Structure and expression of the maize gene encoding the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozyme involved in C4 photosynthesis

Abstract

We have determined the structure of the maize (Zea mays L. subsp.mays line B73) nuclear gene encoding the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase isozyme involved in C₄ photosynthesis. The gene is 5.3 kb long and has ten exons that range in size from 85 to 999 bp. The nine introns vary from 97 to 872 bp. The sequence of 663 bp of 5′-flanking and 205 bp of 3′-flanking DNA is reported along with the entire gene sequence. Several short repetitive sequences were found in the 5′-flanking DNA that have characteristics similar to elements important in the light regulation of pea genes encoding the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase. In addition, some 5′-flanking sequence similarities were found in a comparison with other light-regulated genes from maize and wheat. The level of DNA sequence variation among different PEP carboxylase alleles is similar to the allelic variation observed for several other maize nuclear genes. The data suggest modern maize variaties have retained much of the genetic variation present in their ancestral forms. Finally, accumulation of transcripts encoding the PEP carboxylase isozyme involved in C₄ photosynthesis is quite high in several structures besides leaves, including inner leaf sheaths, tassels and husks. This indicates that expression of this gene is not leaf-specific and may not necessarily be coupled to the development of Kranz anatomy.