AtEXO70A1, a member of a family of putative exocyst subunits specifically expanded in land plants, is important for polar growth and plant development

The exocyst is a hetero-oligomeric protein complex involved in exocytosis and has been extensively studied in yeast and animal cells. Evidence is now accumulating that the exocyst is also present in plants. Bioinformatic analysis of genes encoding plant homologs of the exocyst subunit, Exo70, revealed that three Exo70 subgroups are evolutionarily conserved among angiosperms, lycophytes and mosses. Arabidopsis and rice contain 22 and approximately 39 EXO70 genes, respectively, which can be classified into nine clusters considered to be ancient in angiosperms (one has been lost in Arabidopsis). We characterized two independent T-DNA insertional mutants of the AtEXO70A1 gene (exo70A1-1 and exo70A1-2). Heterozygous EXO70A1/exo70A1 plants appear to be normal and segregate in a 1:2:1 ratio, suggesting that neither male nor female gametophytes are affected by the EXO70A1 disruption. However, both exo70A1-1 and exo70A1-2 homozygotes exhibit an array of phenotypic defects. The polar growth of root hairs and stigmatic papillae is disturbed. Organs are generally smaller, plants show a loss of apical dominance and indeterminate growth where instead of floral meristems new lateral inflorescences are initiated in a reiterative manner. Both exo70A1 mutants have dramatically reduced fertility. These results suggest that the putative exocyst subunit EXO70A1 is involved in cell and organ morphogenesis.     

An exocyst complex functions in plant cell growth in Arabidopsis and tobacco

The exocyst, an octameric tethering complex and effector of Rho and Rab GTPases, facilitates polarized secretion in yeast and animals. Recent evidence implicates three plant homologs of exocyst subunits (SEC3, SEC8, and EXO70A1) in plant cell morphogenesis. Here, we provide genetic, cell biological, and biochemical evidence that these and other predicted subunits function together in vivo in Arabidopsis thaliana. Double mutants in exocyst subunits (sec5 exo70A1 and sec8 exo70A1) show a synergistic defect in etiolated hypocotyl elongation. Mutants in exocyst subunits SEC5, SEC6, SEC8, and SEC15a show defective pollen germination and pollen tube growth phenotypes. Using antibodies directed against SEC6, SEC8, and EXO70A1, we demonstrate colocalization of these proteins at the apex of growing tobacco pollen tubes. The SEC3, SEC5, SEC6, SEC8, SEC10, SEC15a, and EXO70 subunits copurify in a high molecular mass fraction of 900 kD after chromatographic fractionation of an Arabidopsis cell suspension extract. Blue native electrophoresis confirmed the presence of SEC3, SEC6, SEC8, and EXO70 in high molecular mass complexes. Finally, use of the yeast two-hybrid system revealed interaction of Arabidopsis SEC3a with EXO70A1, SEC10 with SEC15b, and SEC6 with SEC8. We conclude that the exocyst functions as a complex in plant cells, where it plays important roles in morphogenesis.     

EXO70A1-Mediated Vesicle Trafficking Is Critical for Tracheary Element Development in Arabidopsis

Exocysts are highly conserved octameric complexes that play an essential role in the tethering of Golgi-derived vesicles to target membranes in eukaryotic organisms. Genes encoding the EXO70 subunit are highly duplicated in plants. Based on expression analyses, we proposed previously that individual EXO70 members may provide the exocyst with functional specificity to regulate cell type– or cargo-specific exocytosis, although direct evidence is not available. Here, we show that, as a gene expressed primarily during tracheary element (TE) development, EXO70A1 regulates vesicle trafficking in TE differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutations of EXO70A1 led to aberrant xylem development, producing dwarfed and nearly sterile plants with very low fertility, reduced cell expansion, and decreased water potential and hydraulic transport. Grafting of a mutant shoot onto wild-type rootstock rescued most of these aboveground phenotypes, while grafting of a wild-type shoot to the mutant rootstock did not rescue the short root hair phenotype, consistent with the role of TEs in hydraulic transport from roots to shoots. Histological analyses revealed an altered pattern of secondary cell wall thickening and accumulation of large membrane-bound compartments specifically in developing TEs of the mutant. We thus propose that EXO70A1 functions in vesicle trafficking in TEs to regulate patterned secondary cell wall thickening.     

