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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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A mutation in BrPRPL1 causes leaf yellowing by influencing chloroplast protein translation in Chinese cabbage

Xiaowei Ren1, 2*, Xing Li1*, Jie Li1*, Jindi Fan1, Mengyao Yuan1, Yan Li1, Daling Feng1, Yin Lu1, Hao Liang1, Xiaofei Fan1, Lei Sun1, Kehui Ren1, Mengyang Liu1#, Wei Ma1#, Jianjun Zhao1#

1 State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China

2 Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Shijiazhuang University, Shijiazhuang 050035, China 

 Highlights 

· The large subunit ribosomal protein L1 of the chloroplast (BrPRPL1) is the candidate gene of Mut298.

· The silencing of BrPRPL1 results in leaf yellowing of Chinese cabbage.

· A single nucleotide change from C to T in BrPRPL1 significantly reduces the expression of chloroplast genome-encoded proteins RbcL, PsaA, and PsaB.

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摘要  

叶色直接影响叶菜的外观质量和营养品质,决定其经济价值。我们从甲基磺酸乙酯(EMS)诱导的大白菜突变体库中鉴定出一种金黄叶色的突变体Mut298。通过正向遗传学的方法,已经证明Mut298的叶黄表型是由于编码叶绿体核糖体大亚基蛋白L1的BrPRPL1基因的保守结构域中发生了一个从C到T的突变引起的。PRPL1突变导致拟南芥胚胎致死,这使PRPL1在植物叶片发育中的作用知之甚少。在这项研究中,BrPRPL1的突变导致关键叶绿体核糖体编码蛋白(RbcL、PsaA和PsaB)的表达显著降低,并导致叶绿体发育异常。此外,Mut298植株的叶绿素含量和光合参数显著低于野生型植株,导致大白菜叶片呈金黄色。本研究详细介绍了PRPL1突变对叶绿体核糖体翻译的影响,为未来研究PRPL1在植物生长发育中的调节作用奠定了基础。



Abstract  

Leaf color directly influences the appearance quality and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables, determining their economic value. Here, we identify a golden leaf mutant, Mut298, from an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced mutant library of Chinese cabbage. Through the approach of forward genetics, it has been demonstrated that the phenotype of Mut298 is due to a single nucleotide substitution from C to T change glycine to arginine in the conserved domain of BrPRPL1, which encodes the large subunit ribosomal protein L1 of the chloroplast. Due to the PRPL1 mutation result in embryonic lethality in Arabidopsis, the function of PRPL1 in leaf development remains elusive. In this study, the mutation of BrPRPL1 causes a substantial reduction in the expression of key chloroplast-encoded proteins (RbcL, PsaA, and PsaB), and causing abnormal chloroplast development. Moreover, the chlorophyll content and photosynthetic parameters are significantly lower in Mut298 plants than in wild type plants, resulting in golden yellow leaves in Chinese cabbage. This study details the impact of PRPL1 mutation on ribosome translation within chloroplasts and sets a foundation for future research into the regulatory roles of PRPL1 in plant growth and development.

Keywords:  Chinese cabbage       Mutant       Chloroplast       Gene function       Ribosome translation  
Online: 18 December 2025  
Fund: 

This study was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32222076; 32330096; 32472736; 32272712), Hebei Natural Science Foundation (C2023204308, C2024204246), Central Guiding Local Technology Development Fund (246Z6312G, 246Z6311G), the Earmarked Fund for CARS (CARS-23), State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation (NCCIR2023ZZ-19).

About author:  #Correspondence Mengyang Liu, Wei Ma and Jianjun Zhao. Tel: +86-15930700300 (Jianjun Zhao), E-mail: liumengyang_7@163.com (Mengyang Liu); mawei0720@163.com (Wei Ma); yyzjj@hebau.edu.cn (Jianjun Zhao). * These authors contributed equally to this work.

Cite this article: 

Xiaowei Ren, Xing Li, Jie Li, Jindi Fan, Mengyao Yuan, Yan Li, Daling Feng, Yin Lu, Hao Liang, Xiaofei Fan, Lei Sun, Kehui Ren, Mengyang Liu, Wei Ma, Jianjun Zhao. 2025. A mutation in BrPRPL1 causes leaf yellowing by influencing chloroplast protein translation in Chinese cabbage. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.12.029

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