Abstract
RNA editing is a posttranscriptional process that alters genetic information in RNA level. In plants, a specific C nucleotide is converted to U in chloroplast and mitochondrial mRNA, and adenosine in the wobble position of several nuclear and chloroplast encoded tRNAs is deaminated to inosine. Deaminases have been reported as RNA editing enzymes in mammal and yeast. But catalytic factors for RNA editing in plants, have not been identified. Thus we attempt to characterize a deaminase gene family of Arabidopsis.
Arabidopsis genome contains 17 genes which encode the deaminase domain. Six of them belong to the group of adenosine deaminases acting on tRNA, while none of them belongs to the group of cytidine deaminases for mRNA editing in animal. Structure, expression pattern and subcellular localization of Arabidopsis deaminases are reported.
