Enhancements in sucrose biosynthesis capacity affect shoot branching in Arabidopsis

We previously demonstrated that transgenic tobacco plants expressing cyanobacterial fructose-1,6-/sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase in the cytosol increased the number of lateral shoots and leaves at elevated CO₂ levels. These findings suggest that alterations in carbon partitioning affect the development of shoot branching. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms at the molecular level, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing cyanobacterial fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase-II in the cytosol (AcF). At elevated CO₂ levels, the number of lateral shoots was significantly increased in AcF plants. Sucrose and hexose levels were also higher in AcF plants than in wild-type plants. The expression levels of MAX1, MAX4, YUCCA8, YUCCA9, and BRC1, which are involved in auxin or strigolactone biosynthesis and responses, were lower in AcF plants than in wild-type plants. These results suggest that alterations in sugar partitioning affect hormone metabolism and responses, resulting in enhanced shoot branching.     

Characterization of MORE AXILLARY GROWTH Genes in Populus

Background

Strigolactones are a new class of plant hormones that play a key role in regulating shoot branching. Studies of branching mutants in Arabidopsis, pea, rice and petunia have identified several key genes involved in strigolactone biosynthesis or signaling pathway. In the model plant Arabidopsis, MORE AXILLARY GROWTH1 (MAX1), MAX2, MAX3 and MAX4 are four founding members of strigolactone pathway genes. However, little is known about the strigolactone pathway genes in the woody perennial plants.

Methodology/Principal Finding

Here we report the identification of MAX homologues in the woody model plant Populus trichocarpa. We identified the sequence homologues for each MAX protein in P. trichocarpa. Gene expression analysis revealed that Populus MAX paralogous genes are differentially expressed across various tissues and organs. Furthermore, we showed that Populus MAX genes could complement or partially complement the shoot branching phenotypes of the corresponding Arabidopsis max mutants.

Conclusion/Significance

This study provides genetic evidence that strigolactone pathway genes are likely conserved in the woody perennial plants and lays a foundation for further characterization of strigolactone pathway and its functions in the woody perennial plants.     

The tomato CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE8 (SlCCD8) regulates rhizosphere signaling, plant architecture and affects reproductive development through strigolactone biosynthesis

Strigolactones are plant hormones that regulate both above- and belowground plant architecture. Strigolactones were initially identified as rhizosphere signaling molecules. In the present work, the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE 8 (SlCCD8) was cloned and its role in rhizosphere signaling and plant physiology assessed by generating knock-down lines. Transgenic SlCCD8 plants were generated by RNAi-mediated silencing. Lines with different levels of strigolactone reduction - confirmed by UPLC-MS/MS - were selected and their phenotypes investigated. Lines exhibiting reduced SlCCD8 levels displayed increased shoot branching, reduced plant height, increased number of nodes and excessive adventitious root development. In addition, these lines exhibited reproductive phenotypes such as smaller flowers, fruits, as well as fewer and smaller seeds per fruit. Furthermore, we show that strigolactone loading to the xylem sap is possibly restricted to orobanchol. Infestation by Phelipanche ramosa was reduced by 90% in lines with a relatively mild reduction in strigolactone biosynthesis and secretion while arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, apical dominance and fruit yield were only mildly affected. This demonstrates that reduction of strigolactone biosynthesis could be a suitable tool in parasitic weed management. Furthermore, our results suggest that strigolactones are involved in even more physiological processes than so far assumed.     

Non‐dormant Axillary Bud 1 regulates axillary bud outgrowth in sorghum

Tillering contributes to grain yield and plant architecture and therefore is an agronomically important trait in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). Here, we identified and functionally characterized a mutant of the Non‐dormant Axillary Bud 1 (NAB1) gene from an ethyl methanesulfonate‐mutagenized sorghum population. The nab1 mutants have increased tillering and reduced plant height. Map‐based cloning revealed that NAB1 encodes a carotenoid‐cleavage dioxygenase 7 (CCD7) orthologous to rice (Oryza sativa) HIGH‐TILLERING DWARF1/DWARF17 and Arabidopsis thaliana MORE AXILLARY BRANCHING 3. NAB1 is primarily expressed in axillary nodes and tiller bases and NAB1 localizes to chloroplasts. The nab1 mutation causes outgrowth of basal axillary buds; removing these non‐dormant basal axillary buds restored the wild‐type phenotype. The tillering of nab1 plants was completely suppressed by exogenous application of the synthetic strigolactone analog GR24. Moreover, the nab1 plants had no detectable strigolactones and displayed stronger polar auxin transport than wild‐type plants. Finally, RNA‐seq showed that the expression of genes involved in multiple processes, including auxin‐related genes, was significantly altered in nab1. These results suggest that NAB1 functions in strigolactone biosynthesis and the regulation of shoot branching via an interaction with auxin transport.     

Ectopic phytocystatin expression leads to enhanced drought stress tolerance in soybean (Glycine max) and Arabidopsis thaliana through effects on strigolactone pathways and can also result in improved seed traits

Ectopic cystatin expression has long been used in plant pest management, but the cysteine protease, targets of these inhibitors, might also have important functions in the control of plant lifespan and stress tolerance that remain poorly characterized. We therefore characterized the effects of expression of the rice cystatin, oryzacystatin‐I (OCI), on the growth, development and stress tolerance of crop (soybean) and model (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants. Ectopic OCI expression in soybean enhanced shoot branching and leaf chlorophyll accumulation at later stages of vegetative development and enhanced seed protein contents and decreased the abundance of mRNAs encoding strigolactone synthesis enzymes. The OCI‐expressing A. thaliana showed a slow‐growth phenotype, with increased leaf numbers and enhanced shoot branching at flowering. The OCI‐dependent inhibition of cysteine proteases enhanced drought tolerance in soybean and A. thaliana, photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation being much less sensitive to drought‐induced inhibition in the OCI‐expressing soybean lines. Ectopic OCI expression or treatment with the cysteine protease inhibitor E64 increased lateral root densities in A. thaliana. E64 treatment also increased lateral root densities in the max2‐1 mutants that are defective in strigolactone signalling, but not in the max3‐9 mutants that are defective in strigolactone synthesis. Taken together, these data provide evidence that OCI‐inhibited cysteine proteases participate in the control of growth and stress tolerance through effects on strigolactones. We conclude that cysteine proteases are important targets for manipulation of plant growth, development and stress tolerance, and also seed quality traits.     

Functional screening of willow alleles in Arabidopsis combined with QTL mapping in willow (Salix) identifies SxMAX4 as a coppicing response gene

Willows (Salix spp.) are important biomass crops due to their ability to grow rapidly with low fertilizer inputs and ease of cultivation in short‐rotation coppice cycles. They are relatively undomesticated and highly diverse, but functional testing to identify useful allelic variation is time‐consuming in trees and transformation is not yet possible in willow. Arabidopsis is heralded as a model plant from which knowledge can be transferred to advance the improvement of less tractable species. Here, knowledge and methodologies from Arabidopsis were successfully used to identify a gene influencing stem number in coppiced willows, a complex trait of key biological and industrial relevance. The strigolactone‐related More AXillary growth (MAX) genes were considered candidates due to their role in shoot branching. We previously demonstrated that willow and Arabidopsis show similar response to strigolactone and that transformation rescue of Arabidopsis max mutants with willow genes could be used to detect allelic differences. Here, this approach was used to screen 45 SxMAX1, SxMAX2, SxMAX3 and SxMAX4 alleles cloned from 15 parents of 11 mapping populations varying in shoot‐branching traits. Single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequencies were locus dependent, ranging from 29.2 to 74.3 polymorphic sites per kb. SxMAX alleles were 98%–99% conserved at the amino acid level, but different protein products varying in their ability to rescue Arabidopsis max mutants were identified. One poor rescuing allele, SxMAX4D, segregated in a willow mapping population where its presence was associated with increased shoot resprouting after coppicing and colocated with a QTL for this trait.     

SMAX1-LIKE/D53 Family Members Enable Distinct MAX2-Dependent Responses to Strigolactones and Karrikins in Arabidopsis

The plant hormones strigolactones and smoke-derived karrikins are butenolide signals that control distinct aspects of plant development. Perception of both molecules in Arabidopsis thaliana requires the F-box protein MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2). Recent studies suggest that the homologous SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1 (SMAX1) in Arabidopsis and DWARF53 (D53) in rice (Oryza sativa) are downstream targets of MAX2. Through an extensive analysis of loss-of-function mutants, we demonstrate that the Arabidopsis SMAX1-LIKE genes SMXL6, SMXL7, and SMXL8 are co-orthologs of rice D53 that promote shoot branching. SMXL7 is degraded rapidly after treatment with the synthetic strigolactone mixture rac-GR24. Like D53, SMXL7 degradation is MAX2- and D14-dependent and can be prevented by deletion of a putative P-loop. Loss of SMXL6,7,8 suppresses several other strigolactone-related phenotypes in max2, including increased auxin transport and PIN1 accumulation, and increased lateral root density. Although only SMAX1 regulates germination and hypocotyl elongation, SMAX1 and SMXL6,7,8 have complementary roles in the control of leaf morphology. Our data indicate that SMAX1 and SMXL6,7,8 repress karrikin and strigolactone signaling, respectively, and suggest that all MAX2-dependent growth effects are mediated by degradation of SMAX1/SMXL proteins. We propose that functional diversification within the SMXL family enabled responses to different butenolide signals through a shared regulatory mechanism.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">ZmCCD7/ZpCCD7</Emphasis> encodes a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase mediating shoot branching

Main conclusion

ZmCCD7/ZpCCD7 encodes a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase that may mediate strigolactone biosynthesis highly responsive to phosphorus deficiency and undergoes negative selection over domestication from Zea ssp. parviglumis to Zea mays.Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 7 (CCD7) functions to suppress shoot branching by controlling strigolactone biosynthesis. However, little is known about CCD7 and its functions in maize and its ancestor (Zea ssp. parviglumis) with numerous shoot branches. We found that ZmCCD7 and ZpCCD7 had the same coding sequence, indicating negative selection of the CCD7 gene over domestication from Zea ssp. parviglumis to Zea mays. CCD7 expression was highly responsive to phosphorus deficiency in both species, especially in the meristematic zone and the pericycle of the elongation zone of maize roots. Notably, the crown root had the strongest ZmCCD7 expression in the meristematic zone under phosphorus limitation. Transient expression of GFP tagged ZmCCD7/ZpCCD7 in maize protoplasts indicated their localization in the plastid. Further, ZmCCD7/ZpCCD7 efficiently catalyzed metabolism of six different linear and cyclic carotenoids in E. coli, and generated β-ionone by cleaving β-carotene at the 9,10 (9′,10′) position. Together with suppression of shoot branching in the max3 mutant by transformation of ZmCCD7/ZpCCD7, our work suggested that ZmCCD7/ZpCCD7 encodes a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase mediating strigolactone biosynthesis in maize and its ancestor.

     

Over-expression of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">IGI1</Emphasis> leading to altered shoot-branching development related to MAX pathway in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Shoot branching and growth are controlled by phytohormones such as auxin and other components in Arabidopsis. We identified a mutant (igi1) showing decreased height and bunchy branching patterns. The phenotypes reverted to the wild type in response to RNA interference with the IGI1 gene. Histochemical analysis by GUS assay revealed tissue-specific gene expression in the anther and showed that the expression levels of the IGI1 gene in apical parts, including flowers, were higher than in other parts of the plants. The auxin biosynthesis component gene, CYP79B2, was up-regulated in igi1 mutants and the IGI1 gene was down-regulated by IAA treatment. These results indicated that there is an interplay regulation between IGI1 and phytohormone auxin. Moreover, the expression of the auxin-related shoot branching regulation genes, MAX3 and MAX4, was down-regulated in igi1 mutants. Taken together, these results indicate that the overexpression of the IGI1 influenced MAX pathway in the shoot branching regulation.     

In planta cleavage of carotenoids by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4 in transgenic rice plants

A family of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) produces diverse apocarotenoid compounds via the oxidative cleavage of carotenoids as substrates. Their types are highly dependent on the action of the CCD family to cleave the double bonds at the specific position on the carotenoids. Here, we report in vivo function of the AtCCD4 gene, one of the nine members of the Arabidopsis CCD gene family, in transgenic rice plants. Using two independent single-copy rice lines overexpressing the AtCCD4 transgene, the targeted analysis for carotenoids and apocarotenoids showed the markedly lowered levels of β-carotene (74 %) and lutein (72 %) along with the changed levels of two β-carotene (C₄₀) cleavage products, a two-fold increase of β-ionone (C₁₃) and de novo generation of β-cyclocitral (C₁₀) at lower levels, compared with non-transgenic rice plants. It suggests that β-carotene could be the principal substrate being cleaved at 9–10 (9′–10′) for β-ionone and 7–8 (7′–8′) positions for β-cyclocitral by AtCCD4. This study is in planta report on the generation of apocarotenal volatiles from carotenoid substrates via cleavage by AtCCD4. We further verified that the production of these volatiles was due to the action of exogenous AtCCD4 and not the expression of endogenous rice CCD genes (OsCCD1, 4a, and 4b).     

The role of strigolactones in photomorphogenesis of pea is limited to adventitious rooting

The recently discovered group of plant hormones, the strigolactones, have been implicated in regulating photomorphogenesis. We examined this extensively in our strigolactone synthesis and response mutants and could find no evidence to support a major role for strigolactone signaling in classic seedling photomorphogenesis (e.g. elongation and leaf expansion) in pea (Pisum sativum), consistent with two recent independent reports in Arabidopsis. However, we did find a novel effect of strigolactones on adventitious rooting in darkness. Strigolactone‐deficient mutants, Psccd8 and Psccd7, produced significantly fewer adventitious roots than comparable wild‐type seedlings when grown in the dark, but not when grown in the light. This observation in dark‐grown plants did not appear to be due to indirect effects of other factors (e.g. humidity) as the constitutively de‐etiolated mutant, lip1, also displayed reduced rooting in the dark. This role for strigolactones did not involve the MAX2 F‐Box strigolactone response pathway as Psmax2 f‐box mutants did not show a reduction in adventitious rooting in the dark compared with wild‐type plants. The auxin‐deficient mutant bushy also reduced adventitious rooting in the dark, as did decapitation of wild‐type plants. Rooting was restored by the application of indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) to decapitated plants, suggesting a role for auxin in the rooting response. However, auxin measurements showed no accumulation of IAA in the epicotyls of wild‐type plants compared with the strigolactone synthesis mutant Psccd8, suggesting that changes in the gross auxin level in the epicotyl are not mediating this response to strigolactone deficiency.     

Axillary bud outgrowth in herbaceous shoots: how do strigolactones fit into the picture?

Strigolactones have recently been identified as the long sought-after signal required to inhibit shoot branching (Gomez-Roldan et al. 2008; Umehara et al. 2008; reviewed in Dun et al. 2009). Here we briefly describe the evidence for strigolactone inhibition of shoot branching and, more extensively, the broader context of this action. We address the central question of why strigolactone mutants exhibit a varied branching phenotype across a wide range of experimental conditions. Where knowledge is available, we highlight the role of other hormones in dictating these phenotypes and describe those instances where our knowledge of known plant hormones and their interactions falls considerably short of explaining the phenotypes. This review will focus on bud outgrowth in herbaceous species because knowledge on the role of strigolactones in shoot branching to date barely extends beyond this group of plants.     

