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Functioning haemoglobin genes in non-nodulating plants.

D Bogusz¹, C A Appleby, J Landsmann

¹Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia.

|January 14, 1988

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Plant haemoglobin genes, found in symbiotic nodules, are present in all plants, not transferred horizontally. This suggests a common evolutionary origin and a role in root respiration for all plant species.

Area of Science:

Plant molecular biology
Evolutionary biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Haemoglobin in plants was previously only identified in symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodules.
Structural similarities between plant and animal haemoglobins suggested a common evolutionary origin.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence and evolutionary origin of haemoglobin genes in non-nodulating plants.
To explore the potential universal role of haemoglobin in plant root metabolism.

Main Methods:

Isolation of a haemoglobin gene from Trema tomentosa, a non-nodulating plant.
Analysis of intron positions within the isolated haemoglobin gene.
Investigation of gene transcription and translation patterns in Trema and Parasponia roots.

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Main Results:

A haemoglobin gene was isolated from the non-nodulating plant Trema tomentosa.
Identical intron positions in the Trema haemoglobin gene to those in nodulating plants support a common origin.
Haemoglobin gene transcription was observed in the roots of non-nodulated plants, indicating a role beyond symbiosis.

Conclusions:

Plant haemoglobin genes likely originated from a common ancestor shared with animals, not through horizontal gene transfer.
Haemoglobin plays a role in the respiratory metabolism of root cells across all plant species.
The high expression in nodules is likely an adaptation of a pre-existing regulatory pathway for a specialized symbiotic function.