As an important group of plant cellular organelles, the molecular mechanism of plastid division is poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed that the homologs of ftsZ gene, an essential prokaryotic cell division gene, are involved in plastid division process of plant cells. Antisense and sense expression constructions were employed to investigate the functions of the two ftsZ genes, NtFtsZ1 and NtFtsZ2 , in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum L. plants. Although antisense expression of NtFtsZs reduced the native protein level obviously, the size and number of chloroplasts in transgenic tobacco plants had no effect. In contrast, overexpression of NtFtsZs in transgenic plants strikingly changed the number and morphology of chloroplasts. Even only 1-2 huge chloroplasts could be seen in the mesophyll cells of some overexpression transgenic plants. Analyses of chloroplast ultrastructures and chlorophyll content of different transgenic plants suggested that NtFtsZs gene have no direct influence on the normal development and function of chloroplasts. The changes in chloroplast morphology must be a compensation for the change in chloroplast number. The different phenotypes of chloroplasts in antisense and sense transgenic plants implied that different members from the same ftsZ gene family may have similar function in controlling plastid division. Meanwhile, the changes of chloroplast morphology in sense transgenic plants represented the possible plastoskeleton function of ftsZ in higher plant.
烟草质体分裂相关基因NtFtsZ1和NtFtsZ2对叶绿体分裂和形态的影响
王 东 孔冬冬1 鞠传丽2 胡 勇2何奕昆1,2*孙敬三*
（1. 中国科学院植物研究所，北京100093；2. 首都师范大学生物系，北京100037）
摘要： 质体作为植物细胞中一类重要的细胞器,控制其分裂的分子机制一直都不清楚.最近的研究表明,植物细胞中与原核细胞分裂基因ftsZ类似的同源基因控制着质体的分裂过程.通过正反义转化分析了两个烟草的ftsZ基因(NtFtsZ1和NtFtsZ2)在转基因烟草中的功能.二者的反义表达并未对转化烟草细胞中叶绿体的分裂和形态产生明显影响,但二者过表达转化植株中叶绿体的数目和形态都发生了明显的变化,在某些转化植株的叶肉细胞中甚至只有1～2个巨大的叶绿体存在.对不同转化植株的电镜观察和叶绿素含量分析认为,NtFtsZs基因可能对叶绿体的正常发育和功能没有影响,叶绿体形态的变化是对其数目减少的一种补偿.正反义转化植株中叶绿体的不同表型暗示高等植物中同一家族的ftsZ基因可能在控制质体分裂方面具有相同的功能.同时,过表达植株中叶绿体形态的变化被认为是高等植物Fts Z质体骨架功能的体现.
关键词： 烟草：ftsZ基因；质体分裂；质体形态；质体骨架
通讯作者。E-mail:<yhe @ duke.edu>;<sunjs@ ns.ibcas.ac.cn>.
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