Poster: Vegetative development
Abs #
327: Peptide deformylase is essential for protein processing in rice organelles.
Protein synthesis begins with formylmethionine t-RNA and N-formyl group is removed in organelles by peptide deformylase (PDF). Study in Arabidopsis showed that whereas PDF1A is localized to mitochondria, PDF1B is localized to both mitochondria and chloroplast. We have identified one PDF1A homolog (OsPDF1A) and two PDF1B homologs (OsPDF1B1 and OsPDF1B2) in the rice genome databases. RT-PCR analyses showed that the Ospdf1a gene was expressed in all tissue tested. The Ospdf1b1 gene was expressed strongly in shoots and Ospdf1b2 was expressed very weakly. From TES database of the T-DNA insertional mutants in japonica rice we identified two knockout mutants in the PDF genes. The Ospdf1a knockout plants exhibited no apparent phenotype. In contrast, the Ospdf1b1 knockout plants showed chlorina phenotypes with growth retardation. Treatment of the wild type plants with actinonin, which inhibits function of PDF, caused chlorina phenotypes and severe growth reduction. These results suggest that PDF is essential for protein processing in rice organelles.
