INVOLVEMENT OF A MAIZE PROLINE-RICH PROTEIN IN SECONDARY CELL WALL FORMATION AS DEDUCED FROM ITS SPECIFIC MRNA LOCALIZATION

A clone encoding a proline-rich protein (ZmPRP) has been obtained from maize root by differential screening of a maturing elongation root cDNA library. The amino acid sequence deduced from the full-length cDNA contains a putative signal peptide and a highly repetitive sequence containing the PEPK motif, indicating that the ZmPRP mRNA may code for a cell wall protein. The PEPK repeat is also found in a previously reported wheat sequence but differs from the repeated sequences found in hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGP) and in dicot proline-rich proteins (PRP). In the maize genome, the ZmPRP protein is encoded by a single gene that is expressed in maturing regions of the root, in the hypocotyl and in the pericarp. In these organs, the ZmPRP mRNA accumulates in the xylem and surrounding cells, and in the epidermis. No ZmPRP mRNA was found in the phloem. The pattern of mRNA accumulation is very similar to the one observed for genes coding for proteins involved in lignin biosynthesis and, like most cell wall proteins, ZmPRP synthesis is also induced by wounding. These data support the hypothesis that ZmPRP is a member of a new class of fibrous proteins involved in the secondary cell wall formation in monocot species.