The role of the megagametophyte in maintaining loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling arginase gene expression in vitro

Following loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seed germination, storage-protein breakdown in the megagametophyte and in the seedling results in a large increase in the seedling's free amino acid pool. A substantial portion of both the storage proteins and the amino acid pool is arginine, a very efficient nitrogen-storage compound. Free arginine is hydrolyzed in the seedling by the enzyme arginase (EC 3.5.3.1), which is under strong developmental control. At present, regulation of arginase in conifers is not well understood. Here we report the utilization of an in vitro culture system to address the separate impacts of the seedling and megagametophyte tissues on arginase enzyme activity, protein levels and patterns of gene expression. We also describe the generation of an anti-arginase antibody prepared from a histidine-tagged loblolly pine arginase fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli. Our results indicate that arginase gene expression in the seedling is initiated by the seedling itself and then maintained or up-regulated by the megagametophyte. The contribution of storage-protein breakdown and the free amino acid pool, particularly arginine, in this regulation is also addressed.     

Regulation of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) arginase in developing seedling tissue during germination and post-germinative growth

After seed germination, hydrolysis of storage proteins provides a nitrogen source for the developing seedling. In conifers the majority of these reserves are located in the living haploid megagametophyte tissue. In the developing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling an influx of free amino acids from the megagametophyte accompanies germination and early seedling growth. The major component of this amino acid pool is arginine, which is transported rapidly and efficiently to the seedling without prior conversion. This arginine accounts for nearly half of the total nitrogen entering the cotyledons and is likely a defining factor in early seedling nitrogen metabolism. In the seedling, the enzyme arginase is responsible for liberating nitrogen, in the form of ornithine and urea, from free arginine supplied by the megagametophyte. In this report we investigate how the seedling uses arginase to cope with the large arginine influx. As part of this work we have cloned an arginase cDNA from a loblolly pine expression library. Analysis of enzyme activity data, accumulation of arginase protein and mRNA abundance indicates that increased arginase activity after seed germination is due to de novo synthesis of the enzyme. Our results suggest that arginase is primarily regulated at the RNA level during loblolly pine seed germination and post-germinative growth.     

Loblolly pine arginase responds to arginine in vitro

Following germination of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seeds, storage proteins in the embryo and megagametophyte are broken down to provide nitrogen, in the form of amino acids, to the developing seedling. A substantial portion of the free amino acids released in this process is arginine. Arginine is hydrolyzed in the cotyledons of the seedling by the enzyme arginase (EC 3.5.3.1), which is under developmental control. It has been shown previously that the seedling is able to initiate arginase gene expression in vitro in the absence of the megagametophyte, however, presence of the megagametophyte causes a greater accumulation of arginase protein and mRNA. Using an in vitro culture system we show that arginine itself may be responsible for up-regulating arginase activity. Application of exogenous arginine to cotyledons of seedlings germinated in the absence of the megagametophyte caused an increase in total shoot pole arginase activity as well as arginase specific activity. Arginine was also able to induce arginase mRNA accumulation in the same tissue.     

Amino Acid Utilization in Seeds of Loblolly Pine during Germination and Early Seedling Growth (I. Arginine and Arginase Activity)

The mobilization and utilization of the major storage proteins in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seeds following imbibition were investigated. Most of the seed protein reserves were contained within the megagametophyte. Breakdown of these proteins occurred primarily following radicle emergence and correlated with a substantial increase in the free amino acid pool in the seedling; the majority of this increase appeared to be the result of export from the megagametophyte. The megagametophyte was able to break down storage proteins and export free amino acids in the absence of the seedling. Arginine (Arg) was the most abundant amino acid among the principal storage proteins of the megagametophyte and was a major component of the free amino acid pools in both the seedling and the megagametophyte. The increase in free Arg coincided with a marked increase in arginase activity, mainly localized within the cotyledons and epicotyl of the seedling. Arginase activity was negligible in isolated seedlings. Experiments with phenylphosphorodiamidate, a urease inhibitor, supported the hypothesis that arginase participates in Arg metabolism in the seedling. The results of this study indicate that Arg could play an important role in the nutrition of loblolly pine during early seedling growth.     

