PPR-SMR1 is required for the splicing of multiple mitochondrial introns, interacts with Zm-mCSF1, and is essential for seed development in maize.

ABSTRACT: Group II introns are ribozymes that can excise themselves from precursor-RNA transcripts, but plant organellar group II introns have structural deviations that inhibit ribozyme activity. Therefore, splicing of these introns requires the assistance of nuclear- and/or organellar-encoded splicing factors; however, how these splicing factors function remains unclear. In this study, we report the functions and interactions of two splicing factors, PPR-SMR1 and Zm-mCSF1, in intron splicing in maize mitochondria. PPR-SMR1 is a SMR domain-containing pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein and Zm-mCSF1 is a CRM domain-containing protein, and both are targeted to mitochondria. Loss-of-function mutations in each of them severely arrests embryogenesis and endosperm development in maize. Functional anal

SUBMITTER: Chen Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6793435 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature