Stress-induced processing body formation in tobacco suspension cells

Processing bodies(P-body) serve as key functions in regulating gene expression in eukaryotic cells, and especially under stress conditions, serve as stress-induced mRNA relocalization sites for mRNA degradation or storage. We successfully transformed P-body fluorescent marker (DCP1 and CFP fusion protein) containing plasmid into suspension BY-2 cells. Confocal observation found that P-body increased in abundance and size under heat and salt stress conditions. Sucrose gradient ultra-centrifugation analysis demonstrated that both heat and salt stress conditions induced polysome run-off. This is characteristic of inhibition of translation initiation.