A GENE ENCODING A TRUNCATED LARGE SUBUNIT OF RUBISCO IS TRANSCRIBED AND SALT-INDUCIBLE IN RICE

Using the rice salt-tolerant mutant 20 as material, a cDNA library was constructed and two salt-inducible clones, SIR5.5 and SIR8.1, were isolated by differential screening. Homology analysis revealed that the two clones together constituted a chimeric rbcL which encoded a truncated large subunit of Rubisco with 337 amino-acids, plus 64 amino-acids of unknown origin. The expressions of both the normal and the chimeric locus appeared to be developmentally regulated and salt-inducible in shoots of the salt-tolerant mutant 20 and its original variety 77-170. In roots, their expressions were salt-inducible in the salt-tolerant mutant 20 whereas no, or only premature, forms were present in the salt-treated original variety 77-170. Higher concentrations of salt reduced the expressions of both normal rbcL and the chimeric locus. ABA showed no effect on their expression.