植物生长素极性运输调控机理的研究进展

生长素极性运输特异地调控植物器官发生、发育和向性反应等生理过程。本文综述和分析了生长素极性运输的调控机制。分子遗传和生理学研究证明极性运输这一过程是由生长素输入载体和输出载体活性控制的。小G蛋白ARF附属蛋白GEF和GAP分别调控输出载体（PINI）和输入载体（AUX1）的定位和活性。并影响高尔基体等介导的细胞囊泡运输系统,小G蛋白ROP也参与输出载体PIN2活性的调节。本文基于作者的研究工作提出小G蛋白在调控生长素极性运输中的可能作用模式。     

植物生长素的极性运输载体研究进展

生长素极性运输在植物生长发育中起重要的调控作用.植物细胞间的生长素极性运输主要通过生长素运输载体进行调控.该文对近年来有关生长素极性运输载体,包括输入载体AUX/LAX、输出载体PIN、尤其是新近发现的兼有输入和输出载体功能的MDR/PGP等蛋白家族,以及生长素极性运输中PIN与MDR/PGP蛋白间相互作用关系进行综述.     

2011年第9期《遗传》封面说明

生长素浓度梯度对生长素调控植物胚胎和器官发育、向地性和向光性生长等具有重要作用。生长素浓度梯度的形成依赖于生长素的极性运输。生长素极性运输主要由极性定位于细胞膜上的输出载体PIN(pin-formed family)家族蛋白     

ABI4调控侧根发育研究(综述)

生长素是调控植物侧根发育的关键植物激素,生长素运输载体PIN蛋白介导其极性分布。ABI4抑制生长素极性运输蛋白基因PIN1的表达,影响生长素的极性运输,抑制侧根形成。本文概述ABI4转录因子调控侧根发育的研究进展。     

拟南芥根中生长素极性运输的研究进展

生长素极性运输影响植物的生长和发育,在植物器官形态建成、发育等过程中发挥重要的调控作用.生长素极性运输是一个依赖于生长素运输载体来完成的复杂过程.近年来生长素极性运输载体AUX/LAX蛋白、PIN蛋白家族和MDR/PGP蛋白家族在生长素极性运输中作用的研究日益深入,并且在植物激素联系和转运方面取得了重大发现——PILC蛋白.     

高等植物的PIN基因家族

PIN是一类编码生长素极性运输载体元件的基因家族,影响着高等植物生长素的外向运输和众多生长发育过程。近年来该基因家族的相关成员陆续在不同物种中得到克隆。本文就PIN蛋白家族的结构、功能和活性调控的研究进展作一介绍。     

生长素输出载体PIN家族研究进展

生长素极性运输调控植物的生长发育。生长素极性运输主要依赖3类转运蛋白: AUX/LAX、PIN和ABCB蛋白家族。生长素在细胞间流动的方向与PIN蛋白在细胞上的极性定位密切相关。PIN蛋白由1个中心亲水环和2个由中心亲水环隔开的疏水区组成。中心亲水环上含多个磷酸化位点, 其为一些蛋白激酶的靶点。PIN蛋白受多方面调控, 包括转录调控、转录后修饰以及胞内循环与降解, 以响应内源和外源信号。目前, 利用全基因组测序方法在禾谷类作物水稻(Oryza sativa)、玉米(Zea mays)和高粱(Sorghum bicolor)中分别鉴定出12、15和11个PIN基因, 但仅有少数PIN基因的功能被报道。该文从蛋白结构、活性调控和功能验证等方面综述了PIN蛋白在拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)和禾谷类作物中的研究进展, 以期为探究PIN蛋白家族介导的生长素极性运输过程提供新的思路与线索。     

