THE HETEROLOGOUS INTERACTIONS AMONG PLANT 14-3-3-PROTEINS AND IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR DIMERIZATION

The 14-3-3 proteins constitute a family of dimeric proteins that are i nvolved in many cellular functions. At least two mammalian 14-3-3 prot eins can form heterodimers and the approximate regions important for d imerization have been identified. in this study, we demonstrate that e ight Arabidopsis and one maize 14-3-3 protein can dimerize with each o ther and with themselves. Native gel Western analysis of Arabidopsis c ell extract also suggests the presence of 14-3-3 heterodimers in vivo. Finally, we identified the domains of one 14-3-3 protein that are suf ficient for homodimerization and heterodimerization. These data suppor t the hypothesis that evolutionarily divergent 14-3-3 proteins can int eract with each other to form diverse molecular modulators or adapters in signaling pathways. (C) 1997 Academic Press.