Phosphate starvation responses are mediated by sugar signaling in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Phosphate (Pi) is one of the least available plant nutrients in soils. It is associated with dynamic changes in carbon fluxes and several crucial processes that regulate plant growth and development. Pi levels regulate the expression of large number of genes including those involved in photosynthesis and carbon metabolism. Herein we show that sugar is required for Pi starvation responses including changes in root architecture and expression of phosphate starvation induced (PSI) genes in Arabidopsis. Active photosynthesis or the supplementation of sugar in the medium was essential for the expression of PSI genes under Pi limiting conditions. Expression of these genes was not only induced by sucrose but also detected, albeit at reduced levels, with other metabolizable sugars. Non-metabolizable sugar analogs did not induce the expression of PSI genes. Although sugar input appears to be downstream of initial Pi sensing, it is absolutely required for the completion of the PSI signaling pathway. Altered expression of PSI genes in the hexokinase signaling mutant gin2 indicates that hexokinase-dependent signaling is involved in this process. The study provides evidence for requirement of sugars in PSI signaling and evokes a role for hexokinase in some components of Pi response mechanism.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED PROTEIN 1 is involved in G1 phase cell cycle arrest caused by sucrose starvation

Although sucrose availability is crucial for commitment to plant cell division during G1 phase by controlling the expression of D-type cyclins, it has remained unclear how these factors mediate entry into the cell cycle. Here we show that Arabidopsis RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED PROTEIN 1 (AtRBR1) is involved in G1-phase cell cycle arrest caused by sucrose starvation. We generated estrogen-inducible AtRBR1 RNA interference (RNAi) Arabidopsis suspension MM2d cells, and found that downregulation of AtRBR1 leads to a higher frequency of arrest in G2 phase, instead of G1-phase arrest in the uninduced control, after sucrose starvation. Synchronization experiments confirmed that downregulation of AtRBR1 leads to a prolonged G2 phase and delayed activation of G2/M marker genes. Downregulation of AtRBR1 also stimulated the activation of E2F-regulated genes when these genes were repressed in the uninduced cells under the limited sucrose conditions. We conclude that AtRBR1 is a key effector for the ability of sucrose to modulate progression from G1 phase.     

The<Emphasis Type="Italic"> GAOLAOZHUANGREN2</Emphasis> gene is required for normal glucose response and development of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Recent studies of glucose (Glc) sensing and signaling have revealed that Glc acts as a critical signaling molecule in higher plants. Several Glc sensing-defective Arabidopsis mutants have been characterized in detail, and the corresponding genes encoding Glc-signaling proteins have been isolated. However, the full complexity of Glc signaling in higher plants is not yet fully understood. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a new Glc-insensitive mutant, gaolaozhuangren2 (glz2), which was isolated from transposon mutagenesis experiments in Arabidopsis. In addition to its insensitivity to Glc, the glz2 plant exhibits several developmental defects such as short stature with reduced apical dominance, short roots, small and dark-green leaves, late flowering and female sterility. Treatment with 4% Glc blocked expression of the OE33 gene in wild-type plants, whereas expression of this gene was unchanged in the glz2 mutant plants. Taken together, our results suggest that the GLZ2 gene is required for normal glucose response and development of Arabidopsis.Mingjie Chen and Xiaoxiang Xia contributed equally to this work.     

Stamen development in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> is arrested by organ-specific overexpression of a cucumber ethylene synthesis gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">CsACO2</Emphasis>

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) has served as a model to understand hormone regulation in unisexual flower development since the 1950s and the role of ethylene in promoting female flower development has been well documented. Recent studies cloned the F-locus in gynoecious lines as an additional copy of the ACC synthase (ACS) gene, which further confirmed the role of ethylene in the promotion of female cucumber flowers. However, no direct evidence was generated to demonstrate that increases in endogenous ethylene production could induce female flowers by arresting stamen development. To clarify the relationship between ethylene production and stamen development, we overexpressed the ethylene synthesis cucumber gene CsACO2 to generate transgenic Arabidopsis, driven by the organ-specific promoter P _AP3 . We found that organ-specific overexpression of CsACO2 significantly affected stamen but not carpel development, similar to that in the female flowers of cucumber. Our results suggested that increases in ethylene production directly disturb stamen development. Additionally, our study revealed that among all floral organs, stamens respond most sensitively to exogenous ethylene. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

