The maize cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene family: organ-specific expression and genetic analysis.

The distribution of the cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene family (Gpc) in the maize genome was investigated; a genetic variant of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity is also described. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of an F2 population shows that the variant is not linked to the three known Gpc genes. However, this trait is linked to one of two genomic DNA fragments that hybridize to a fragment of the Gpc3 coding region, implying the existence of a fourth Gpc gene. Antibodies and cDNA clones were used to investigate the organ-specific expression of the Gpc genes. Results were compared with the expression of the Gpc genes. Results were compared with the expression of the alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (Adh1) gene. RNA and protein levels were examined in seedling roots and shoots, as well as the leaves, developing endosperm and embryo, and the aleurone. In general, it was found that Gpc3 expression behaves in parallel with Adh1 in these organs, and protein levels closely parallel that of RNA for each gene examined. Both Gpc3 and Adh1 show a marked increase in expression during endosperm development, reaching a maximum 15 days after pollination, but no expression is detected in the leaf. Gpc1 expression is similar to that of Gpc2, with an overall decrease in the level of RNA during endosperm development. This expression is discussed in terms of the common sequences found upstream of genes expressed in the developing maize seed.