OsCYCP1;1, a PHO80 homologous protein,negatively regulates phosphate starvation signaling in the roots of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Phosphorus is one of the most essential and limiting nutrients in all living organisms, thus the organisms have evolved complicated and precise regulatory mechanisms for phosphorus acquisition, storage and homeostasis. In the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the modification of PHO4 by the PHO80 and PHO85 complex is a core regulation system. However, the existence and possible functions in phosphate signaling of the homologs of the PHO80 and PHO85 components in plants has yet to be determined. Here we describe the identification of a family of seven PHO80 homologous genes in rice named OsCYCPs. Among these, the OsCYCP1;1 gene was able to partially rescue the pho80 mutant strain of yeast. The OsCYCP1;1 protein was predominantly localized in the nucleus, and was ubiquitously expressed throughout the whole plant and during the entire growth period of rice. Consistent with the negative role of PHO80 in phosphate signaling in yeast, OsCYCP1;1 expression was reduced by phosphate starvation in the roots. This reduction was dependent on PHR2, the central regulator of phosphate signaling in rice. Overexpression and suppression of the expression of OsCYCP1;1 influenced the phosphate starvation signaling response. The inducible expression of phosphate starvation inducible and phosphate transporter genes was suppressed in the OsCYCP1;1 overexpression lines and was relatively enhanced in the OsCYCP1;1 RNAi plants by phosphate starvation. Together, these results demonstrate the role of PHO80 homologs in the phosphate starvation signaling pathway in rice.     

Enhanced root growth in phosphate‐starved Arabidopsis by stimulating de novo phospholipid biosynthesis through the overexpression of LYSOPHOSPHATIDIC ACID ACYLTRANSFERASE 2 (LPAT2)

Upon phosphate starvation, plants retard shoot growth but promote root development presumably to enhance phosphate assimilation from the ground. Membrane lipid remodelling is a metabolic adaptation that replaces membrane phospholipids by non‐phosphorous galactolipids, thereby allowing plants to obtain scarce phosphate yet maintain the membrane structure. However, stoichiometry of this phospholipid‐to‐galactolipid conversion may not account for the massive demand of membrane lipids that enables active growth of roots under phosphate starvation, thereby suggesting the involvement of de novo phospholipid biosynthesis, which is not represented in the current model. We overexpressed an endoplasmic reticulum‐localized lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase, LPAT2, a key enzyme that catalyses the last step of de novo phospholipid biosynthesis. Two independent LPAT2 overexpression lines showed no visible phenotype under normal conditions but showed increased root length under phosphate starvation, with no effect on phosphate starvation response including marker gene expression, root hair development and anthocyanin accumulation. Accompanying membrane glycerolipid profiling of LPAT2‐overexpressing plants revealed an increased content of major phospholipid classes and distinct responses to phosphate starvation between shoot and root. The findings propose a revised model of membrane lipid remodelling, in which de novo phospholipid biosynthesis mediated by LPAT2 contributes significantly to root development under phosphate starvation.     

OsARF16, a transcription factor,is required for auxin and phosphate starvation response in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Plant responses to auxin and phosphate (Pi) starvation are closely linked. However, the underlying mechanisms connecting auxin to phosphate starvation (?Pi) responses are largely unclear. Here, we show that OsARF16, an auxin response factor, functions in both auxin and ?Pi responses in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The knockout of OsARF16 led to primary roots (PR), lateral roots (LR) and root hair losing sensitivity to auxin and ?Pi response. OsARF16 expression and OsARF16::GUS staining in PR and LR of rice Nipponbare (NIP) were induced by indole acetic acid and ?Pi treatments. In ?Pi conditions, the shoot biomass of osarf16 was slightly reduced, and neither root growth nor iron content was induced, indicating that the knockout of OsARF16 led to loss of response to Pi deficiency in rice. Six phosphate starvation‐induced genes (PSIs) were less induced by ?Pi in osarf16 and these trends were similar to a knockdown mutant of OsPHR2 or AtPHR1, which was a key regulator under ?Pi. These data first reveal the biological function of OsARF16, provide novel evidence of a linkage between auxin and ?Pi responses and facilitate the development of new strategies for the efficient utilization of Pi in rice.     