BREVIS RADIX is involved in cytokinin-mediated inhibition of lateral root initiation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

In contrast to auxin, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanism of cytokinin (CTK) inhibition of lateral root initiation. Previous studies demonstrated that BREVIS RADIX (BRX), a protein of unknown biochemical function, maintains a rate-limiting brassinosteroid biosynthesis enzyme expression to keep brassinosteroid biosynthesis above a critical threshold. Here, we show that the brx-2 mutant is insensitive to exogenous CTK-induced inhibition of lateral root initiation and that this can be restored by embryonic brassinosteroid treatment. However post-embryonic brassinosteroid treatment can not rescue brx-2 mutant phenotype in the presence of CTK. Meanwhile the brassinosteroid receptor defective mutant bri1-6 shows normal CTK-mediated inhibition on LR growth. These results suggest the CTK-mediated inhibition of LR initiation is not directly dependent on brassinosteroid level. Furthermore, compared with wild type, brx-2 exhibits altered auxin response in presumptive founder cells, lateral root primodia and primary root tip in the presence of exogenous CTK. We concluded that CTK inhibition on lateral root initiation depend on specific auxin response loss in presumptive founder cell. The aberrant primary root growth caused by the embryonic brassinosteroid shortage can indirectly result in the lateral root phenotype of brx-2 in presence of CTK. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Isolation and characterization of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">GAI/RGA</Emphasis>-like gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium hirsutum</Emphasis>

The aim of the investigation reported here was to assess the role of gibberellin in cotton fiber development. The results of experiments in which the gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol (PAC) was tested on in vitro cultured cotton ovules revealed that GA is critical in promoting cotton fiber development. Plant responses to GA are mediated by DELLA proteins. A cotton nucleotide with high sequence homology to Arabidopsis thaliana GAI (AtGAI) was identified from the GenBank database and analyzed with the BLAST program. The full-length cDNA was cloned from upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, Gh) and sequenced. A comparison of the putative protein sequence of this cDNA with all Arabidopsis DELLA proteins indicated that GhRGL is a putative ortholog of AtRGL. Over-expression of this cDNA in Arabidopsis plants resulted in the dwarfed phenotype, and the degrees of dwarfism were related to the expression levels of GhRGL. The deletion of 17 amino acids, including the DELLA domain, resulted in the dominant dwarf phenotype, demonstrating that GhRGL is a functional protein that affects plant growth. Real-time quantitative PCR results showed that GhRGL mRNA is highly expressed in the cotton ovule at the elongation stage, suggesting that GhRGL may play a regulatory role in cotton fiber elongation.     

Mutations in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">TORNADO2</Emphasis> gene affect cellular decisions in the peripheral zone of the shoot apical meristem of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">thaliana</Emphasis>

Summary An EMS (ethyl methanesulfonate) mutagenesis effector screen performed with the STM:GUS marker line in Arabidopsis thaliana identified a loss-of-function allele of the TORNADO2 gene. The histological and genetic analyses described here implicate TRN2 in SAM function, where the peripheral zone in trn2 mutants is enlarged relative to the central stem cell zone. The trn2 mutant allele partially rescues the phenotype of shoot meristemless mutants but behaves additively to wuschel and clavata3 alleles during the vegetative phase and in the outer floral whorls. The development of carpels in trn2 wus-1 double mutant flowers indicates that pluripotent cells persist in floral meristems in the absence of TRN2 function and can be recruited for carpel anlagen. The data implicate a membrane-bound plant tetraspanin protein in cellular decisions in the peripheral zone of the SAM.     