植物向重力反应中PIN-FORMED介导的生长素极性运输调控

植物的向性,即植物对光或重力等环境刺激信号产生的定向生长反应。在向重力性反应中,植物器官将重力感知为定向环境信号,来控制其器官的生长方向以促进生存。植物激素生长素及其极性运输在植物向重力反应中起着决定性的调控作用。质膜定位的生长素输出蛋白PIN-FORMED(PIN)通过动态的亚细胞极性定位,改变生长素运输的方向以响应环境刺激,由此植物器官间建立的生长素浓度梯度是细胞差异化伸长和器官弯曲的基础,来调控植物的形态建成和生长发育过程。本文主要讨论发生在植物重力感受细胞内早期重力感知和信号转导机制的最新研究进展、PIN介导的生长素极性运输、PIN的极性定位以及质膜蛋白丰度的调控机制等。     

头孢霉素对拟南芥主根生长发育的影响

以拟南芥野生型和相关转基因株系为材料,设置0、50、100、200和400μg/mL头孢霉素处理,考察头孢霉素对主根伸长生长、根尖分生组织活性、生长素分布运输以及干细胞活性的影响,探究头孢霉素对拟南芥主根生长发育的毒性作用机制。结果显示:(1)头孢霉素能以浓度依赖的方式抑制拟南芥主根的生长,并抑制分生组织长度和CYCB1;1基因的表达,说明它能抑制根尖分生组织活性。(2)头孢霉素能降低根尖生长素报告基因DR5∷GUS、DR5∷GFP和生长素极性运输蛋白PIN1、PIN2、PIN3、PIN7和AUX1的表达,说明它能抑制根尖生长素的分布和极性运输。(3)头孢霉素能下调根尖静止中心标记系WOX5∷GFP、QC25和QC46的表达,以及SHR和SCR蛋白的表达,说明它能抑制根尖干细胞活性。研究表明,头孢霉素能通过抑制根尖分生组织活性、生长素的分布和极性运输以及干细胞活性,从而调节拟南芥主根的生长发育。     

铝胁迫对拟南芥根尖ＡｔＰＩＮ２ 蛋白表达活性的影响

铝胁迫能影响根尖生长素的运输,这与生长素运输载体密切相关,PIN2作为根尖生长素的运输蛋白,其独特的组织定位可能诱导PIN2蛋白参与了铝调节生长素的运输过程。该研究以拟南芥PIN2缺失突变体( pin2)、PIN2□∷□GFP融合体及其野生型( WT)为材料,应用激光扫描共聚焦显微技术,研究铝处理对拟南芥根尖生长素运输蛋白PIN2的表达活性、蛋白在组织及亚细胞水平分布及其对铝内置化作用的影响。结果表明：短期铝处理或低铝浓度能明显增加拟南芥根尖细胞PIN2蛋白表达活性,而长期铝处理或高铝浓度抑制其表达活性;以100μmol?L-1 AlCl3处理4 h的蛋白表达活性最高。蛋白印迹反应发现,铝处理促进PIN2蛋白在细胞膜上累积,减少胞内囊泡中PIN2蛋白的含量;囊泡运输抑制剂( BFA)能抑制铝诱导PIN2蛋白的分配。铝胁迫增加拟南芥根尖细胞H2 O2累积,pin2的H2 O2累积量大于WT,而相对根长小于WT。 Morin染色结果显示,pin2的铝内置化显著小于WT。上述研究表明,PIN2蛋白在100μmol?L-1 AlCl3处理条件下活性最高,细胞膜累积程度加强,铝内置化能力增强,从而调节根系的生长发育。该研究结果进一步为铝抑制生长素的运输机制提供了理论基础。     

Over-expression of OsAGAP, an ARF-GAP, interferes with auxin influx, vesicle trafficking and root development

