An 8.5-kb cosmid containing the KORRIGAN gene complements the cellulose-deficient rsw2-1 mutant of Arabidopsis. Three temperature-sensitive alleles of rsw2 show single amino acid mutations in the putative endo-1,4-␤-glucanase encoded by KOR. The F 1 from crosses between kor-1 and rsw2 alleles shows a weak, temperature-sensitive root phenotype. The shoots of rsw2-1 seedlings produce less cellulose and accumulate a short chain, readily extractable glucan resembling that reported for rsw1 (which is defective in a putative glycosyltransferase required for cellulose synthesis). The double mutant (rsw2-1 rsw1) shows further reductions in cellulose production relative to both single mutants, constitutively slow root growth, and enhanced temperature-sensitive responses that are typically more severe than in either single mutant. Abnormal cytokinesis and severely reduced birefringent retardation in elongating root cell walls of rsw2 link the enzyme to cellulose production for primary cell walls and probably cell plates. The Rsw2 Ϫ phenotype generally resembles the Kor Ϫ and cellulose-deficient Rsw1 Ϫ phenotypes, but anther dehiscence is impaired in Rsw2-1 Ϫ. The findings link a second putative enzyme activity to cellulose synthesis in primary cell walls of Arabidopsis and further increases the parallels to cellulose synthesis in Agrobacterium tumefaciens where the celA and celC genes are required and encode a putative glycosyltransferase and an endo-1,4-␤-glucanase related to RSW1 and KOR, respectively.

The known functions of the Golgi complex include the sorting, packaging, post-translational modification, and transport of secretory proteins, membrane proteins, and lipids. Other functions still remain elusive to cell biologists. With the goal of identifying novel Golgi proteins, a proteomics project was undertaken to map the major proteins of the organelle using two-dimensional gels, to identify the unknowns using tandem mass spectrometry, and to screen for Golgi residents using GFP-fusion constructs. Multiple unknowns were identified, and the initial characterization of one of these proteins is reported here. GMx33 alpha is a member of a conserved family of cytosolic Golgi-associated proteins with no known homology to any known functional domain or protein. Biochemical analyses show that GMx33 alpha differentially partitions into all phases of multiple detergent extractions, and two-dimensional immunoblots reveal that there are multiple differentially modified forms of GMx33 alpha associated with the Golgi, several of which are phosphorylated. Evidence suggests that these post-translational modifications regulate its association with the Golgi. GMx33 alpha was not found on Golgi budded vesicles, and immuno-electron microscopy co-localizes GMx33 alpha to the trans-face on the same three cisternae as TGN38 in normal rat kidney cells. This work represents the preliminary characterization of a novel family of trans-Golgi-associated proteins.

No abstract

The known functions of the Golgi complex include the sorting, packaging, post-translational modification, and transport of secretory proteins, membrane proteins, and lipids. Other functions still remain elusive to cell biologists. With the goal of identifying novel Golgi proteins, a proteomics project was undertaken to map the major proteins of the organelle using two-dimensional gels, to identify the unknowns using tandem mass spectrometry, and to screen for Golgi residents using GFP-fusion constructs. Multiple unknowns were identified, and the initial characterization of one of these proteins is reported here. GMx33a is a member of a conserved family of cytosolic Golgi-associated proteins with no known homology to any known functional domain or protein.Biochemical analyses show that GMx33a differentially partitions into all phases of multiple detergent extractions, and two-dimensional immunoblots reveal that there are multiple differentially modified forms of GMx33a associated with the Golgi, several of which are phosphorylated. Evidence suggests that these posttranslational modifications regulate its association with the Golgi. GMx33a was not found on Golgi budded vesicles, and immuno-electron microscopy co-localizes GMx33a to the trans-face on the same three cisternae as TGN38 in normal rat kidney cells. This work represents the preliminary characterization of a novel family of trans-Golgi-associated proteins.