植物EXO70基因家族的研究进展

胞吐是存在于所有真核生物的一种极其重要的细胞活动,直接参与了激素和神经信号的分泌、细胞生长、细胞极性的建立,细胞分裂和细胞壁的形成等多项生理过程。在胞吐过程中,高尔基后转运膜泡与靶膜的识别是由进化上高度保守的胞泌复合体（exocyst）介导的。该复合体由8个蛋白亚基构成,其中EXO70是组成胞泌复合体功能的关键亚基,可与小G蛋白和膜脂互作,参与复合体在靶膜组装。目前,对植物胞泌复合体功能的了解非常有限,已有证据显示其广泛参与了细胞生长,细胞壁形成、细胞分裂等多种生物学过程。与酵母和动物相比,植物胞泌复合体的一个显著特征是：EXO70在高等植物基因组中存在多个同源基因,其具体生物学功能尚不清楚。本文综述胞泌复合体的研究进展,重点讨论植物EXO70的多基因家族,推测不同的EXO70可能参与了组织细胞或运载底物特异的膜泡转运过程。     

Expression analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase genes shows the presence of a functional subunit that is mainly expressed in the pollen and absent from vegetative organs

NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is a Krebs cycle enzyme situated in mitochondria. In Arabidopsis thaliana, five genes encode functional IDH subunits that can be classed into two groups based on gene structure and subunit amino acid sequence. Arabidopsis contains two 'catalytic' and three 'regulatory' subunits according to their homology with yeast IDH. To date, an active IDH is believed to be heteromeric, containing at least one of each subunit type. This was verified in Arabidopsis by the complementation of yeast IDH mutants with the different Arabidopsis IDH-encoding cDNAs. Indeed, a single 'catalytic' and 'regulatory' subunit was sufficient to restore acetate growth of the yeast IDH double mutant. To gain information on possible IDH subunit interactions in planta, Arabidopsis IDH gene expression was analysed by Northern blot, PCR on cDNA libraries, in silico and in 'promoter'-reporter gene transgenic plants. Four of the IDH genes were expressed in all plant organs tested, while one gene (At4g35650) was not expressed in vegetative organs but was mainly expressed in the pollen. In leaves, the IDH genes were highly expressed in the veins, and to a lesser extent in mesophyll cells. The data are discussed with respect to IDH in other plant species.     

SEC8, a subunit of the putative Arabidopsis exocyst complex, facilitates pollen germination and competitive pollen tube growth

The exocyst, a complex of eight proteins, contributes to the morphogenesis of polarized cells in a broad range of eukaryotes. In these organisms, the exocyst appears to facilitate vesicle docking at the plasma membrane during exocytosis. Although we had identified orthologs for each of the eight exocyst components in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), no function has been demonstrated for any of them in plants. The gene encoding one exocyst component ortholog, AtSEC8, is expressed in pollen and vegetative tissues of Arabidopsis. Genetic studies utilizing an allelic series of six independent T-DNA mutations reveal a role for SEC8 in male gametophyte function. Three T-DNA insertions in SEC8 cause an absolute, male-specific transmission defect that can be complemented by expression of SEC8 from the LAT52 pollen promoter. Microscopic analysis shows no obvious abnormalities in the microgametogenesis of the SEC8 mutants, and the mutant pollen grains appear to respond to the signals that initiate germination. However, in vivo assays indicate that these mutant pollen grains are unable to germinate a pollen tube. The other three T-DNA insertions are associated with a partial transmission defect, such that the mutant allele is transmitted through the pollen at a reduced frequency. The partial transmission defect is only evident when mutant gametophytes must compete with wild-type gametophytes, and arises in part from a reduced pollen tube growth rate. These data support the hypothesis that one function of the putative plant exocyst is to facilitate the initiation and maintenance of the polarized growth of pollen tubes.     

Acetylglutamate kinase is required for both gametophyte function and embryo development in Arabidopsis thaliana

The specific functions of the genes encoding arginine biosynthesis enzymes in plants are not well characterized. We report the isolation and characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana N-acetylglutamate kinase(NAGK), which catalyzes the second step of arginine biosynthesis. NAGK is a plastid-localized protein and is expressed during most developmental processes in Arabidopsis. Heterologous expression of the Arabidopsis NAGK gene in a NAGK-deficient Escherichia coli strain fully restores bacterial growth on arginine-deficient medium. nagk mutant pollen tubes grow more slowly than wild type pollen tubes and the phenotype is restored by either specifically through complementation by NAGK in pollen, or exogenous supplementation of arginine. nagk female gametophytes are defective in micropylar pollen tube guidance due to the fact that female gametophyte cell fate specification was specifically affected. Expression of NAGK in synergid cells rescues the defect of nagk female gametophytes. Lossof-function of NAGK results in Arabidopsis embryos not developing beyond the four-celled embryo stage. The embryo-defective phenotype in nagk/NAGK plants cannot be rescued by watering nagk/NAGK plants with arginine or ornithine supplementation. In conclusion,our results reveal a novel role of NAGK and arginine in regulating gametophyte function and embryo development, and provide valuable insights into arginine transport during embryo development.