ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GMSTI, A STRESS-INDUCIBLE GENE FROMSOYBEAN (GLYCINE-MAX) CODING FOR A PROTEIN BELONGING TO THE TPR (TETRATRICOPEPTIDE REPEATS) FAMILY

In close vicinity of two fus nuclear genes (chloroplast-specific trans lation elongation factor cEF-G) of soybean (Glycine max) we localized a split nuclear gene coding for a protein with tetratricopeptide repea ts (TPR). A full-length cDNA was sequenced (1871 nucleotides). It enco des a protein (569 amino acids) with high sequence identity to the yea st STI1 stress-inducible and the human transformation-sensitive IEF SS P 3521 protein which both carry TPR elements. The soybean gene is heat -inducible. This is the first evidence for the existence of plant gene s coding for proteins which belong to the TPR family. We call the gene gmsti and the protein GMSTI in analogy to the yeast counterpart.