Activation of PhoBR under phosphate‐rich conditions reduces the virulence of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

The two‐component signal transduction system PhoBR regulates the adaptation to phosphate limitation and the virulence of many animal bacterial pathogens. However, PhoBR in phytopathogens has rarely been investigated. In this study, we found that PhoBR in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the pathogen of rice bacterial leaf blight, also regulates the adaptation to phosphate starvation. Unexpectedly, rice leaves infected by the phoBR‐deleted mutant and wild‐type PXO99^A showed similar lesions, indicating that PhoBR is unnecessary for the virulence of Xoo. phoBR was found to be silenced during host infection, whereas artificially constitutive PhoBR expression attenuated virulence on host rice and growth in phosphate‐rich media. RNA‐sequencing (RNA‐seq) was then performed to investigate the global effect caused by constitutive PhoBR activation. RNA‐seq and further experiments revealed that the PhoBR regulon in Xoo comprised a wide range of genes. Nutrient transport and metabolism readjustments that resulted from PhoBR regulon activation may be responsible for growth attenuation. Our findings suggest that growth reduction regulated by PhoBR is a fitness cost of adaptation to phosphate starvation. PhoBR in Xoo is activated under phosphate‐limited conditions, which could exist in epiphytic and saprophytic surviving phases, and is strictly repressed within phosphate‐rich host plants to minimize fitness costs.     

Uncoupling phosphate deficiency from its major effects on growth and transcriptome via PHO1 expression in Arabidopsis

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is one of the most limiting nutrients for plant growth in both natural and agricultural contexts. Pi‐deficiency leads to a strong decrease in shoot growth, and triggers extensive changes at the developmental, biochemical and gene expression levels that are presumably aimed at improving the acquisition of this nutrient and sustaining growth. The Arabidopsis thaliana PHO1 gene has previously been shown to participate in the transport of Pi from roots to shoots, and the null pho1 mutant has all the hallmarks associated with shoot Pi deficiency. We show here that A. thaliana plants with a reduced expression of PHO1 in roots have shoot growth similar to Pi‐sufficient plants, despite leaves being strongly Pi deficient. Furthermore, the gene expression profile normally triggered by Pi deficiency is suppressed in plants with low PHO1 expression. At comparable levels of shoot Pi supply, the wild type reduces shoot growth but maintains adequate shoot vacuolar Pi content, whereas the PHO1 underexpressor maintains maximal growth with strongly depleted Pi reserves. Expression of the Oryza sativa (rice) PHO1 ortholog in the pho1 null mutant also leads to plants that maintain normal growth and suppression of the Pi‐deficiency response, despite the low shoot Pi. These data show that it is possible to unlink low shoot Pi content with the responses normally associated with Pi deficiency through the modulation of PHO1 expression or activity. These data also show that reduced shoot growth is not a direct consequence of Pi deficiency, but is more likely to be a result of extensive gene expression reprogramming triggered by Pi deficiency.     

OsHK3 is a crucial regulator of abscisic acid signaling involved in antioxidant defense in rice

In this study, the role of the rice(Oryza sativa L.)histidine kinase Os HK3 in abscisic acid(ABA)-induced antioxidant defense was investigated. Treatments with ABA, H2O2,and polyethylene glycol(PEG) induced the expression of Os HK3 in rice leaves, and H2O2 is required for ABA-induced increase in the expression of Os HK3 under water stress. Subcellular localization analysis showed that Os HK3 is located in the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane. The transient expression analysis and the transient RNA interference test in rice protoplasts showed that Os HK3 is required for ABA-induced upregulation in the expression of antioxidant enzymes genes and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Further analysis showed that Os HK3 functions upstream of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Os DMI3 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase Os MPK1 to regulate the activities of antioxidant enzymes in ABA signaling. Moreover, Os HK3was also shown to regulate the expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase genes, Osrboh B and Osrboh E, and the production of H2O2 in ABA signaling. Our data indicate that Os HK3 play an important role in the regulation of ABA-induced antioxidant defense and in the feedback regulation of H2O2 production in ABA signaling.     

Cloning and characterization of a novel Nicotiana tabacum ABC transporter involved in shoot branching

The ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) superfamily is a large protein family with diverse physiological functions in all kingdoms of life. One distinguished subfamily, the pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) transporters, has only been identified in plants and fungi. Here, we identified a Nicotiana tabacum PDR gene, NtPDR6, which is a homolog of Petunia hybrida PDR1. The full‐length cDNA of NtPDR6 had a 4482‐bp open reading frame encoding a full‐size ABC transporter with 1493 amino acids. Sequence comparison showed that NtPDR6 had high homology with plant PDR proteins. NtPDR6 was strongly induced by phosphate starvation as well as by 1‐naphthalene acetic acid. Tissue expression pattern analysis showed that NtPDR6 was detected in all surveyed tissues but preferentially in roots. We cloned the 1.3‐kb NtPDR6 promoter and found that there was one phosphate starvation response‐related element Pho‐like and several root‐specific expression‐related elements rootmotiftapox1 in the NtPDR6 promoter. A tissue‐specific pattern of NtPDR6 promoter‐β‐glucuronidase expression was dominantly observed in subepidermal cells and the elongation zone of lateral roots. RNA interference technology was used to knock down NtPDR6 expression, and there was a significantly increased branching phenotype in the NtPDR6 knockdown plants. These data suggest that NtPDR6 plays a key role in regulation of shoot branching processes.     

OsNPR1 negatively regulates herbivore‐induced JA and ethylene signaling and plant resistance to a chewing herbivore in rice

NPR1 (a non‐expressor of pathogenesis‐related genes1) has been reported to play an important role in plant defense by regulating signaling pathways. However, little to nothing is known about its function in herbivore‐induced defense in monocot plants. Here, using suppressive substrate hybridization, we identified a NPR1 gene from rice, OsNPR1, and found that its expression levels were upregulated in response to infestation by the rice striped stem borer (SSB) Chilo suppressalis and rice leaf folder (LF) Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, and to mechanical wounding and treatment with jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA). Moreover, mechanical wounding induced the expression of OsNPR1 quickly, whereas herbivore infestation induced the gene more slowly. The antisense expression of OsNPR1 (as‐npr1), which reduced the expression of the gene by 50%, increased elicited levels of JA and ethylene (ET) as well as of expression of a lipoxygenase gene OsHI‐LOX and an ACC synthase gene OsACS2. The enhanced JA and ET signaling in as‐npr1 plants increased the levels of herbivore‐induced trypsin proteinase inhibitors (TrypPIs) and volatiles, and reduced the performance of SSB. Our results suggest that OsNPR1 is an early responding gene in herbivore‐induced defense and that plants can use it to activate a specific and appropriate defense response against invaders by modulating signaling pathways.     

Both FGF23 and extracellular phosphate activate Raf/MEK/ERK pathway via FGF receptors in HEK293 cells

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a phosphaturic hormone produced by bone and exerts its function in the target organs by binding the FGF receptor (FGFR) and Klotho. Since recent studies suggested that extracellular inorganic phosphate (Pi) itself triggers signal transduction and regulates gene expression in some cell types, we tested the notion that extracellular Pi induces signal transduction in the target cells of FGF23 also and influences its signaling, utilizing a human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293. HEK293 cells expressed low levels of klotho, and treatment with a recombinant FGF23[R179Q], a proteolysis‐resistant mutant of FGF23, resulted in phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and induction of early growth response‐1 (EGR1) expression. Interestingly, increased extracellular Pi resulted in activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway and expression of EGR1, which involved type III sodium/phosphate (Na⁺/Pi) cotransporter PiT‐1. Since the effects of an inhibitor of Na⁺/Pi cotransporter on FGF23 signaling suggested that the signaling triggered by increased extracellular Pi shares the same downstream cascade as FGF23 signaling, we further investigated their convergence point. Increasing the extracellular Pi concentration resulted in the phosphorylation of FGF receptor substrate 2α (FRS2α), as did treatment with FGF23. Knockdown of FGFR1 expression diminished the phosphorylation of both FRS2α and ERK1/2 induced by the Pi. Moreover, overexpression of FGFR1 rescued the decrease in Pi‐induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the cells where the expression of PiT‐1 was knocked down. These results suggest that increased extracellular Pi triggers signal transduction via PiT‐1 and FGFR and influences FGF23 signaling in HEK293 cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 1210–1221, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor protects cementoblasts from serum starvation‐induced cell death

Our previous studies have shown that brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) enhances bone/cementum‐related protein gene expression through the TrkB‐c‐Raf‐ERK1/2‐Elk‐1 signaling pathway in cementoblasts, which play a critical role in the establishment of a functional periodontal ligament. To clarify how BDNF regulates survival in cementoblasts, we examined its effects on cell death induced by serum starvation in immortalized human cementoblast‐like (HCEM) cells. BDNF inhibited the death of HCEM cells. Small‐interfering RNA (siRNA) for TRKB, a high affinity receptor for BDNF, and for Bcl‐2, countered the BDNF‐induced decrease in dead cell number. In addition, LY294002, a PI3‐kinase inhibitor; SH‐6, an Akt inhibitor; and PDTC, a nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) inhibitor, but not PD98059, an ERK1/2 inhibitor, abolished the protective effect of BDNF against cell death. BDNF enhanced phosphorylated Akt levels, NF‐κB activity in the nucleus, Bcl‐2 mRNA levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential. The blocking of BDNF's actions by treatment with siRNA in all cases for TRKB and Bcl‐2, LY294002, SH‐6, and PDTC suppressed the enhancement. These findings provide the first evidence that a TrkB‐PI3‐kinase‐Akt‐NF‐κB‐Bcl‐2 signaling pathway triggered by BDNF and the subsequent protective effect of BDNF on mitochondrial membrane potential are required to rescue HCEM cells from serum starvation‐induced cell death. Furthermore, the survival and increased expression of bone/cementum‐related proteins induced by BDNF in HCEM cells occur through different signaling pathways. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 696–706, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.