RNA editing in plant mitochondria, cytoplasmic male sterility and plant breeding
Full Text
Reprint PDF

Keywords

Plant mitochondria
RNA editing
cytidine deamination
Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)
Fertility restoration

How to Cite

1.
Araya A, Zabaleta E, Blanc V, Bégu D, Hernould M, Mouras A, Litvak S. RNA editing in plant mitochondria, cytoplasmic male sterility and plant breeding. Electron. J. Biotechnol. [Internet]. 1998 Apr. 15 [cited 2024 Oct. 9];1(1):0-. Available from: https://www.ejbiotechnology.info/index.php/ejbiotechnology/article/view/v1n1-4

Abstract

RNA editing in plant mitochondria is a post-transcriptional process involving the partial change of C residues into U. These C to U changes lead to the synthesis of proteins with an amino acid sequence different to that predicted from the gene. Proteins produced from edited mRNAs are more similar to those from organisms where this process is absent. This biochemical process involves cytidine deamination. The cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) phenotype generated by the incompatibility between the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes is an important agronomical trait which prevents inbreeding and favors hybrid production. The hypothesis that RNA editing leads to functional proteins has been proposed. This hypothesis was tested by constructing transgenic plants expressing a mitochondrial protein translated from unedited mRNA. The transgenic "unedited" protein was addressed to the mitochondria leading to the appearance of mitochondrial dysfunction and generating the male sterile phenotype in transgenic tobacco plants. Male sterile plants were also obtained by expressing specifically a bacterial ribonuclease in the anthers. The economical benefits of artificially engineered male-sterile plants or carrying the (native) spontaneous CMS phenotype, implies the restoration to obtain fertile hybrids that will be used in agriculture. Restoration to fertility of transgenic plants was obtained either by crossing male-sterile plants carrying the "unedited" mRNA with plants carrying the same RNA, but in the antisense orientation or, in the case of plants expresing the ribonuclease, by crossing male-sterile plants with plants expressing an inhibitor specific of this enzyme.

Full Text
Reprint PDF

Upon acceptance of an article by the journal, authors will be asked to transfer the copyright to Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, which is committed to maintain the electronic access to the journal and to administer a policy of fair control and ensure the widest possible dissemination of the information. The author can use the article for academic purposes, stating clearly the following: "Published in Electronic Journal of Biotechnology at DOI:10.2225/volXX-issueX-fulltext-XX".

The Copyright Transfer Agreement must be submitted as a signed scanned copy to biotec@ucv.cl. All authors must send a copy of this document.