High impact information on LBA1/UPF1

• SDE3 encodes an RNA helicase required for post-transcriptional gene silencing in Arabidopsis [1].
• HUA ENHANCER2, a putative DExH-box RNA helicase, maintains homeotic B and C gene expression in Arabidopsis [2].
• The lba1 mutation of UPF1 RNA helicase involved in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay causes pleiotropic phenotypic changes and altered sugar signalling in Arabidopsis [3].
• Sugar-inducible mRNAs were over-represented among transcripts decreased in sucrose-treated lba1 compared with Col plants, suggesting that UPF1 is involved in the expression of a subset of sugar-inducible genes [3].
• Expression of the wild-type UPF1 in lba1 rescued not only the reduced sugar-inducible gene expression, but also early flowering and altered seed-germination phenotypes [3].

Biological context of LBA1/UPF1

• Putative RNA helicase motifs, and putative ATP-binding and hydrolysis sites are identified [4].
• The lba1 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana with a Gly(851)-->Glu missense mutation in AtUPF1 yielded seeds that were on average 22% longer in the long axis and 35% heavier than the wild-type Col seeds [5].
• The model genome of Arabidopsis thaliana contains a DEAD-box RNA helicase family (RH) of 58 members, i.e. almost twice as many as in the animal or yeast genomes [6].

Anatomical context of LBA1/UPF1

• An RNA helicase (AtSUV3) is present in Arabidopsis thaliana mitochondria [7].

References