Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Phaseolin mRNA is translated to yield glycosylated polypeptides in Xenopus oocytes

Abstract

The cotyledons of developing bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds rapidly synthesize and accumulate the storage globulin, phaseolin1, which seems to be encoded as a small multigene family2,3. Phaseolin from the cultivar ‘Tendergreen’ has been resolved electrophoretically into three components (of differing molecular weights), designated α (51,000), β (48,000) and γ (45,500). The in vitro synthesis of phaseolin has been investigated previously using a cell-free translation system derived from wheat germ4. The in vitro products did not co-migrate with the authentic polypeptides, the differences apparently being due to the lack of glycosylation of the primary transcripts. We have now used Xenopus oocytes to translate mRNA from bean cotyledons and find that phaseolin is synthesized in a glycosylated form very similar to authentic phaseolin and is transported into the membrane fraction of the cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sun, S. M., Mutschler, M. A., Bliss, F. A. & Hall, T. C. Pl. Physiol., Wash. 61, 918–923 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sun, S. M., Slightom, J. L. & Hall, T. C. Nature 289, 37–41 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Brown, J. W. S., Bliss, F. A. & Hall, T. C. Theor. appl. Genet. (in the press).

  4. Hall, T. C. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 3196–3200 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cleveland, D. W., Fisher, S. G., Kirschner, M. W. & Laemmli, U. K. J. biol. Chem. 252, 1102–1106 (1977).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ma, Y., Bliss, F. A. & Hall, T. C. Pl. Physiol., Wash. 66, 897–902 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hall, T. C., McLeester, R. C. & Bliss, F. A. Pl. Physiol., Wash. 59, 1122–1124 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Colman, A. et al. Eur. J. Biochem. 113, 339–348 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. O'Farrell, P. H. J. biol. Chem. 250, 4007–4021 (1975).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Brown, J. W. S., Ma, Y., Bliss, F. A. & Hall, T. C. Theor. appl. Genet. 59, 83–88 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Brown, J. W. S., Osborn, T. C., Bliss, F. A. & Hall, T. C. Theor. appl. Genet. (in the press).

  12. Bollini, R. & Chrispeels, M. J. Planta 146, 487–501 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Deacon, N. & Ebringer, A. FEBS Lett. 79, 191–194 (1977).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Larkins, B. A., Pedersen, K., Handa, A. K., Hurkman, W. J. & Smith, L. D. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 6448–6452 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gurdon, J. J. Embryol. 36, 523–540 (1976).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Chamberlain, J. P. Analyt. Biochem. 98, 132–135 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Matthews, J., Brown, J. & Hall, T. Phaseolin mRNA is translated to yield glycosylated polypeptides in Xenopus oocytes. Nature 294, 175–176 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294175a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294175a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing