Analysis of proteins in tightly bound DNA–protein complexes from barley primary leaves

Abstract

Tightly bound to DNA proteins (TBP) are a protein group that remains attached to DNA with covalent or non-covalent bonds after its deproteinisation [1, 2]. TBP have been found in DNA of numerous evolutionary distant species [3–5]. Some of these TBP proteins have been characterized in Ehrlich ascites [6–8] and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) [9] cells. The aim of this work was to characterize TBP proteins in the first leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare) shoots by the MALDI TOF-TOF mass-spectrometry (MS) analysis. We have identified that most of these proteins (WRKY transcription factors 16 and 52, MADS-box transcription factor 26, Squamosa promoter-binding-like protein 16, Scarecrow-like protein 9, TGA4, TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1) are transcription factors playing important roles in the development and coping with either biotic or abiotic stress in plants. Various barley TBP (above transcription factors, DEMETER-like protein 2, HAC12, RAD51, Ty3-gypsy retrotransposon, protein kinases, serpins) participate in chromatin rearrangement and the regulation of gene expression. Keywords: stable DNA–protein complexes, nuclear matrix