Inactivation of maize transposon Mu suppresses a mutant phenotype by activating an outward-reading promoter near the end of Mu1.

We described previously a mutation in maize, hcf106, caused by the insertion of a Mu1 transposon. When the Mu transposon system is in an active phase, hcf106 conditions a nonphotosynthetic, pale green phenotype. However, when the Mu system is inactive (a state correlated with hypermethylation of Mu elements), the plant adopts a normal phenotype despite the continued presence of the transposon within the gene.

Somatic excision of the Mu1 transposable element of maize.

The Mu transposons of the Robertsons's Mutator transposable element system in maize are unusual in many respects, when compared to the other known plant transposon systems. The excision of these elements occurs late in somatic tissues and very rarely in the germ line. Unlike the other plant transposons, there is no experimental evidence directly linking Mu element excision and integration.

Somatically heritable switches in the DNA modification of Mu transposable elements monitored with a suppressible mutant in maize.

Many transposable elements in maize alternate between active and inactive phases associated with the modification of their DNA. Elements in an inactive phase lose their ability to transpose, their ability to excise from reporter alleles and, in some cases, their ability to enhance or suppress mutant phenotypes caused by their insertion. The maize mutant hcf106 is a recessive pale green seedling lethal caused by the insertion of the transposable element Mu1.

An unusual wheat insertion sequence (WIS1) lies upstream of an alpha-amylase gene in hexaploid wheat, and carries a "minisatellite" array.

Comparison of the 5' flanking regions of three alpha-amylase genes from chromosome 6B of hexaploid wheat by heteroduplex and sequence analysis revealed the presence of a 1.6 kb stem-loop insertion sequence (WIS1) in one of them. Polymorphism among hexaploid wheat varieties suggests the relatively recent insertion/excision of this sequence from its present position.

Molecular cloning of a maize gene involved in photosynthetic membrane organization that is regulated by Robertson's Mutator.

The maize photosynthetic mutant hcf106 has a distinctive and unusual thylakoid membrane organization, and fails to accumulate three of the five thylakoid membrane protein complexes. This mutant arose in a Robertson's Mutator background, and shows somatic instability typical of a transposon-induced allele. In addition, hcf106 is suppressed when Mu1 elements are inactive and modified in their terminal inverted repeats.

Sequence heterogeneity and differential expression of the alpha-Amy2 gene family in wheat.

The alpha-Amy2 genes of wheat are a multigene family which is expressed in the aleurone cells of germinating grain under control of the plant hormone gibberellin. A subset of the genes are also expressed in developing grain. Comparison of five genomic clones containing alpha-Amy2 genes, using DNA sequence analysis and Southern hybridisation, showed that the extent of similarity between genes differed.

A novel wheat alpha-amylase gene (alpha-Amy3).

A genomic clone of a wheat alpha-amylase gene (lambdaAmy3/33) was identified, on the basis of hybridisation properties, as different from alpha-Amy1 and alpha-Amy2 genes which had been characterised previously. The nucleotide sequence revealed that this gene has the normal sequence motifs of an active gene and an open reading frame interrupted by two introns. The protein sequence encoded by this open reading frame is recognisably similar to that of alpha-amylase from the alpha-Amy1 and alpha-Amy2 genes and there is high sequence homology in all three proteins at the putative active sites and Ca++ binding region.

Use of nuclear mutants in the analysis of chloroplast development.

Although a wide range of mutations in the nuclear genome also affect chloroplast biogenesis, their pleiotropic nature often limits their use in studying nuclear genes that regulate or facilitate chloroplast development. However, many mutations that cause a high-chlorophyll-fluorescent (hcf) phenotype exhibit limited pleiotrophy, causing the loss of functionally related sets of chloroplast polypeptides. Several hcf mutations are described that result in the loss of one specific protein complex from the thylakoid membrane.

Allelic variation at α-Amylase loci in hexaploid wheat.

A study of α-amylase isozyme patterns from gibberellin-induced endosperms from more than 200 wheat genotypes has revealed allelic variation at five of the six α-Amy-1 and α-Amy-2 structural loci. These differences will find application as genetic markers and in varietal identification. The α-Amy-B1 locus on chromosome 6B was most variable and displayed eight distinct allelic forms.

α-amylase genes of wheat are two multigene families which are differentially expressed.

The α-Amy1 and α-Amy2 genes of wheat produce distinct subsets of α-amylase isozymes which show different patterns of expression in wheat aleurone cells and in developing grain. In order to characterise the organisation and expression of these genes, clones of α-Amy1 and α-Amy2 cDNA have been isolated. The two types of cDNA clone were distinguished within a small library of α-amylase cDNA clones (Baulcombe and Buffard, Planta 157 493-501 [1983]) by restriction endonuclease mapping and by cross hybridisation.

Gibberellins and gene control in cereal aleurone cells.

The production of hydrolytic enzymes in the germinating cereal grain is considered as a model for plant cell differentiation. Recent literature is reviewed which suggests that gibberellins are involved in this process, but in a less straightforward manner than considered previously. It seems likely that only a subfraction of gibberellin is active and that production of this gibberellin is actually in the hydrolase-producing cells.