Development and organogenesis in both dicot and monocot plants are highly dependent on polar auxin transport (PAT), which requires the proper asymmetric localization of both auxin influx and efflux carriers. In the model dicot plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the trafficking and localization of auxin efflux facilitators such as PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1) are mediated by GNOM, a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for the ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) family of small GTPases, but molecular regulators of the auxin influx facilitators remain unknown. Here, we show that over-expression of OsAGAP, an ARF-GTPase-activating protein (ARF-GAP) in rice, impaired PAT and interfered with both primary and lateral root development. The lateral root phenotype could be rescued by the membrane-permeable auxin 1-naphthyl acetic acid, but not by indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) or by 2,4-dichloro-phenoxyacetic acid, which require influx facilitators to enter the cells. OsAGAP-over-expressing plants had alterations in vesicle trafficking and localization of the presumptive A. thaliana auxin-influx carrier AUX1, but not in the localization of the auxin efflux facilitators. Together, our data suggest that OsAGAP has a specific role in regulating vesicle trafficking pathways such as the auxin influx pathway, which in turn controls auxin-dependent root growth in plants.     

ARF-GTPase as a Molecular Switch for Polar Auxin Transport Mediated by Vesicle Trafficking in Root Development

Polar auxin transport (PAT), which is controlled precisely by both auxin efflux and influx facilitators and mediated by the cell trafficking system, modulates organogenesis, development and root gravitropism. ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)-GTPase protein is catalyzed to switch to the GTP-bound type by a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) and promoted for hybridization to the GDP-bound type by a GTPase-activating protein (GAP). Previous studies showed that auxin efflux facilitators such as PIN1 are regulated by GNOM, an ARF-GEF, in Arabidopsis. In the November issue of The Plant Journal, we reported that the auxin influx facilitator AUX1 was regulated by ARF-GAP via the vesicle trafficking system.¹ In this addendum, we report that overexpression of OsAGAP leads to enhanced root gravitropism and propose a new model of PAT regulation: a loop mechanism between ARF-GAP and GEF mediated by vesicle trafficking to regulate PAT at influx and efflux facilitators, thus controlling root development in plants.Key Words: ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF), ARF-GAP, ARF-GEF, auxin, GNOM, polar transport of auxinPolar auxin transport (PAT) is a unique process in plants. It results in alteration of auxin level, which controls organogenesis and development and a series of physiological processes, such as vascular differentiation, apical dominance, and tropic growth.² Genetic and physiological studies identified that PAT depends on efflux facilitators such as PIN family proteins and influx facilitators such as AUX1 in Arabidopsis.Eight PIN family proteins, AtPIN1 to AtPIN8, exist in Arabidopsis. AtPIN1 is located at the basal side of the plasma membrane in vascular tissues but is weak in cortical tissues, which supports the hypothesis of chemical pervasion.³ AtPIN2 is localized at the apical side of epidermal cells and basally in cortical cells.^1,4 GNOM, an ARF GEF, modulates the localization of PIN1 and vesicle trafficking and affects root development.^5,6 The PIN auxin-efflux facilitator network controls root growth and patterning in Arabidopsis.⁴ As well, asymmetric localization of AUX1 occurs in the root cells of Arabidopsis plants,⁷ and overexpression of OsAGAP interferes with localization of AUX1.¹ Our data support that ARF-GAP mediates auxin influx and auxin-dependent root growth and patterning, which involves vesicle trafficking.¹ Here we show that OsAGAP overexpression leads to enhanced gravitropic response in transgenic rice plants. We propose a model whereby ARF GTPase is a molecular switch to control PAT and root growth and development.Overexpression of OsAGAP led to reduced growth in primary or adventitious roots of rice as compared with wild-type rice.¹ Gravitropism assay revealed transgenic rice overxpressing OsAGAP with a faster response to gravity than the wild type during 24-h treatment. However, 1-naphthyl acetic acid (NAA) treatment promoted the gravitropic response of the wild type, with no difference in response between the OsAGAP transgenic plants and the wild type plants (Fig. 1). The phenotype of enhanced gravitropic response in the transgenic plants was similar to that in the mutants atmdr1-100 and atmdr1-100/atpgp1-100 related to Arabidopsis ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporter and defective in PAT.⁸ The physiological data, as well as data on localization of auxin transport facilitators, support ARF-GAP modulating PAT via regulating the location of the auxin influx facilitator AUX1.¹ So the alteration in gravitropic response in the OsAGAP transgenic plants was explained by a defect in PAT.Open in a separate windowFigure 1Gravitropism of OsAGAP overexpressing transgenic rice roots and response to 1-naphthyl acetic acid (NAA). (A) Gravitropism phenotype of wild type (WT) and OsAGAP overexpressing roots at 6 hr gravi-stimulation (top panel) and 0 hr as a treatment control (bottom panel). (B) Time course of gravitropic response in transgenic roots. (C and D) results correspond to those in (A and B), except for treatment with NAA (5 × 10⁻⁷ M).The polarity of auxin transport is controlled by the asymmetric distribution of auxin transport proteins, efflux facilitators and influx carriers. ARF GTPase is a key member in vesicle trafficking system and modulates cell polarity and PAT in plants. Thus, ARF-GDP or GTP bound with GEF or GAP determines the ARF function on auxin efflux facilitators (such as PIN1) or influx ones (such as AUX1).ARF1, targeting ROP2 and PIN2, affects epidermal cell polarity.⁹ GNOM is involved in the regulation of PIN1 asymmetric localization in cells and its related function in organogenesis and development.⁶ Although VAN3, an ARF-GAP in Arabidopsis, is located in a subpopulation of the trans-Golgi transport network (TGN), which is involved in leaf vascular network formation, it does not affect PAT.¹⁰ OsAGAP possesses an ARF GTPase-activating function in rice.¹¹ Specifically, our evidence supports that ARF-GAP bound with ARF-GTP modulates PAT and gravitropism via AUX1, mediated by vesicle trafficking, including the Golgi stack.¹Therefore, we propose a loop mechanism between ARF-GAP and GEF mediated by the vascular trafficking system in regulating PAT at influx and efflux facilitators, which controls root development and gravitropism in plants (Fig. 2). Here we emphasize that ARF-GEF catalyzes a conversion of ARF-bound GDP to GTP, which is necessary for the efficient delivery of the vesicle to the target membrane.¹² An opposite process of ARF-bound GDP to GTP is promoted by ARF-GTPase-activating protein via binding. A loop status of ARF-GTP and ARF-GDP bound with their appurtenances controls different auxin facilitators and regulates root development and gravitropism.Open in a separate windowFigure 2Model for ARF GTPase as a molecular switch for the polar auxin transport mediated by the vesicle traffic system.     