Leaf Developmental Age Controls Expression of Genes Encoding Enzymes of Chlorophyll and Heme Biosynthesis in Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

The effects of leaf developmental age on the expression of three nuclear gene families in pea (Pisum sativum L.) coding for enzymes of chlorophyll and heme biosynthesis have been examined. The steady-state levels of mRNAs encoding aminolevulinic acid (ALA) dehydratase, porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase, and NADPH:protochlorophyllide reductase were measured by RNA gel blot and quantitative slot-blot analyses in the foliar leaves of embryos that had imbibed for 12 to 18 h and leaves of developing seedlings grown either in total darkness or under continuous white light for up to 14 d after imbibition. Both ALA dehydratase and PBG deaminase mRNAs were detectable in embryonic leaves, whereas mRNA encoding the NADPH:protochlorophyllide reductase was not observed at this early developmental stage. All three gene products were found to increase to approximately the same extent in the primary leaves of pea seedlings during the first 6 to 8 d after imbibition (postgermination) regardless of whether the plants were grown in darkness or under continuous white-light illumination. In the leaves of dark-grown seedlings, the highest levels of message accumulation were observed at approximately 8 to 10 d postgermination, and, thereafter, a steady decline in mRNA levels was observed. In the leaves of light-grown seedlings, steady-state levels of mRNA encoding the three chlorophyll biosynthetic enzymes were inversely correlated with leaf age, with youngest, rapidly expanding leaves containing the highest message levels. A corresponding increase in the three enzyme protein levels was also found during the early stages of development in the light or darkness; however, maximal accumulation of protein was delayed relative to peak levels of mRNA accumulation. We also found that although protochlorophyllide was detectable in the leaves immediately after imbibition, the time course of accumulation of the phototransformable form of the molecule coincided with NADPH:protochlorophyllide reductase expression. In studies in which dark-grown seedlings of various ages were subsequently transferred to light for 24 and 48 h, the effect of light on changes in steady-state mRNA levels was found to be more pronounced at later developmental stages. These results suggest that the expression of these three genes and likely those genes encoding other chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway enzymes are under the control of a common regulatory mechanism. Furthermore, it appears that not light, but rather as yet unidentified endogenous factors, are the primary regulatory factors controlling gene expression early in leaf development.     

Gene expression in derivatives of embryonic foregut during prenatal development of the rat

Proteins characteristic for the adult cellular phenotype, i.e., carbamoylphosphate synthetase (CPS) for liver and small intestine, arginase for liver, glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) for pancreas, liver, and small intestine, and amylase for pancreas were studied immunohistochemically in rat embryos and fetuses. At distinct developmental stages, subsets of enzymes appear synchronously in the foregut derivatives, suggesting that gene expression in the different organs is regulated by common factors. In contrast to the long-held opinion that fetal hepatocytes are a homogeneous cell population, it is shown that arginase and CPS are heterogeneously distributed between ED 16 and ED 20. This heterogeneity is related to the vascular architecture of the liver and disappears perinatally as the result of strong stimulation of enzyme synthesis. In addition, an intercellular heterogeneity in CPS content that is not related to the vasculature is observed between ED 14 and ED 20. This "random" heterogeneity reflects temporal differences in the onset of CPS accumulation in individual cells.     

A mutation in Arabidopsis seedling plastid development1 affects plastid differentiation in embryo-derived tissues during seedling growth

Oilseed plants like Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) develop green photosynthetically active embryos. Upon seed maturation, the embryonic chloroplasts degenerate into a highly reduced plastid type called the eoplast. Upon germination, eoplasts redifferentiate into chloroplasts and other plastid types. Here, we describe seedling plastid development1 (spd1), an Arabidopsis seedling albino mutant capable of producing normal green vegetative tissues. Mutant seedlings also display defects in etioplast and amyloplast development. Precocious germination of spd1 embryos showed that the albino seedling phenotype of spd1 was dependent on the passage of developing embryos through the degreening and dehydration stages of seed maturation, suggesting that SPD1 is critical during eoplast development or early stages of eoplast redifferentiation. The SPD1 gene was found to encode a protein containing a putative chloroplast-targeting sequence in its amino terminus and also domains common to P-loop ATPases. Chloroplast localization of the SPD1 protein was confirmed by targeting assays in vivo and in vitro. Although the exact function of SPD1 remains to be defined, our findings reveal aspects of plastid development unique to embryo-derived cells.     

