Over-expression of OsPIN2 leads to increased tiller numbers, angle and shorter plant height through suppression of OsLAZY1

Crop architecture parameters such as tiller number, angle and plant height are important agronomic traits that have been considered for breeding programmes. Auxin distribution within the plant has long been recognized to alter architecture. The rice (Oryza sativa L.) genome contains 12 putative PIN genes encoding auxin efflux transporters, including four PIN1 and one PIN2 genes. Here, we report that over-expression of OsPIN2 through a transgenic approach in rice (Japonica cv. Nipponbare) led to a shorter plant height, more tillers and a larger tiller angle when compared with wild type (WT). The expression patterns of the auxin reporter DR5::GUS and quantification of auxin distribution showed that OsPIN2 over-expression increased auxin transport from the shoot to the root-shoot junction, resulting in a non-tissue-specific accumulation of more free auxin at the root-shoot junction relative to WT. Over-expression of OsPIN2 enhanced auxin transport from shoots to roots, but did not alter the polar auxin pattern in the roots. Transgenic plants were less sensitive to N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid, an auxin transport inhibitor, than WT in their root growth. OsPIN2-over-expressing plants had suppressed the expression of a gravitropism-related gene OsLazy1 in the shoots, but unaltered expression of OsPIN1b and OsTAC1, which were reported as tiller angle controllers in rice. The data suggest that OsPIN2 has a distinct auxin-dependent regulation pathway together with OsPIN1b and OsTAC1 controlling rice shoot architecture. Altering OsPIN2 expression by genetic transformation can be directly used for modifying rice architecture.     

OsPIN5b modulates rice (Oryza sativa) plant architecture and yield by changing auxin homeostasis,transport and distribution

Plant architecture attributes such as tillering, plant height and panicle size are important agronomic traits that determine rice (Oryza sativa) productivity. Here, we report that altered auxin content, transport and distribution affect these traits, and hence rice yield. Overexpression of the auxin efflux carrier‐like gene OsPIN5b causes pleiotropic effects, mainly reducing plant height, leaf and tiller number, shoot and root biomass, seed‐setting rate, panicle length and yield parameters. Conversely, reduced expression of OsPIN5b results in higher tiller number, more vigorous root system, longer panicles and increased yield. We show that OsPIN5b is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) ‐localized protein that participates in auxin homeostasis, transport and distribution in vivo. This work describes an example of an auxin‐related gene where modulating its expression can simultaneously improve plant architecture and yield potential in rice, and reveals an important effect of hormonal signaling on these traits.     

生长素通过MAPK介导的超长链脂肪酸合成调控侧根发育

促分裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)信号级联通路是真核生物中高度保守的重要信号系统,通过激酶逐级磷酸化传递并放大上游信号,进而调控细胞反应。MAPK信号通路不仅介导植物响应环境变化,而且在调节植物生长发育过程中发挥重要作用。近期,山东大学丁兆军课题组研究发现,植物重要激素生长素能够通过激活MPK14调控下游ERF13的磷酸...     

Strigolactones suppress adventitious rooting in Arabidopsis and pea

Adventitious root formation is essential for the propagation of many commercially important plant species and involves the formation of roots from nonroot tissues such as stems or leaves. Here, we demonstrate that the plant hormone strigolactone suppresses adventitious root formation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and pea (Pisum sativum). Strigolactone-deficient and response mutants of both species have enhanced adventitious rooting. CYCLIN B1 expression, an early marker for the initiation of adventitious root primordia in Arabidopsis, is enhanced in more axillary growth2 (max2), a strigolactone response mutant, suggesting that strigolactones restrain the number of adventitious roots by inhibiting the very first formative divisions of the founder cells. Strigolactones and cytokinins appear to act independently to suppress adventitious rooting, as cytokinin mutants are strigolactone responsive and strigolactone mutants are cytokinin responsive. In contrast, the interaction between the strigolactone and auxin signaling pathways in regulating adventitious rooting appears to be more complex. Strigolactone can at least partially revert the stimulatory effect of auxin on adventitious rooting, and auxin can further increase the number of adventitious roots in max mutants. We present a model depicting the interaction of strigolactones, cytokinins, and auxin in regulating adventitious root formation.     

A PIN1 family gene, OsPIN1, involved in auxin-dependent adventitious root emergence and tillering in rice

Auxin transport affects a variety of important growth and developmental processes in plants, including the regulation of shoot and root branching. The asymmetrical localization of auxin influx and efflux carriers within the plasma membrane establishes the auxin gradient and facilitates its transport. REH1, a rice EIR1 (Arabidopsis ethylene insensitive root 1)-like gene, is a putative auxin efflux carrier. Phylogenetic analysis of 32 members of the PIN family, taken from across different species, showed that in terms of evolutionary relationship, OsPIN1 is closer to the PIN1 family than to the PIN2 family. It is, therefore, renamed as OsPIN1 in this study. OsPIN1 was expressed in the vascular tissues and root primordial in a manner similar to AtPIN1. Adventitious root emergence and development were significantly inhibited in the OsPIN1 RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic plants, which was similar to the phenotype of NPA (N-1-naphthylphalamic acid, an auxin-transport inhibitor)-treated wild-type plants. alpha-naphthylacetic acid (alpha-NAA) treatment was able to rescue the mutated phenotypes occurring in the RNAi plants. Overexpression or suppression of the OsPIN1 expression through a transgenic approach resulted in changes of tiller numbers and shoot/root ratio. Taken together, these data suggest that OsPIN1 plays an important role in auxin-dependent adventitious root emergence and tillering.     

The Yin-Yang of Hormones: Cytokinin and Auxin Interactions in Plant Development

The phytohormones auxin and cytokinin interact to regulate many plant growth and developmental processes. Elements involved in the biosynthesis, inactivation, transport, perception, and signaling of these hormones have been elucidated, revealing the variety of mechanisms by which signal output from these pathways can be regulated. Recent studies shed light on how these hormones interact with each other to promote and maintain plant growth and development. In this review, we focus on the interaction of auxin and cytokinin in several developmental contexts, including its role in regulating apical meristems, the patterning of the root, the development of the gynoecium and female gametophyte, and organogenesis and phyllotaxy in the shoot.     

Sending mixed messages: auxin-cytokinin crosstalk in roots

Despite their relatively simple appearance, roots are incredibly complex organs that are highly adapted to differing environments. Many aspects of root development are co-ordinated by subtle spatial differences in the concentrations of the phytohormones auxin and cytokinin. Events from the formation of a root during embryogenesis to the determination of the network of lateral roots are controlled by interactions between these hormones. Recently, interactions have been defined where auxin signaling promotes the expression of cytokinin signaling inhibitors, cytokinin signaling promotes the expression of auxin signaling inhibitors and finally where cytokinin signaling regulates the complex network of auxin transport proteins to position zones of high auxin signaling. We are witnessing a period of discovery in which we are beginning to understand how these hormonal pathways communicate to regulate root formation.     

Hormonal regulation of lateral root development in Arabidopsis modulated by MIZ1 and requirement of GNOM activity for MIZ1 function

Plant organ development is important for adaptation to a changing environment. Genetic and physiological studies have revealed that plant hormones play key roles in lateral root formation. In this study, we show that MIZU-KUSSEI1 (MIZ1), which was identified originally as a regulator of hydrotropism, functions as a novel regulator of hormonally mediated lateral root development. Overexpression of MIZ1 (MIZ1OE) in roots resulted in a reduced number of lateral roots being formed; however, this defect could be recovered with the application of auxin. Indole-3-acetic acid quantification analyses showed that free indole-3-acetic acid levels decreased in MIZ1OE roots, which indicates that alteration of auxin level is critical for the inhibition of lateral root formation in MIZ1OE plants. In addition, MIZ1 negatively regulates cytokinin sensitivity on root development. Application of cytokinin strongly induced the localization of MIZ1-green fluorescent protein to lateral root primordia, which suggests that the inhibition of lateral root development by MIZ1 occurs downstream of cytokinin signaling. Surprisingly, miz2, a weak allele of gnom, suppressed developmental defects in MIZ1OE plants. Taken together, these results suggest that MIZ1 plays a role in lateral root development by maintaining auxin levels and that its function requires GNOM activity. These data provide a molecular framework for auxin-dependent organ development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).     

AUXIN UP-REGULATED F-BOX PROTEIN1 regulates the cross talk between auxin transport and cytokinin signaling during plant root growth

Plant root development is mediated by the concerted action of the auxin and cytokinin phytohormones, with cytokinin serving as an antagonist of auxin transport. Here, we identify the AUXIN UP-REGULATED F-BOX PROTEIN1 (AUF1) and its potential paralog AUF2 as important positive modifiers of root elongation that tether auxin movements to cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The AUF1 mRNA level in roots is strongly up-regulated by auxin but not by other phytohormones. Whereas the auf1 single and auf1 auf2 double mutant roots grow normally without exogenous auxin and respond similarly to the wild type upon auxin application, their growth is hypersensitive to auxin transport inhibitors, with the mutant roots also having reduced basipetal and acropetal auxin transport. The effects of auf1 on auxin movements may be mediated in part by the misexpression of several PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux proteins, which for PIN2 reduces its abundance on the plasma membrane of root cells. auf1 roots are also hypersensitive to cytokinin and have increased expression of several components of cytokinin signaling. Kinematic analyses of root growth and localization of the cyclin B mitotic marker showed that AUF1 does not affect root cell division but promotes cytokinin-mediated cell expansion in the elongation/differentiation zone. Epistasis analyses implicate the cytokinin regulator ARR1 or its effector(s) as the target of the SKP1-Cullin1-F Box (SCF) ubiquitin ligases assembled with AUF1/2. Given the wide distribution of AUF1/2-type proteins among land plants, we propose that SCF(AUF1/2) provides additional cross talk between auxin and cytokinin, which modifies auxin distribution and ultimately root elongation.     

Early signalling pathways in rice roots under vanadate stress

Vanadate is beneficial to plant growth at low concentration. However, plant exposure to high concentrations of vanadate has been shown to arrest cell growth and lead to cell death. We are interested in understanding the signalling pathways of rice roots in response to vanadate stress. In this study, we demonstrated that vanadate induced rice root cell death and suppressed root growth. In addition, we found that vanadate induced ROS accumulation, increased lipid peroxidation and elicited a remarkable increase of MAPKs and CDPKs activities in rice roots. In contrast, pre-treatment of rice roots with ROS scavenger (sodium benzoate), serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitor (endothall), and CDPK antagonist (W7), reduced the vanadate-induced MAPKs activation. Furthermore, the expression of a MAPK gene (OsMPK3) and four tyrosine phosphatase genes (OsDSP3, OsDSP5, OsDSP6, and OsDSP10) were regulated by vanadate in rice roots. Collectively, these results strongly suggest that ROS, protein phosphatase, and CDPK may function in the vanadate-triggered MAPK signalling pathway cause cell death and retarded growth in rice roots.     

The putative auxin efflux carrier OsPIN3t is involved in the drought stress response and drought tolerance

The phytohormone auxin plays a critical role in plant growth and development, and its spatial distribution largely depends on the polar localization of the PIN‐FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carrier family members. In this study, we identify a putative auxin efflux carrier gene in rice, OsPIN3t, which acts in auxin polar transport but is also involved in the drought stress response in rice. We show that OsPIN3t–GFP fusion proteins are localized in plasma membranes, and this subcellular localization changes under 1‐N‐naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) treatment. The tissue‐specific expression patterns of OsPIN3t were also investigated using a β‐glucuronidase (GUS) reporter, which showed that OsPIN3t was mainly expressed in vascular tissue. The GUS activity in OsPIN3tpro::GUS plants increased by NAA treatment and decreased by NPA treatment. Moreover, knockdown of OsPIN3t caused crown root abnormalities in the seedling stage that could be phenocopied by treatment of wild‐type plants with NPA, which indicated that OsPIN3t is involved in the control of polar auxin transport. Overexpression of OsPIN3t led to improved drought tolerance, and GUS activity significantly increased when OsPIN3tpro::GUS plants were subjected to 20% polyethylene glycol stress. Taken together, these results suggest that OsPIN3t is involved in auxin transport and the drought stress response, which suggests that a polar auxin transport pathway is involved in the regulation of the response to water stress in plants.     

Characterization of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in the Curcuma longa expressed sequence tag database

Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are universal signal transduction modules that play crucial role in plant growth and development as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses. 20 and 17 MAPKs have been characterized in Arabidopsis and rice respectively, which are used for identification of the putative MAPKs in other higher plants. However, no MAPK gene sequences have yet been characterized for asexually reproducing plants. We describe the analysis of MAPK EST sequences from Curcuma longa (an asexually reproducible plant of great medicinal and economic significance). The four Curcuma MAPKs contains all 11 MAPK conserved domains and phosphorylation-activation motif, TEY. Phylogenetic analysis grouped them in the subgroup A and C as identified earlier for Arabidopsis. The Curcuma MAPKs identified showed high sequence homology to rice OsMPK3, OsMPK4 and OsMPK5 suggesting the presence of similar key element in signaling biotic and abiotic stress responses. Although further in vivo and in vitro analysis are required to establish the physiological role of Curcuma MAPKs, this study provides the base for future research on diverse signaling pathways mediated by MAPKs in Curcuma longa as well as other asexually reproducing plants.