[Ming-Hsiun Hsieh] Transformation of nad7 into the nuclear genome rescues Arabidopsis slow growth3

Fig. 1 Allotopic expression of nad7 rescues the Arabidopsis mutant slow growth3 (slo3).

Plant pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are mostly involved in chloroplast or mitochondrial RNA metabolism. However, direct evidence that correction of the molecular defects in the organelles can restore the plant phenotypes has yet to be demonstrated in a ppr mutant. Dr. Ming-Hsiun Hsieh’s laboratory has used slow growth3 (slo3) as an example to demonstrate that transformation of correctly spliced nad7 into the nuclear genome and targeting the Nad7 subunit into mitochondria can restore complex I activity and plant phenotypes in the mutant (Fig. 1). These results provide direct evidence that the strong growth and developmental phenotypes of the slo3 mutant are caused by defects in mitochondrial nad7.