Organ-specific transcripts of different size and abundance derive from the same pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase gene in maize.

Analyses of genomic DNA and clones indicate that the pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK; ATP: pyruvate, orthophosphate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.9.1) gene family of maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays, line B73) contains two members. Restriction site and DNA sequence comparisons between PPDK genomic and leaf cDNA clones have revealed which gene encodes the isozyme involved in C4 photosynthesis. The region flanking the 5' end of this gene contains two 30-base-pair (bp) repetitive elements that may be involved in its light-regulated expression. Sequence analysis of genomic and leaf cDNA clones has also shown that the entire 7.3-kDa PPDK chloroplast transit peptide is encoded in the 436-bp first exon. Northern blot experiments with probes specific for the first exon and the 3' end of the gene showed that the smaller PPDK transcripts in roots and etiolated leaves [3.0 kilobases (kb) vs. the 3.5-kb green leaf transcript] lack the sequence encoding the chloroplast transit peptide. In addition, results from cDNA library screens have confirmed that the root transcript is approximately 50-fold less abundant than the green leaf transcript. Finally, sequence comparisons among cDNA clones from green leaves and roots and genomic clones representing both members of the PPDK gene family demonstrate that the green leaf transcript encoding the C4 isozyme and the root transcript are derived from the same gene.