© 2007 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Molecular identification and characterization of Tcmago and TcY14 in Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides)
Yu-Rong Chen (1), Jei-Fu Shaw (2), Mei-Chu Chung (2) and Fang-Hua Chu (1, 3)
1. School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan / 2. Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan / 3. Corresponding author (fhchu@ntu.edu.tw) / Received August 16, 2006; accepted January 5, 2007; published online June 1, 2007
Summary
Mago nashi (Mago) and Y14 proteins are highly conserved among eukaryotes, and not only play important roles in oogenesis,
embryogenesis and germ-line determination during animal development, but also participate in mRNA localization and splicing
in cell growth. We identified mago (Tcmago) and Y14 (TcY14) homologues derived from expressed sequence tags of Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata seedlings. Tcmago and TcY14 contain coding regions encoding 149 and 216 amino acids, respectively. Multiple amino acid sequence alignments as well as
secondary and tertiary structure all predicted that TcMago and TcY14 possessed similar protein structures to the crystal structures
of Drosophila melanogaster and human Mago and Y14 proteins. We demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid analysis and a GST pull-down assay that TcMago and TcY14
interacted in vivo and in vitro, confirming structural predictions of their interaction. TcMago and TcY14 were predominately
localized in the nucleus. Whole mount in situ hybridization and immunolocalization showed that Tcmago and TcY14 were both detected in root hairs at the levels of transcription and protein expression. Overexpression of Tcmago in transgenic
tobacco plants resulted in longer roots and a more complex root system. TcMago and TcY14 may have cellular functions similar
to the Mago and Y14 proteins in animals and may be involved in root development in plants.
Keywords:
Mago nashi, mRNAs localization, root development, Y14.