PINOID positively regulates auxin efflux in Arabidopsis root hair cells and tobacco cells

Intercellular transport of auxin is mediated by influx and efflux carriers in the plasma membrane and subjected to developmental and environmental regulation. Here, using the auxin-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana root hair cell system and the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) suspension cell system, we demonstrate that the protein kinase PINOID (PID) positively regulates auxin efflux. Overexpression of PID (PIDox) or the auxin efflux carrier component PINFORMED3 (PIN3, PIN3ox), specifically in the root hair cell, greatly suppressed root hair growth. In both PIDox and PIN3ox transformants, root hair growth was nearly restored to wild-type levels by the addition of auxin, protein kinase inhibitors, or auxin efflux inhibitors. Localization of PID or PIN3 at the cell boundary was disrupted by brefeldin A and staurosporine. A mutation in the kinase domain abrogated the ability of PID to localize at the cell boundary and to inhibit root hair growth. These results suggest that PIDox- or PIN3ox-enhanced auxin efflux results in a shortage of intracellular auxin and a subsequent inhibition of root hair growth. In an auxin efflux assay using transgenic tobacco suspension cells, PIDox or PIN3ox also enhanced auxin efflux. Collectively, these results suggest that PID positively regulates cellular auxin efflux, most likely by modulating the trafficking of PIN and/or some other molecular partners involved in auxin efflux.     

Adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor-GTPase-activating protein stimulates the transport of AUX1 endosome, which relies on actin cytoskeletal organization in rice root development

Polar auxin transport, which depends on polarized subcellular distribution of AUXIN RESISTANT 1/LIKE AUX1 (AUX1/LAX) influx carriers and PIN-FORMED (PIN) efflux carriers, mediates various processes of plant growth and development. Endosomal recycling of PIN1 is mediated by an adenosine diphosphate (ADP)ribosylation factor (ARF)-GTPase exchange factor protein, GNOM. However, the mediation of auxin influx carrier recycling is poorly understood. Here, we report that overexpression of OsAGAP, an ARF-GTPase-activating protein in rice, stimulates vesicle transport from the plasma membrane to the Golgi apparatus in protoplasts and transgenic plants and induces the accumulation of early endosomes and AUX1. AUX1 endosomes could partially colocalize with FM4-64 labeled early endosome after actin disruption. Furthermore, OsAGAP is involved in actin cytoskeletal organization, and its overexpression tends to reduce the thickness and bundling of actin filaments. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis revealed exocytosis of the AUX1 recycling endosome was not affected in the OsAGAP overexpression cells, and was only slightly promoted when the actin filaments were completely disrupted by Lat B. Thus, we propose that AUX1 accumulation in the OsAGAP overexpression and actin disrupted cells may be due to the fact that endocytosis of the auxin influx carrier AUX1 early endosome was greatly promoted by actin cytoskeleton disruption.     

Molecular players of auxin transport systems: advances in genomic and molecular events*

Phytohormone auxin plays an indispensable role in the plethora of plant developmental process starting from the cell division, and cell elongation to morphogenesis. Auxins are transported to different parts of the plant by different sophisticated transporter molecules known as ‘auxin transporters’.There are four auxin transporter families that have been reported so far in the plant kingdom which includes AUX/LAX (AUXIN-RESISTANT1–LIKES), PIN (PIN-FORMED, auxin efflux carriers), ABCB ((ATP-binding cassette-B (ABCB)/P-glycoprotein (PGP)) and PILS (PIN-Likes). Auxin influx and efflux carriers are distributed in a polar fashion in the plasma membrane whereas ABCB and PILS are present in a non-polar fashion. Other than AUX/LAX, other auxin transporters harbor N-and C-terminal conserved domains along with a variable hydrophilic loop in the transmembrane domain. The AUX/LAX, ABCB and PIN transporters mediate long distance auxin transport whereas PILS and PIN5 protein involved in intracellular auxin homeostasis.     

Subcellular trafficking of the Arabidopsis auxin influx carrier AUX1 uses a novel pathway distinct from PIN1

The directional flow of the plant hormone auxin mediates multiple developmental processes, including patterning and tropisms. Apical and basal plasma membrane localization of AUXIN-RESISTANT1 (AUX1) and PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1) auxin transport components underpins the directionality of intercellular auxin flow in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. Here, we examined the mechanism of polar trafficking of AUX1. Real-time live cell analysis along with subcellular markers revealed that AUX1 resides at the apical plasma membrane of protophloem cells and at highly dynamic subpopulations of Golgi apparatus and endosomes in all cell types. Plasma membrane and intracellular pools of AUX1 are interconnected by actin-dependent constitutive trafficking, which is not sensitive to the vesicle trafficking inhibitor brefeldin A. AUX1 subcellular dynamics are not influenced by the auxin influx inhibitor NOA but are blocked by the auxin efflux inhibitors TIBA and PBA. Furthermore, auxin transport inhibitors and interference with the sterol composition of membranes disrupt polar AUX1 distribution at the plasma membrane. Compared with PIN1 trafficking, AUX1 dynamics display different sensitivities to trafficking inhibitors and are independent of the endosomal trafficking regulator ARF GEF GNOM. Hence, AUX1 uses a novel trafficking pathway in plants that is distinct from PIN trafficking, providing an additional mechanism for the fine regulation of auxin transport.