Specialisation within the DWARF14 protein family confers distinct responses to karrikins and strigolactones in Arabidopsis

Karrikins are butenolides derived from burnt vegetation that stimulate seed germination and enhance seedling responses to light. Strigolactones are endogenous butenolide hormones that regulate shoot and root architecture, and stimulate the branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Thus, karrikins and strigolactones are structurally similar but physiologically distinct plant growth regulators. In Arabidopsis thaliana, responses to both classes of butenolides require the F-box protein MAX2, but it remains unclear how discrete responses to karrikins and strigolactones are achieved. In rice, the DWARF14 protein is required for strigolactone-dependent inhibition of shoot branching. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis DWARF14 orthologue, AtD14, is also necessary for normal strigolactone responses in seedlings and adult plants. However, the AtD14 paralogue KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) is specifically required for responses to karrikins, and not to strigolactones. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that KAI2 is ancestral and that AtD14 functional specialisation has evolved subsequently. Atd14 and kai2 mutants exhibit distinct subsets of max2 phenotypes, and expression patterns of AtD14 and KAI2 are consistent with the capacity to respond to either strigolactones or karrikins at different stages of plant development. We propose that AtD14 and KAI2 define a class of proteins that permit the separate regulation of karrikin and strigolactone signalling by MAX2. Our results support the existence of an endogenous, butenolide-based signalling mechanism that is distinct from the strigolactone pathway, providing a molecular basis for the adaptive response of plants to smoke.     

Strigolactones,karrikins and beyond

The plant hormones strigolactones are synthesized from carotenoids and signal via the α/β hydrolase DWARF 14 (D14) and the F‐box protein MORE AXILLARY GROWTH 2 (MAX2). Karrikins, molecules produced upon fire, share MAX2 for signalling, but depend on the D14 paralog KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) for perception with strong evidence that the MAX2–KAI2 protein complex might also recognize so far unknown plant‐made karrikin‐like molecules. Thus, the phenotypes of the max2 mutants are the complex consequence of a loss of both D14‐dependent and KAI2‐dependent signalling, hence, the reason why some biological roles, attributed to strigolactones based on max2 phenotypes, could never be observed in d14 or in the strigolactone‐deficient max3 and max4 mutants. Moreover, the broadly used synthetic strigolactone analog rac‐GR24 has been shown to mimic strigolactone as well as karrikin(‐like) signals, providing an extra level of complexity in the distinction of the unique and common roles of both molecules in plant biology. Here, a critical overview is provided of the diverse biological processes regulated by strigolactones and/or karrikins. These two growth regulators are considered beyond their boundaries, and the importance of the yet unknown karrikin‐like molecules is discussed as well.     