Optimization of conditions for transient <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated gene expression assays in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Transient genetic transformation of plant organs is an indispensable way of studying gene function in plants. This study was aimed to develop an optimized system for transient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the Arabidopsis leaves. The β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was employed to evaluate growth and biochemical parameters that influence the levels of transient expression. The effects of plant culture conditions, Agrobacterial genetic backgrounds, densities of Agrobacterial cell suspensions, and of several detergents were analyzed. We found that optimization of plant culture conditions is the most critical factor among the parameters analyzed. Higher levels of transient expression were observed in plants grown under short day conditions (SDs) than in plants grown under long day conditions (LDs). Furthermore, incubation of the plants under SDs at high relative humidity (85–90%) for 24 h after infiltration greatly improved the levels of transient expression. Under the optimized culture conditions, expression of the reporter gene reached the peak 3 days after infiltration and was rapidly decreased after the peak. Among the five Agrobacterial strains examined, LAB4404 produced the highest levels of expression. We also examined the effects of detergents, including Triton X-100, Tween-20, and Silwet L-77. Supplementation of the infiltration media either with 0.01% Triton X-100 or 0.01% Tween-20 improved the levels of expression by approximately 1.6-fold. Our observations indicate that transient transformation of the Arabidopsis leaves in the infiltration media supplemented with 0.01% Triton X-100 and incubation of the infiltrated plants under SDs at high relative humidity are necessary for maximal levels of expression.     

Authentic seed-specific activity of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perilla</Emphasis> oleosin 19 gene promoter in transgenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

The Perilla (Perilla frutescens L. cv. Okdong) oleosin gene, PfOle19, produces a 19-kDa protein that is highly expressed only in seeds. The activity of the −2,015 bp 5′-upstream promoter region of this gene was investigated in transgenic Arabidopsis plants using the fusion reporter constructs of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and β-glucuronidase (GUS). The PfOle19 promoter directs Egfp expression in developing siliques, but not in leaves, stems or roots. In the transgenic Arabidopsis, EGFP fluorescence and histochemical GUS staining were restricted to early seedlings, indehiscent siliques and mature seeds. Progressive 5′-deletions up to the −963 bp position of the PfOle19 promoter increases the spatial control of the gene expression in seeds, but reduces its quantitative levels of expression. Moreover, the activity of the PfOle19 promoter in mature seeds is 4- and 5-fold greater than that of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in terms of both EGFP intensity and fluorometric GUS activity, respectively.     

Entrainment of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> Circadian Clock

The rising and setting of the sun marks a transition between starkly contrasting environmental conditions for vegetative life. Given these differing diurnal and nocturnal environmental factors and the inherent regularity of the transition between the two, it is perhaps unsurprising that plants have developed an internal timing mechanism (known as a circadian clock) to allow modulation of gene expression and metabolism in response to external cues. Entrainment of the circadian clock, primarily via the detection of changes in light and temperature, maintains synchronization between the surrounding environment and the endogenous clock mechanism. In this review, recent advances in our understanding of the molecular workings of the plant circadian clock are discussed as are the input pathways necessary for entrainment of the clock machinery.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">EcFLO</Emphasis>, a<Emphasis Type="Italic"> FLORICAULA</Emphasis>-like gene from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Eschscholzia californica</Emphasis> is expressed during organogenesis at the vegetative shoot apex

FLORICAULA/ LEAFY-like genes were initially characterized as flower meristem identity genes. In a range of angiosperms, expression occurs also in vegetative shoot apices and developing leaves, and in some species with dissected leaves expression is perpetuated during organogenesis at the leaf marginal blastozone. The evolution of these expression patterns and associated functions is not well understood. We have isolated and characterized a FLORICAULA-like gene from California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica Cham. (Papaveraceae), a species belonging to the basal eudicot clade Ranunculales. EcFLO encodes a putative 416-amino-acid protein with highest similarity to homologous genes from Trochodendron and Platanus. We show that EcFLO mRNA is expressed during the vegetative phase of the shoot apical meristem and in developing dissected leaves in a characteristic manner. This pattern is compared to that of other eudicots and discussed in terms of evolution of FLORICAULA expression and function.     

