The embryo yellow Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana Exhibits a Defect in Transport of Proteins from the ER to the Golgi

Abstract

We have isolated an Arabidopsis mutant, eye (embryo yellow) that has a defect in the cell shape and forms many adventitious leaves in the shoot apex. The EYE gene was predicted to encode a protein homologous to a subunit of a Golgi-localized complex that is required for normal Golgi morphology and function. This result suggests that phenotypes of the eye mutant might be caused by defects in the function of the Golgi. We examined whether the eye mutant has defects in morphology and function of the Golgi by using a Golgi marker, AtERD2-GFP. In the eye mutant, the fluorescence of AtERD2-GFP was observed in the ER and small dots on the ER. This result indicates that AtERD2-GFP was not transport from the ER to the Golgi. The role of EYE will be discussed from this result.