Growth regulation by apyrases: Insights from altering their expression level in different organisms
Greg Clark1, Manas K Tripathy2, Stanley J Roux1
1Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 100 E 24th Street, TX 78712, USA.
Plant Physiology
|November 10, 2023
Summary
Apyrase (APY) enzymes regulate growth across organisms by removing phosphate groups from nucleoside triphosphates. This review explores how APY activity, altered through genetic modification or inhibitors, impacts growth and development.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Plant Biology
- Enzymology
Background:
- Apyrase (APY) enzymes are conserved nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases found in yeast, plants, and animals.
- APYs play critical roles in regulating plant growth and development, particularly in species like Arabidopsis and pea.
- Previous research utilized transgenic approaches to alter APY transcript abundance, providing insights into their functions.
Approach:
- This review synthesizes recent studies investigating the mechanisms by which APY activity promotes growth in various organisms.
- It examines findings from transgenic lines with constitutively expressed APY in plants and yeast.
- The review also considers studies employing chemical inhibitors to modulate APY activity.
Key Points:
- APY enzymatic activity is crucial for promoting growth in diverse organisms.
- Transgenic manipulation of APY expression and chemical inhibition are key methods for studying APY function.
- Conserved structures and functions of APYs highlight their fundamental biological roles.
Conclusions:
- Significant progress has been made in understanding how APY activity influences growth.
- Unanswered questions remain regarding the precise mechanisms of APY-mediated plant growth regulation.
- Future research should focus on addressing these remaining questions to further elucidate APY functions.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
920
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...
920
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
22.7K
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...
22.7K
01:36What is Gene Expression?
8.5K
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...
8.5K
01:58Cell Specific Gene Expression
13.6K
Multicellular organisms contain a variety of structurally and functionally distinct cell types, but the DNA in all the cells originated from the same parent cells. The differences in the cells can be attributed to the differential gene expression. Liver cells, whose functions include detoxification of blood, production of bile to metabolize fats, and synthesis of proteins essential for metabolism, must express a specific set of genes to perform their functions. Gene expression also varies with...
13.6K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
3.8K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.8K
02:23RNA Editing
9.0K
RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification where a precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) nucleotide sequence is changed by base insertion, deletion, or modification. The extent of RNA editing varies from a few hundred bases, in mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomes, to a just single base, in nuclear genes of mammals. Even a single base change in the pre-mRNA can convert a codon for one amino acid into the codon for another amino acid or a stop codon. This type of re-coding can significantly affect the...
9.0K