GLYCINE RICH RNA BINDING PROTEINS IN TOMATO FRUITS: A NOVEL POSITIVE REGULATION OF EXPRESSION

MÜLLER GABRIELA; TRIASSI AGUSTINA; MARÍA V. LARA; DRINCOVICH, MA. FABIANA; ANDREO CARLOS S.

MENDOZA

Congreso; XLVIII Reunión científica anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2012

In this study, the analysis of GRP1 gene family was undertaken in Micro-Tom tomato fruit. Three genes LeGRP1 (LeGRP1a-c) were identified which are highly homologous to each other and to GRPs of related species. Three transcriptional products for each gene were identified, the un-spliced pre-RNA, the mature mRNA and the alternative spliced mRNA (preLeGRP1a-c , mLeGRP1a-c and asLeGRP1a-c). LeGRPs show the classical N-terminal end RNA recognition motif and the C-terminal end glycine-rich region, suggesting conservation of functional properties. The levels of all transcriptional forms of and the total immunoreactive LeGRP1 decrease during tomato fruit development from immature green to red ripe. Particular circadian profiles of expression were detected for each transcriptional form. During ripening off the vine after mature green, the levels of all transcriptional forms increased at 20ºC but not at 4ºC. The correlation analysis of the expression of all transcriptional forms suggests a novel model of positive regulation of expression in tomato fruit, in which each immature form of positively correlates with each other and the form correlates depending on the stage. The results obtained reveal a complex pattern of expression of GRP in tomato fruits suggesting these proteins as key regulators of important processes in fruits.