Target specificity among canonical nuclear poly(A) polymerases in plants modulates organ growth and pathogen response

05.08.2013

Vi SL, Trost G, Lange P, Czesnick H, Rao N, Lieber D, Laux T, Gray WM, Manley JL, Groth D, Kappel C, Lenhard M.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(34):13994-9

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.        online article

Most pre-mRNAs are polyadenylated by poly(A) polymerase (PAPS). The three isoforms in Arabidopsis are functionally specialized. A strong mutation in PAPS1 causes male sterility, whereas a weak allele leads to smaller leaves. By contrast, plants lacking both PAPS2 and PAPS4 are viable with normal leaf size. Polyadenylation of SMALL AUXIN UP RNA (SAUR) mRNAs depends specifically on PAPS1. This suggests an additional layer of regulation in plant and possibly vertebrate gene expression by PAPS.