NecGEx

NecGEx is the Nectary Gene Expression Index.

NecGEx contains a list of genes that are known to be expressed in nectar and in nectary tissues. It also contains information about the proteins encoded by those genes.

In the future, this index will also incorporate spatial and temporal specificity of expression.

Proteins expressed in nectar
 Protein

 Species*

 Function

 Reference
 Nectarin I  N. plumbaginifolia  Superoxide Dismutase

1, 2
 Nectarin II  N. plumbaginifolia  41 kDa unidentified protein

 unpublished
 Nectarin III  N. plumbaginifolia  54 kDa unidentified protein

 unpublished
 Nectarin IVa  N. plumbaginifolia Plant Defense

 unpublished
 Nectarin IVb  N. plumbaginifolia Plant Defense

 unpublished
 Alliin Lyase  Allium porrum  Plant Defense

3
 Mannose-Binding Lectin  Allium porrum  Plant Defense

3
     

 

 

 Genes expressed in nectary tissue

 Gene

 Species*

 Function

Tomato Ortholog**

 Arabidopsis Ortholog**

 Nectary
 Specific?

 Reference
NECI N. plumbaginifolia Superoxide Dismutase TC42758 TC95068 yes 1, 2
NEC4 N. plumbaginifolia   ---   ---   --- unknown unpublished
myb340 Antirhinum majus transcription factor TC39539 TC94234 no 4
CRC A. thaliana CRABS CLAW
nuclear factor		 TC36638 TC99069 no 5, 6
LTP1 A. thaliana Lipid Transfer Protein TC43375 TC99458 no 7
ALL Allium porrum Alliin Lyase AW218275 TC87584
TC87585		 no 3
MBL Allium porrum Mannose Binding Lectin AW032250 TC101327 no 3
NTR1 Brassica napus SAM salicylic acid methyl transferase TC39981 TC90743 no 8
UGD A. thaliana UDPG dehydrogenase TC41581 TC100121 no 9
GPa1 A. thaliana G Protein TC46596 TC101326 no 10
MEN9 Silene latifolia Sex-specific expression TC37958 TC94643 no 11
CRT A. thaliana Calcium binding Protein TC36638 TC99069 no 12
MSG G. max major latex protein TC38115 TC101708 no 13
ACP3 Cucumus sativus ACC oxidase TC40292 TC94966 no 14
MTA P. sativum metallothionien TC100034 TC39967 no 15
NEC1 P. hybrida unidentified (GB#=AF313914)       16
NEC2 P. hybrida unidentified       17
           

A preliminary list of ESTs expressed in the tobacco nectary gland are also available

 

* Common species are:

A. thaliana Arabidopsis thaliana
G. max Glycine max
N. plumbaginifolia Nicotiana plumbaginifolia
P. hybrida Petunia hybrida
P. sativum Pisum sativum

** TC numbers are from the TIGR Gene Index Databases, Other numbers are singleton genes and are GenBank accessions

 

References:

1. Carter, C., Graham, R. and Thornburg, R.W. (1999) Nectarin I is a novel, soluble germin-like protein expressed in the nectar of Nicotiana sp. Plant Mol. Biol. 41:207-216.

2. Carter, C. and Thornburg, R.W. (2000) Tobacco Nectarin I: Purification and characterization as a germin-like, manganese superoxide dismutase implicated in the defense of floral reproductive tissues. J. Biol. Chem. 275:36726-36733.

3. Peumans, W.J., Smeets, K., Van Nerum, K., Van Leuven, F. and Van Damme, E.J.M. (1997) Lectin and alliinase are the predominant proteins in nectar from leek (Allium porrum L.) flowers. Planta 201:298-302.

4. Jackson, D., Culianez-Macia, F., Prescott, A.G., Roberts, K. and Martin, C. (1991) Expression patterns of myb genes from Antirrhinum flowers. Plant Cell 3:115-25.

5. Alvarez, J. and Smyth, D.R. (1999) CRABS CLAW and SPATULA, two Arabidopsis genes that control carpel development in parallel with AGAMOUS. Development 126:2377-86.

6. Bowman, J.L. and Smyth, D.R. (1999) CRABS CLAW, a gene that regulates carpel and nectary development in Arabidopsis, encodes a novel protein with zinc finger and helix-loop- helix domains. Development 126:2387-96.

7. Thoma, S., Hecht, U., Kippers, A., Botella, J., de Vries, S. and Somerville, C. (1994) Tissue-specific expression of a gene encoding a cell wall-localized lipid transfer protein from Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 105:35-45.

8. Song, J.T., Seo, H.S., Song, S.I., Lee, J.S. and Choi, Y.D. (2000) NTR1 encodes a floral nectary-specific gene in Brassica campestris L. ssp. pekinensis. Plant Mol Biol 42:647-55.

9. Seitz, B., Klos, C., Wurm, M. and Tenhaken, R. (2000) Matrix polysaccharide precursors in Arabidopsis cell walls are synthesized by alternate pathways with organ-specific expression patterns. Plant J 21:537-46.

10. Weiss, C.A., Huang, H. and Ma, H. (1993) Immunolocalization of the G protein alpha subunit encoded by the GPA1 gene in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 5:1513-28.

11. Robertson, S., Li, Y., Scutt, C., Willis, M. and Gilmartin, P. (1997) Spatial expression dynamics of Men-9 delineate the third floral whorl in male and female flowers of dioecious Silene latifolia. Plant J 12:155-168.

12. Nelson, D., Glaunsinger, B. and Bohnert, H. (1997) Abundant accumulation of the calcium-binding molecular chaperone calreticulin in specific floral tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol. 114:29-37.

13. Stromvik, M., Sundararaman, V. and Vodkin, L. (1999) A novel promoter from soybean that is active in a complex developmental pattern with and without its proximal 650 base pairs. Plant Mol Biol 41:217-231.

14. Kahana, A., Silberstein, L., Kessler, N., Goldstein, R. and Perl-Treves, R. (1999) Expression of ACC oxidase genes differs among sex genotypes and sex phases in cucumber. Plant Mol Biol 41:517-528.

15. Fordham-Skelton, A.P., Lilley, C., Urwin, P.E. and Robinson, N.J. (1997) GUS expression in Arabidopsis directed by 5' regions of the pea metallothionein-like gene PsMTA. Plant Mol Biol 34:659-68.

16. Ge YX, Angenent GC, Wittich PE, Peters J, Franken J, Busscher M, Zhang LM, Dahlhaus E, Wullems GJ, Creemers-Molenaar J (2000) NEC1, a novel gene, highly expressed in nectary tissue of Petunia hybrida. Plant J, 24:725-734

17. Y.-X. Ge, G. C. Angenent, E. Dahlhaus, J. Franken, J. Peter, G. J. Wullems and J. Creemers-Molenaar (2001) Partial silencing of the NEC1 gene results in early opening of anthers in Petunia hybrida. Mol. Gen. Genomics.

Last updated 5/29/01 -- Robert Thornburg -- thorn@iastate.edu