Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
10:56
Polysome Fractionation and Analysis of Mammalian Translatomes on a Genome-wide Scale
Published on: May 17, 2014
Osmotin gene expression is posttranscriptionally regulated
P C Larosa1, Z Chen, D E Nelson
1Center for Plant Environmental Stress Physiology, 1165 Horticulture Building, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1165.
Plant Physiology
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Osmotin accumulation in tobacco plants is complex, influenced by development and environmental factors like salt stress. Post-transcriptional regulation also plays a role in controlling osmotin levels.
Area of Science:
- Plant molecular biology
- Biochemistry
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Osmotin is a stress-related protein found in plants.
- Its accumulation is known to be regulated, but the precise mechanisms are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental and environmental factors controlling osmotin mRNA and protein accumulation in tobacco.
- To explore the relationship between osmotin mRNA and protein levels across different tissues and conditions.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative analysis of osmotin mRNA and protein levels in various tobacco tissues.
- Treatment of tobacco plants and cell cultures with hormones (abscisic acid, ethylene) and environmental stressors (NaCl, wounding, viral infection).
Main Results:
- Osmotin is most abundant in tobacco roots and stem epidermis, with lower levels in other tissues and undetectable in seeds.
- Osmotin mRNA and protein accumulation are not always correlated; some treatments induced mRNA without protein.
- Abscisic acid, wounding, and tobacco mosaic virus infection induced osmotin mRNA but not protein.
- Ethylene induced both mRNA and some protein in seedlings, but not in cell cultures.
- NaCl treatment significantly increased both osmotin mRNA and protein levels.
Conclusions:
- Osmotin accumulation is under complex developmental control and influenced by multiple signaling pathways.
- Environmental factors such as salt stress, hormonal signals, and pathogen infection regulate osmotin expression.
- Post-transcriptional mechanisms can significantly impact the final accumulation of osmotin protein, decoupling it from mRNA levels.
Related Concept Videos
01:42What is Gene Expression?
Overview
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...
01:36What is Gene Expression?
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is comprised of nucleotides and proteins are comprised of amino acids, a mediator is required to convert the information encoded in DNA into proteins. This mediator is the messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA copies the blueprint from DNA by a process called transcription. In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus by complementary base-pairing with the DNA template. The mRNA is then processed and...
01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the addition of a...
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
01:27Constitutive and Regulated Gene Expression
Gene expression in prokaryotes is governed by constitutive and regulated systems, allowing cells to balance the production of essential proteins with adaptive responses to environmental changes.Constitutive Gene ExpressionConstitutive, or housekeeping, genes are continuously expressed as they encode proteins vital for fundamental cellular processes. These include enzymes for glycolysis, ribosomal components for protein synthesis, and proteins involved in DNA replication. Their constant...