Expression of Brassica juncea 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA synthase is developmentally regulated and stress-responsive

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase (HMGS) is an enzyme in mevalonate biosynthesis. In plants, investigations have focused on HMG CoA reductase (HMGR) and less is known of the preceding enzyme, HMGS. To understand the regulation of HMGS, we have isolated a Brassica juncea cDNA encoding HMGS, BjHMGS1, for use as a hybridization probe in Northern blot analyses. BjHMGS is expressed in all plant organs and shows developmental regulation in flower, seed and seedling, with highest expression in early development. In seedlings, expression is highest in young hypocotyls and is induced during the greening of etiolated cotyledons. BjHMGS is down-regulated by abscisic acid, osmotic stress and dehydration, the effects of which arrested seedling growth. Thus BjHMGS expression shows correlation with rapid cell division and growth, like HMGR. This is not unexpected, as mevalonate is the precursor to many essential isoprenoid compounds, including sterols for membrane biogenesis. Wounding, methyl jasmonate or salicylic acid induce BjHMGS expression, suggesting that, like HMGR, HMGS is involved in defence. As in animals, coordinated regulation of HMGS with HMGR occurred in B. juncea upon germination and in response to salicylic acid. HMGS assays confirmed that Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant BjHMGS1 shows HMGS activity that is inhibited by F244, a specific inhibitor of HMGS. Southern blot analysis revealed gene families encoding HMGS in Brassica species and a summation of homologous genes in the fusion amphidiploid genome of B. juncea, a bi-parental species derived from diploids B. nigra and B. campestris.     

Cloning of a Cicer arietinum beta-galactosidase with pectin-degrading function

The cDNA clone (CanBGal-3) encoding a cell wall pectin-degrading beta-galactosidase (beta III-Gal) from Cicer arietinum L. cv. Castellana has been identified. The identification was carried out by comparing the deduced amino acid sequences of several isolated chickpea beta-galactosidase clones with the purified beta III-Gal protein sequence. The expression pattern of the gene corresponding to CanBGal-3 was in concordance with the fluctuations of the enzyme beta III-Gal in different seedling organs, being specific to elongating organs such as epicotyls and roots. Transformation of Solanum tuberosum plants with the chickpea CanBGal-3 clone indicated that the beta-galactosidase encoded by this clone is a pectin-degrading enzyme. The authors propose an important role for chickpea beta III-Gal in pectin degradation in cell walls of vegetative organs such as epicotyls and roots. The degradation of galactan carried out by this enzyme may determine structural changes and affect cell wall porosity. It is suggested that the increase in the size of cell wall pores could permit access of other cell wall-modifying enzymes to their substrate.     

Purification and properties of Pinus taeda arginase from germinated seedlings

In germinated loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seeds arginine accumulates in the seedling during its growth immediately following germination. The enzyme arginase (L-arginine amidinohydrolase, EC 3.5.3.1) is responsible for hydrolyzing this arginine into ornithine and urea. Loblolly pine arginase was purified to homogeneity from seedling cotyledons by chromatographic separation on DE-52 cellulose, Matrex Green and arginine-linked Sepharose 4B. The enzyme was purified 148-fold and a single polypeptide band was identified as arginase. The molecular mass was determined to be 140 kDa by FPLC, while the subunit size was shown to be 37 kDa by SDS-PAGE, predicting a homotetramer holoprotein. Removal of manganese from the enzyme abolishes catalytic activity, which can be restored by incubating the protein with Mn²⁺. Antibodies, raised against the arginase subunit, are able to immunotitrate arginase activity and are monospecific for arginase on immunoblots.     

Expression of ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase in dark-grown pine seedlings

Pine seedlings are able to accumulate chlorophylls and develop green plastids in a light-independent manner. In this work, we have characterized ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.7.1; Fd-GOGAT), a key enzyme in nitrogen interconversion during this process. Fd-GOGAT has been purified about 170-fold from cotyledons of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). As occurs in angiosperms, the native enzyme is a single polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 163–168 kDa that is confined to the chloroplast stroma. Polyclonal antibodies generated against the purified enzyme were used to immunoscreen a gt11 expression library from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings and partial cDNA clones were isolated and characterized. The clone with the longest cDNA insert (pGOP44) contained the codification for the C-terminal (550 amino acids) of the pine Fd-GOGAT polypeptide. Immunological cross-reactivity and comparative amino sequence analysis revealed that Fd-GOGAT is a well conserved protein in higher plants. Western blot analyses showed that protein was expressed in chloroplast-containing pine tissues and this expression pattern was not affected by exogenously supplied nitrogen. Fd-GOGAT mRNA, polypeptide and enzyme activity accumulated in substantial amounts in dark-grown pine seedlings. The presence of a functional Fd-GOGAT may be important to provide the required glutamate for the biosynthesis of nitrogen compounds during chloroplast biogenesis in the dark.     

Selection and testing of reference genes for accurate RT-qPCR in adult needles and seedlings of maritime pine

Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) techniques have revolutionized gene expression analyses. To obtain accurate results, raw RT-qPCR results need to be normalized by using endogenous reference genes whose expression is assumed invariable in all studied samples. However, there are no universal reference genes, and candidate genes need to be evaluated for each experimental condition. In this work, we tested a set of possible reference genes for use in different organs and tissues of Pinus pinaster (needles from adult trees and different organs and developmental stages of seedlings). The putative reference genes were selected using microarray analyses and from those commonly used in previous works. To achieve reproducible and reliable results, Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines were followed. To highlight the importance of these rules, 10 alternative primer pairs to be evaluated in pine samples were designed by following or not following the MIQE guidelines. Twenty-four candidate reference genes were tested in pine needles and 14 were also tested in pine seedlings. In both cases, valid reference genes were found, but differences in the stability and expression levels were also observed. Furthermore, a few of the best genes had unknown functions. The five most stable genes in the pine seedlings as well as four new candidate reference genes were evaluated in isolated tissues using laser capture microdissection. The results showed that the appropriate reference genes in different maritime pine organs were not invariable when sourced from the different tissues forming the organs.     

Developmental and environmental regulation of tissue- and cell-specific expression for a pea protein farnesyltransferase gene in transgenic plants

Farnesylation mediates membrane targeting and in vivo activities of several key regulatory proteins such as Ras and Ras-related GTPases and protein kinases in yeast and mammals, and is implicated in cell cycle control and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in plants. In this study, the developmental expression of a pea protein farnesyl-transferase (FTase) gene was examined using transgenic expression of the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene fused to a 3.2 kb 5′ upstream sequence of the gene encoding the pea FTase β subunit. Coordinate expression of the GUS transgene and endogenous tobacco FTase β subunit gene in tobacco cell lines suggests that the 3.2 kb region contains the key FTase promoter elements. In transgenic tobacco plants, GUS expression is most prominent in meristematic tissues such as root tips, lateral root primordia and the shoot apex, supporting a role for FTase in the control of the cell cycle in plants. GUS activity was also detected in mature embryos and imbibed embryos, in accordance with a role for FTase in ABA signaling that modulates seed dormancy and germination. In addition, GUS activity was detected in regions that border two organs, e.g. junctions between stems and leaf petioles, cotyledons and hypocotyls, roots and hypocotyls, and primary and secondary roots. GUS is expressed in phloem complexes that are adjacent to actively growing tissues such as young leaves, roots of light-grown seedlings, and hypocotyls of dark-grown seedlings. Both light and sugar (e.g. sucrose) treatments repressed GUS expression in dark-grown seedlings. These expression patterns suggest a potential involvement of FTase in the regulation of nutrient allocation into actively growing tissues.