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A new family of three related cyclins has been identified in Arabidopsis by complementation of a yeast strain deficient in G1 cyclins. Individual members show tissue-specific expression and are conserved in other plant species. They form a distinctive group of plant cyclins, which we named delta-type cyclins to indicate their similarities with mammalian D-type cyclins. The sequence relationships between delta and D cyclins include the N-terminal sequence LXCXE. This motif was originally identified in certain viral oncoproteins and is strongly implicated in binding to the retinoblastoma protein pRb. By analogy to mammalian cyclin D, these plant homologs may mediate growth and phytohormonal signals into the plant cell cycle. In support of this hypothesis, we show that, on restimulation of suspension-cultured cells, cyclin delta 3 is rapidly induced by the plant growth regulator cytokinin and cyclin delta 2 is induced by carbon source.

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We have compared a number of procedures for the transformation of whole cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and assessed the effects of dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) or ethanol, both of which have been reported to enhance transformation efficiency. We find that simplified methods benefit from the addition of one of these compounds, and although differences are observed between strains as to the more beneficial reagent, peak transformation efficiency is, in general, obtained with 10% DMSO or 10% EtOH. Increases of between six- and 50-fold are observed, despite a reduction in cell viability, and at this concentration the two compounds are not additive in their effects. The optimum level appears to depend on a balance between improved DNA uptake and reduced cell viability. As a result of this work we present a straightforward and rapid transformation procedure.

Previous studies on the cell cycle of Arabidopsis thaliana have been hindered by the lack of synchronous cell culture systems. We have used liquid callus cultures and a cycloheximide-synchronized suspension culture of Arabidopsis to investigate changes in cyclin transcript levels in response to exogenous auxin, cytokinin, and nutrients, and during the cell cycle. Cell division is a process essential for cellular life, enabling proliferation of single-celled organisms and the establishment of a structural and functional division of labor during the growth of multicellular organisms. In complex multicellular organisms cell division is tightly regulated within a developmental program. Higher-plant morphogenesis is intimately associated with regulated cell division and expansion, two closely coordinated processes. Mechanisms controlling cell division have been well conserved