Floral development and systematic position of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arillastrum</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allosyncarpia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stockwellia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptopsis</Emphasis> (Myrtaceae)

We have investigated the floral ontogeny of Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis (of the eucalypt group, Myrtaceae) using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Several critical characters for establishing relationships between these genera and to the eucalypts have been determined. The absence of compound petaline primordia in Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis excludes these taxa from the eucalypt clade. Post-anthesis circumscissile abscission of the hypanthium above the ovary in Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia is evidence that these three taxa form a monophyletic group; undifferentiated perianth parts and elongated fusiform buds are characters that unite Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis as sister taxa. No floral characters clearly associate Arillastrum with either the eucalypt clade or the clade of Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia.We gratefully acknowledge Clyde Dunlop and Bob Harwood (Northern Territory Herbarium) for collecting specimens of Allosyncarpia, and Bruce Gray (Atherton) for collecting specimens of Stockwellia. The Australian National Herbarium (CANB) kindly lent herbarium specimens of Eucalyptopsis for examination. This research was supported by a University of Melbourne Research Development Grant to Andrew Drinnan.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic"> ALS1</Emphasis> encodes a root tip and stele localized half type ABC transporter required for root growth in an aluminum toxic environment

Aluminum toxicity in acid soils severely limits crop productivity through inhibition of root growth and, consequently, shoot development. Several Arabidopsis mutants were previously identified as having roots with Al hypersensitivity, suggesting that these represent deleterious mutations affecting genes required for either Al tolerance or resistance mechanisms. For this report, the als1-1 mutant was chosen for further characterization. The phenotype of als1-1 is most obviously presented in Al challenged roots, as evidenced by exaggerated root growth inhibition in conjunction with increased expression of Al-responsive genes compared to wt. Using a map-based cloning approach, the als1-1 mutation was isolated and found to represent a deleterious amino acid substitution in a previously uncharacterized half type ABC transporter, At5g39040, which is expressed in a non-Al dependent manner in all organs tested. GUS-dependent analyses revealed that ALS1 expression is primarily localized to the root tip and the vasculature throughout the plant. Concomitant with this, an ALS1: GFP fusion accumulates at the vacuolar membrane of root cells, indicating that ALS1 may be important for intracellular movement of some substrate, possibly chelated Al, as part of a mechanism of Al sequestration.     

Calmodulin-like Proteins from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> and Tomato are Involved in Host Defense Against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas syringae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">tomato</Emphasis>

Complex signal transduction pathways underlie the myriad plant responses to attack by pathogens. Ca²⁺ is a universal second messenger in eukaryotes that modulates various signal transduction pathways through stimulus-specific changes in its intracellular concentration. Ca²⁺-binding proteins such as calmodulin (CaM) detect Ca²⁺ signals and regulate downstream targets as part of a coordinated cellular response to a given stimulus. Here we report the characterization of a tomato gene (APR134) encoding a CaM-related protein that is induced in disease-resistant leaves in response to attack by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. We show that suppression of APR134 gene expression in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), compromises the plant’s immune response. We isolated APR134-like genes from Arabidopsis, termed CML42 and CML43, to investigate whether they serve a functionally similar role. Gene expression analysis revealed that CML43 is rapidly induced in disease-resistant Arabidopsis leaves following inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Overexpression of CML43 in Arabidopsis accelerated the hypersensitive response. Recombinant APR134, CML42, and CML43 proteins all bind Ca²⁺ in vitro. Collectively, our data support a role for CML43, and APR134 as important mediators of Ca²⁺-dependent signals during the plant immune response to bacterial pathogens. This work was supported by a research grant (WAS) and postgraduate scholarships (DC, SLD) from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the National Science Foundation (IBN-0109633; GBM), and the Swedish Research Council (SKE).