The genes and enzymes of the carotenoid metabolic pathway in Vitis vinifera L

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Carotenoids are a heterogeneous group of plant isoprenoids primarily involved inphotosynthesis. In plants the cleavage of carotenoids leads to the formation of thephytohormones abscisic acid and strigolactone, and C13-norisoprenoids involved in thecharacteristic flavour and aroma compounds in flowers and fruits and are of specificimportance in the varietal character of grapes and wine. This work extends the previousreports of carotenoid gene expression and photosynthetic pigment analysis by providing anup-to-date pathway analysis and an important framework for the analysis of carotenoidmetabolic pathways in grapevine. RESULTS: Comparative genomics was used to identify 42 genes putatively involved in carotenoidbiosynthesis/catabolism in grapevine. The genes are distributed on 16 of the 19 chromosomesand have been localised to the physical map of the heterozygous ENTAV115 grapevinesequence. Nine of the genes occur as single copies whereas the rest of the carotenoidbiosynthetic genes have more than one paralogue. The cDNA copies of eleven correspondinggenes from Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinotage were characterised, and four where shown to befunctional. Microarrays provided expression profiles of 39 accessions in the metabolicpathway during three berry developmental stages in Sauvignon blanc, whereas an optimisedHPLC analysis provided the concentrations of individual carotenoids. This provides evidenceof the functioning of the lutein epoxide cycle and their respective genes in grapevine.Similarly, orthologues of genes leading to the formation of strigolactone involved in shootbranching inhibition were identified: CCD7, CCD8 and MAX1. Moreover, the isoformstypically have different expression patterns, confirming the complex regulation of thepathway. Of particular interest is the expression pattern of the three VvNCEDs: Our resultssupport previous findings that VvNCED3 is likely the isoform linked to ABA content inberries. CONCLUSIONS: The carotenoid biosynthetic pathway is well characterised, and the genes and enzymes havebeen studied in a number of plants. The study of the 42 carotenoid pathway genes ofgrapevine showed that they share a high degree of similarity with other eudicots. Expressionand pigment profiling of developing berries provided insights into the most completegrapevine carotenoid pathway representation. This study represents an important referencestudy for further characterisation of carotenoid biosynthesis and catabolism in grapevine.     

Strigolactone Can Promote or Inhibit Shoot Branching by Triggering Rapid Depletion of the Auxin Efflux Protein PIN1 from the Plasma Membrane

Plants continuously extend their root and shoot systems through the action of meristems at their growing tips. By regulating which meristems are active, plants adjust their body plans to suit local environmental conditions. The transport network of the phytohormone auxin has been proposed to mediate this systemic growth coordination, due to its self-organising, environmentally sensitive properties. In particular, a positive feedback mechanism termed auxin transport canalization, which establishes auxin flow from active shoot meristems (auxin sources) to the roots (auxin sinks), has been proposed to mediate competition between shoot meristems and to balance shoot and root growth. Here we provide strong support for this hypothesis by demonstrating that a second hormone, strigolactone, regulates growth redistribution in the shoot by rapidly modulating auxin transport. A computational model in which strigolactone action is represented as an increase in the rate of removal of the auxin export protein, PIN1, from the plasma membrane can reproduce both the auxin transport and shoot branching phenotypes observed in various mutant combinations and strigolactone treatments, including the counterintuitive ability of strigolactones either to promote or inhibit shoot branching, depending on the auxin transport status of the plant. Consistent with this predicted mode of action, strigolactone signalling was found to trigger PIN1 depletion from the plasma membrane of xylem parenchyma cells in the stem. This effect could be detected within 10 minutes of strigolactone treatment and was independent of protein synthesis but dependent on clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking. Together these results support the hypothesis that growth across the plant shoot system is balanced by competition between shoot apices for a common auxin transport path to the root and that strigolactones regulate shoot branching by modulating this competition.     

番茄(Solanum lycopersicum)类胡萝卜素降解关键基因筛选

类胡萝卜素衍生挥发物对提升番茄风味至关重要。为筛选调控类胡萝卜素衍生挥发物合成的关键基因,以90个番茄自交系中香气寡淡的TI4001和香气浓郁的CI1005为材料,分析了番茄类胡萝卜素裂解双加氧酶(SlCCDs)基因在不同组织及不同发育期果实中的表达量,果实不同成熟期类胡萝卜素及其衍生挥发物的含量。发现在7个SlCCDs基因中,SlCCD1A和SlCCD1B基因在番茄果实中表达量最高,且随着果实发育成熟表达量显著升高。果实中类胡萝卜素及其衍生挥发物含量也显著升高。SlCCD1A和SlCCD1B基因表达量与类胡萝卜素及其衍生挥发物含量之间极显著正相关。推测SlCCD1A和SlCCD1B基因是裂解类胡萝卜素合成挥发物的关键基因。