SPLICING OF THE ROLA TRANSCRIPT OF AGROBACTERIUM-RHIZOGENES IN ARABIDOPSIS

The rolA gene encoded on the Ri plasmid A4 of Agrobacterium rhizogenes is one of the transferred (T-L-DNA) genes involved in the pathogenesi s of hairy-root disease in plants. The function of the 100-amino acid protein product of rolA is unknown, although its expression causes phy siological and developmental alterations in transgenic plants. The rol A gene of A. rhizogenes contains an intron in its untranslated leader region that has features typical of plant pre-messenger RNA introns. T ranscription and splicing of the rolA pre-messenger RNA occur in the p lant cell.