Nuclear localization signals, genetic characterisation and morphological study of wild type and 14 Arabidopsis mutant lines

Abstract

2-oxoglutarate-dependent (2-OG) dioxygenases [2(OG)-dioxygenases] are distributed in a widerange of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and are involved in many different important biologicalactivities, for example biosynthesis of plant products including plant hormones and antioxidants,posttranslational modification, DNA/RNA damage repair and in certain organisms modulationsof epigenetic modifications. These 2(OG) dioxygenase enzymes contain a characteristic iron (Fe)-binding active site. To understand their role in modulating mechanisms against unfavourableconditions, the present study examined nuclear localization signal (NLS), genetic status,phenotypic patterns of 14 T-DNA mutants of Arabidopsis containing an insert in their (2-OG)dioxygenase genes. Results showed that predicted localizations of proteins encoded byrespective genes varied according to four different methods used in this analysis; seven, three,one and one of them were predicted to be located in the nucleus according to the four methods,respectively. Moreover, genotypic analysis confirmed the homozygosity of plant(s) of nine ofthese mutant lines [N671573 (insert in At1g20270), N668172 (At1g68080), N652869(At2g17720), N679576 (At3g06290), N678627 (At3g28490), N338446 (At4g35810), N683883(At4g35820), N666896 (At5g18900), N598611 (At5g66060)] and phenotypic analysis includingvegetative, siliques and seed characteristics of those plants showed different characteristicseither within each mutant (homozygous and heterozygous), or between mutants and the WT.