Ultrastructural and Protein Analysis of Rice and Wheat Albinos by Pollen Culture

Xiangning Chen, Yuxiang Li and Jigeng Li

Genetics Institute, Academia Sinica Beijing, People's Republic of China

ABSTRACT

U ltrastructural and protein analysis of albino plants regenerated from rice and wheat pollen culture were performed. Ultrastructural studies show that albino plastid development is normal at early stages. At the pregranal plastid growth stage, the chlorophyll synthesis is blocked, subsequently abnormal plastid development occurs. Thylakoid membrane polypeptide analysis by SDS-PAGE shows that there is very little, if any, nucleus-coded Chl a/b AP2 proteins in the albinos as compared with the green control. Thylakoid membrane proteins Chl a AP2 and Chl a AP3 coded by plastid DNA are missing from the albinos. Some variations in molecular weight and quantity of alpha and beta subunits in ATPase are observed. Chlorophyll-protein complex analysis indicates six bands in green plantlet, only two of them exist in albinos. Both are complexed with Chl a and with a molecular weight of 15.8 kd and 13 kd, respectively. The two proteins have not been reported in the literatures. They may be components of PSI reaction center.

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Last revised: January 13, 2004.