediated environmental responses. It is unknown if plant TZFs can bind RNA and be localized to PBs or stress granules. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) AtTZF1/AtCTH/AtC3H23 was identified as a sugar-sensitive gene in a previous microarray study. It is characterized by a TZF motif that is distinct from the human TZF. Higher plants such as Arabidopsis and rice (Oryza sativa) each have a gene family containing this unique TZF motif. Here, we show that AtTZF1 can traffic between the nucleus and cytoplasmic foci. AtTZF1 colocalizes with markers of PBs, and the morphology of these cytoplasmic foci resembles that of mammalian PBs and stress granules. AtTZF1-associated cytoplasmic foci are dynamic and tissue specific. They can be induced by dark and wound stresses and are preferentially present in actively growing tissues and stomatal precursor cells. Since AtTZF1 can bind both DNA and RNA in vitro, it raises the possibility that AtTZF1 might be involved in DNA and/or RNA regulation.

² This article is dedicated to the memory of Pei-Chi Lin (1978–2007), who was a great coworker and made an important contribution to this work.

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: Jyan-Chyun Jang (jang.40{at}osu.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.109.145656

^* Corresponding author; e-mail jang.40{at}osu.edu.

Received July 31, 2009; accepted November 2, 2009; published November 6, 2009.