Structure and expression of the Kas12 gene encoding a beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase I isozyme from barley.

The beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase I in the plant fatty acid synthetase catalyzes the condensations of acetate units to a growing acyl-ACP leading to the synthesis of palmitoyl-ACP. Barley chloroplasts contain three cerulenin sensitive beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase I isoforms, alpha 2, alpha beta, and beta 2. The Kas12 gene encoding the beta 2 isozyme has been isolated and sequenced. The gene spans 3.8 kilobases and contains seven exons separated by six intervening sequences varying from 75 to 1008 base pairs in length. The mosaic gene structure is different compared with that of the beta-ketoacyl synthase in the multifunctional rat and goose fatty acid synthetases. Southern blot analyses of genomic DNA from barley, wheat, and the barley-wheat chromosome addition lines indicate that Kas12 is a single copy gene located on chromosome 2. Primer extension analyses identified four transcription start sites located 168-171 nucleotides upstream from the translation initiation codon. The Kas12 promoter lacks an appropriately positioned TATA box and contains a GC-rich region including two GC elements similar to the Sp1 transcription factor-binding site. In this regard Kas12 closely resembles a set of ubiquitously expressed eucaryotic genes. In accord with this deduction, polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the Kas12 transcript is present in barley roots, germinating embryos, developing kernels, and leaves.