Water-stress-induced inhibition of α-tubulin gene expression during growth, and its implications for reproductive success in rice.

A drought-suppressed cDNA (RiP-3), encoding a putative α-tubulin protein was isolated from rice panicle at pollen-mother-cell meiosis stage. Analysis of its deduced amino acid sequence showed all the typical structural motifs for plant α-tubulins. The expression of α-tubulin transcripts was observed in all the reproductive organs of rice panicle, and in 5- or 15-day old seedlings, but not in mature leaves.

Cloning and functional expression of two plant thiol methyltransferases: a new class of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of sulfur volatiles.

Glucosinolates are defensive compounds found in several plant families. We recently described five distinct isoforms of a novel plant enzyme, thiol methyltransferase (TMT), which methylate the hydrolysis products of glucosinolates to volatile sulfur compounds that have putative anti-insect and anti-pathogen roles. In the work presented here, two cDNAs encoding these enzymes (cTMT1 and cTMT2) were isolated by screening a cabbage cDNA library with an Arabidopsis EST showing high sequence homology to one TMT isoform.