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Elongation factor 1α genes of the red alga Porphyra purpurea include a novel, developmentally specialized variant

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Abstract

The life cycle of the red alga Porphyra purpurea alternates between two morphologically distinct phases: a shell-boring, filamentous sporophyte and a free-living, foliose gametophyte. From a subtracted cDNA library enriched for sporophyte-specific sequences, we isolated a cDNA encoding an unusual elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) that is expressed only in the sporophyte. A second EF-1α gene that is expressed equally in the sporophyte and the gametophyte was isolated from a genomic library. These are the only EF-1α genes detectable in P. purpurea. The constitutively expressed gene encodes and EF-1α very similar to those of most eukaryotes. However, the sporophyte-specific EF-1α is one of the most divergent yet described, with nine insertions or deletions ranging in size from 1 to 26 amino acids. This is the first report of a developmental stage-specific EF-1α outside of the animal kingdom and suggests a fundamental role for EF-1α in the developmental process.

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Author notes

  1. Qing Yan Liu

    Present address: Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, K1A 0R6, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

  2. Sandra L. Baldauf

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry, Dalhousie University, B3H 4H7, Halifax, NS, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Marine Biosciences, National Research Council of Canada, 1411 Oxford Street, B3H 3Z1, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Qing Yan Liu, Sandra L. Baldauf & Michael E. Reith

  2. Biology Department, Dalhousie University, B3H 4J1, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Qing Yan Liu

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  1. Qing Yan Liu
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  2. Sandra L. Baldauf
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  3. Michael E. Reith
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Liu, Q.Y., Baldauf, S.L. & Reith, M.E. Elongation factor 1α genes of the red alga Porphyra purpurea include a novel, developmentally specialized variant. Plant Mol Biol 31, 77–85 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020608

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020608

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