The Effect of Epibrassinolide on Arabidopsis Seedling Morphogenesis and Hormonal Balance under Green Light

We studied the effect of 24-epibrassinolide (EB) on the levels of endogenous hormones and photomorphogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh wild-type (Ler) and mutant (hy4) seedlings. This mutant is deficient in the cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) synthesis. CRY1, which is a product of the HY4 gene, is a blue light photoreceptor in wild-type plants, but is sensitive to green light as well. In dark-grown seven-day-old mutant seedlings, the ABA/zeatin ratio differed from this ratio in wild-type seedlings. Thehy4 mutant exhibited a lower zeatin and higher free-ABA contents, which could retard its hypocotyl growth in darkness. EB retarded the growth of hypocotyls in etiolated hy4 seedlings and enlarged their cotyledons more efficiently than in wild-type seedlings. Green light (GL) did not affect the growth of hypocotyls but enlarged cotyledons of hy4 seedlings, which might be associated with some increase in the level of free IAA and a considerable decrease in free ABA and also with a decrease in the cytokinin level in seedlings. The hy4 cotyledon response to GL depended evidently on photoreceptors other than CRY1. GL enhanced the effects of EB on the morphogenesis of both Ler and hy4 seedlings, which was coupled with changes in the balance of endogenous IAA, ABA, and cytokinins. We may suppose that EB is involved in the control of photomorphogenesis by interaction with endogenous hormones, which are involved in the transduction of a light signal absorbed by the GL photoreceptors.     

拟南芥GATL12基因影响叶绿体的形成

谷氨酰胺氨基转移酶（GATase）能够将谷氨酰胺上的氨基基团转移到底物上形成新的一碳氮基团。GATase有两种类型,即Class-I（trpG型）和Class-II（purF型）。拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）基因组中有13个基因编码Class-I类似蛋白（GATLs）,其生物学功能尚不清楚。首先分离到拟南芥GATL12基因的2个T-DNA插入突变体,分别命名为gatl12-1和gatl12-2。然后观察发现在这2个突变体的杂合植株中,大部分植株的胚珠发育到第8天时,由于叶绿体的积累而呈现绿色,其余植株（约有25%）的胚珠为白色。将从杂合突变体植株上收获的种子播种在1/2MS培养基上,有25%的幼苗发育成黄化苗。经PCR检测,这些黄化苗为GATL12的纯合突变体,RT-PCR法在黄化苗中检测不到GATL12基因的转录本。电镜观察表明,突变体中的叶绿体不能正常发育。上述结果表明,GATL12基因在拟南芥的叶绿体发育过程中具有重要作用。     

拟南芥叶片数目变化突变体对营养生长时相转变的影响

拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)的营养生长可以分为2个阶段: 幼龄期与成熟期。由幼龄期向成熟期的转变(VPC)与叶片的形态学特征、茎顶端分生组织(SAM)形状、远轴面表皮毛的出现以及SPL家族转录因子表达水平的变化相关。研究表明, 造成这种转变的信号来源于叶原基。该研究利用2种莲座叶数目改变了的突变体和对野生型切除叶片的方法, 分析了叶片数目对VPC的影响。结果表明, 莲座叶数目的减少推迟了VPC的发生; 而莲座叶数目增多突变体amp1-1并未使VPC的发生提前, 推测叶源信号的产生受到了光合作用的影响。     

拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）体细胞胚胎发生体系中的体细胞类减数分裂研究

在拟南芥生态型LandsbergErecta体细胞胚胎发生体系的胚性愈伤组织中观察到2种类型的体细胞减数分裂现象。一种是体细胞染色体减数分组,其中,处于前期或中期的细胞染色体分为2个或2个以上的组。其共同特点是,染色体直接分开,未观察到纺锤体,从染色体的形态也看不出纺锤体的作用。染色体减数分组较多发生于多倍体细胞中。另一种类型是体细胞减数分裂,这种类型类似于大小孢子发生过程的减数分裂,如第一次分裂前期也有染色体的联会和配对。在脱分化培养基上的胚性愈伤组织中,单倍体细胞约占3%,四倍体细胞约占4%。经体细胞类减数分裂产生的细胞都发生染色体重组。     

Two mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana that become chlorotic in atmospheres enriched with CO2

Abstract. Two nonallelic, nuclear recessive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. which become chlorotic when grown in an atmosphere enriched to 20000 cm³ CO₂ m^-3 have been isolated. For one of the mutants, chlorosis begins at the veins and gradually spreads to the interveinal regions. A minimum photon flux density of ca 50 μmol m^-2 s^-1 is required for this response. For the other mutant, the yellowing is independent of the light intensity and begins at the basal regions of the leaves and spreads to the tips. The injurious effects of CO₂ seem to be restricted to photosynthetic tissues, since root elongation and callus growth were not inhibited by a high atmospheric CO₂ concentration for either mutant. Neither mutant became chlorotic in a low O₂ atmosphere that suppressed photorespiration as effectively as the elevated CO₂ does. Thus, the mutations do not impose a requirement for photorespiration. The possibilities that the high CO₂-sensitive phenotypes are caused by an effect of CO₂ in stomata, on ethylene synthesis, or on mineral uptake are discussed but are considered unlikely.     

Gibberellins, brassinosteroids and light-regulated development

The regulation of plant development by light requires the action of several well-studied plant hormones. However, the mechanism by which light and hormones affect identical developmental responses remains unclear. Recently, studies of mutants altered in light signal perception or transduction have suggested a role for gibberellins and brassinosteroids in light-regulated development. For instance, mutants in the major light-stable phytochrome from several plant species exhibit altered responsiveness to, or metabolism of, gibberellins. In contrast, mutants that develop as light-grown plants in the absence of light have implicated a role for brassinosteroids in the control of cell elongation, the expression of photoregulated genes, and the promotion of apical dominance, leaf senescence and male fertility. Future studies should help elucidate whether light and hormones independently affect these developmental responses or whether hormones are involved in the sequence of events initiated by excitation of photoreceptors.     

Effect of ABA on the UV-B-Induced Ethylene Evolution by the etr and ctr Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

The responses of 14-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. plants to UV-B irradiation (280–320 nm) and ABA treatment were investigated. Wild-type plants as well as ethylene-insensitive etr1-1 and ctr1-1 mutants were used. Theetr1-1 mutant considerably differed from the ctr1-1 one in the fresh weight production after UV-B treatment (29.5 kJ/m²). The irradiated etr1-1 plants fell well behind the nonirradiated ones during the first two days after stress, but by the 8th day, their weight attained 70% of control plant weight. In contrast, Ctr1-1 mutant weight comprised 70% of control level after two days of stress but, by the 8th day, it was only 56% of the weight of control plants. In wild-type and ctr1-1 plants, ABA, in the 8 × 10^–6 to 2 × 10^–4 M concentration range, increased the difference between the weights of nonirradiated and irradiated plants, but in etr1-1 plants, ABA decreased this difference. The etr1-1, ctr1-1, and wild-type plants were very similar in the dynamics of ethylene evolution after UV-B treatment (7.4 kJ/m²). In wild-type, etr1-1, and ctr1-1 plants, ABA, in a concentration-dependent manner, inhibited UV-B-induced ethylene evolution to the same extent. The results obtained show that ABA exerted an opposite effect on UV-B-dependent growth in the plants with active (wild type and ctr1-1) and blocked (etr1-1) ethylene signal pathway, whereas the inhibition of ethylene synthesis by ABA was not related to ethylene signal transmission.     

Analysis of leaf proteins in late flowering mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

Late flowering monogenic mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. at the loci co, gi, fca, fve, fwa, fha, fpa, fy and their corresponding wild type, Landsberg erecta , were analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. All plants were grown under continuous light and proteins were extracted from leaves of the same age (20-day-old). The polypeptide patterns of the mutants at the loci co, gi, fca, fve, fwa, fha, fpa , and Landsberg erecta were identical. The mutant at the fy locus showed a qualitative difference with Landsberg erecta . Crosses were made between this line and the wild type Landsberg erecta . F2 plants, resulting from autopollination of the hybrid, were analysed and showed no cosegregation between the observed protein and the flowering phenotype, indicating that these two lines differ by more than a single mutation.     

Embryonic mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

Genetic analysis of plant em-bryogenesis has been approached in part through the isolation and characterization of recessive embryonic mutants. The most extensive studies have dealt with maize and Arabidopsis. The high frequency of mutants defective in plant embryogenesis is consistent with the presence of many target genes with essential functions at this stage of the life cycle. Some mutants are likely to be defective in genes with general housekeeping functions. Others should facilitate the identification of genes with a more direct role in the regulation of morphogesis. Over 300 embryonic mutants of Arabidopsis isolated following chemical mutagenesis and T-DNA insertional mutagenesis are currently being analyzed. This collection includes embryonic le-thals, defectives, and pattern mutants. Developmental abnormalities include the presence of fused cotyledons, twin embryos, abnormally large suspensors, distorted epidermal layers, single cotyledons, enlarged shoot apices, pattern deletions and duplications, embryos with altered patterns of symmetry, bloated embryos with giant vacuolated cells, reduced hypocotyls that fail to produce roots, and embryos that protrude through the seed coat late in maturation. This review describes the isolation and characterization of embryonic mutants of Arabidopsis and their potential application to plant biology. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.