Characterization of a Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein Family in Physcomitrella patens

Abstract

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein has 35 conserved amino acids repeat. There are about 450 PPR proteins in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. Since many of PPR proteins are predicted to localize in mitochondria or plastids, they are believed to play an important roles for organelle related functions. However, details of their function are unknown. We have found many PPR protein genes from draft sequence of the Physcomitrella patens genome. Most of A. thaliana PPR protein genes consist of a single exon, but in P. patens, large number of PPR protein genes contain more than two exons. Many P. patens PPR proteins are also predicted to localize in mitochondria or plastids. We will report the results of subcellular localization of moss PPR proteins used transient assay.