Yx. Shen et al., RNA binding-proteins interact specifically with the Arabidopsis chloroplast psbA mRNA 5 ' untranslated region in a redox-dependent manner, PLANT CEL P, 42(10), 2001, pp. 1071-1078
The 5 ' untranslated region (5 ' UTR) of the psbA mRNA (pshA encodes the PS
II reaction center protein, DI) is a key site for FNA-protein interactions
in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In this study, w
e mapped the major pshA mRNA 5 ' -terminus at -77 nt, and two minor termini
clusters centered at -48 and -64 nt, upstream from the psbA translational
start codon of Arabidopsis thaliana. RNA mobility shift, RNase protection a
nd UV-crosslinking assays were used to characterize the interaction of chlo
roplast proteins with the RNA 5 ' UTR. RNA-protein interactions depended up
on a thermolabile secondary structure and specific sequences in a 35 nt reg
ion of the 5 ' UTR, which were 80% conserved with the psbA 5 ' UTRs from fi
ve other plants. Major and minor proteins of 43- and 30-kDa, respectively,
were detected by UV-crosslinking to RNA. Oxidizing conditions abolished the
association of the proteins with the 5 ' UTR, while RNA-binding activity w
as recovered upon incubation with a reductant. Based on these findings, we
hypothesize that post-transcriptional regulation of psbA gene expression in
chloroplasts of vascular plants involves redox-dependent interactions betw
een specific sequences in the 5 ' UTR and 43- and 30-kDa RNA-binding protei
ns.