甘蓝型油菜BnTTG1-1基因的功能分析

拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)AtTTG1作为WD40重复转录因子存在于细胞核中,对表皮毛形成、花青素合成和储藏物质积累等具有重要调节作用。该研究从甘蓝型油菜(Brassica napus)品种秦优7号中克隆获得了BnTTG1-1基因的全长CDS序列,对其进行了烟草(Nicotiana benthamiana)叶片细胞的亚细胞定位研究,检测了BnTTG1-1在油菜(B.campestris)中的时空表达模式,并比较分析了BnTTG1-1对多个生物学过程的影响作用。结果表明,BnTTG1-1定位于烟草叶片细胞的细胞核中,推测其作为转录因子发挥调节作用。BnTTG1-1广泛存在于油菜营养组织和发育的种子中。在突变体ttg1-13背景下,异源表达BnTTG1-1基因能够完全恢复该突变体的多个表型,如无表皮毛形成和花青素合成、种皮呈黄色、种子脂肪酸和储藏蛋白含量高以及在种子萌发和幼苗形态建成过程中对高葡萄糖和高盐胁迫耐受力差等。由此可知,甘蓝型油菜BnTTG1-1与拟南芥AtTTG1在植物生长发育的多个生物学过程中具有类似的功能。     

抱茎独行菜种皮粘液质相关基因TTG1的克隆、表达分析及功能鉴定

抱茎独行菜（Lepidium perfoliatum L.）为十字花科具典型粘液质繁殖体植物,而TTG1基因（Transpa-rent testa glabra 1）所编码的蛋白是调控种皮细胞分化并影响粘液质释放的转录因子。目前关于TTG1基因在粘液质繁殖体植物中的研究报道较少,为探究TTG1基因在抱茎独行菜粘液质发育中的作用,本研究利用同源克隆技术获得抱茎独行菜TTG1基因cDNA开放阅读框（ORF）序列,命名为LpTTG1。序列分析表明,该基因ORF全长为1032 bp,编码343个氨基酸,含有WD40基序;qRT-PCR分析结果显示,该基因在抱茎独行菜各组织中均有表达,反映了该基因功能的多样性;免疫组织化学定位结果表明,LpTTG1在种子发育过程中内珠被和外珠被的表达水平变化与外珠被粘液质的合成过程相一致,推测该基因可能参与调控抱茎独行菜种皮的发育及粘液质的形成。将LpTTG1基因转化拟南芥,该基因的过量表达显著促进了粘液质合成途径下游基因AtMUM4在角果中的表达,表明该基因有可能参与粘液质合成途径调控,并促进下游产物MUM4的产生。然而,对LpTTG1转基因拟南芥与野生型植株表型的比较发现,两者种子形态及粘液质分泌与释放方式均无显著差异,这可能是因为抱茎独行菜种皮发育和粘液质形成是一个多基因调控的复杂过程,某一基因的过量表达也许不会引起明显的表型变化。     

A network of redundant bHLH proteins functions in all TTG1-dependent pathways of Arabidopsis

GLABRA3 (GL3) encodes a bHLH protein that interacts with the WD repeat protein, TTG1. GL3 overexpression suppresses the trichome defect of the pleiotropic ttg1 mutations. However, single gl3 mutations only affect the trichome pathway with a modest trichome number reduction. A novel unlinked bHLH-encoding locus is described here, ENHANCER OF GLABRA3 (EGL3). When mutated, egl3 gives totally glabrous plants only in the gl3 mutant background. The double bHLH mutant, gl3 egl3, has a pleiotropic phenotype like ttg1 having defective anthocyanin production, seed coat mucilage production, and position-dependent root hair spacing. Furthermore, the triple bHLH mutant, gl3 egl3 tt8, phenocopies the ttg1 mutation. Yeast two-hybrid and plant overexpression studies show that EGL3, like GL3, interacts with TTG1, the myb proteins GL1, PAP1 and 2, CPC and TRY, and it will form heterodimers with GL3. These results suggest a combinatorial model for TTG1-dependent pathway regulation by this trio of partially functionally redundant bHLH proteins.     

The FEI2-SOS5 pathway and CELLULOSE SYNTHASE 5 are required for cellulose biosynthesis in the Arabidopsis seed coat and affect pectin mucilage structure

A common adaptation in angiosperms is the deposition of hydrophilic mucilage into the apoplast of seed coat epidermal cells during the course of their differentiation. Upon imbibition, seed mucilage, composed mainly of carbohydrates (i.e. pectins, hemicelluloses and glycans) expands rapidly, encapsulating the seed and aiding in seed dispersal and germination. The FEI1/FEI2 receptor-like kinases and the SOS5 extracellular GPI-anchored protein were previously shown to act on a pathway regulating cellulose biosynthesis during Arabidopsis root elongation. In the highlighted study, we demonstrated that FEI2 and SOS5 regulate the production of the cellulosic rays deposited across the inner adherent-layer of seed mucilage. Mutations in either fei2 or sos5 disrupted the formation of rays, which was associated with an increase in the soluble, outer layer of pectin mucilage and accompanied by a reduction in the inner adherent-layer. Mutations in CELLULOSE SYNTHASE 5 also led to reduced rays and mal-partitioning of the pectic component of seed mucilage, further establishing a structural role for cellulose in seed mucilage. Here, we show that FEI2 expressed from a CaMV 35S promoter complemented both root and seed mucilage defects of the fei1 fei2 double mutant. In contrast, expression of FEI1 from a 35S promoter complemented the root, but not the seed phenotype of the fei1 fei2 double mutant, suggesting that unlike in the root, FEI2 plays a unique and non-redundant role in the regulation of cellulose synthesis in seed mucilage. Altogether, these data suggest a novel role for cellulose in anchoring the pectic component of seed mucilage to the seed surface and indicate that the FEI2 protein has a function distinct from that of FEI1, despite the high sequence similarity of these RLKs.     

Transparent Testa Glabra 1 (TTG1) and TTG1-like genes in Matthiola incana R. Br. and related Brassicaceae and mutation in the WD-40 motif

TTG1 (Transparent Testa Glabra 1), a WD-40 repeat protein, is involved in regulation of flavonoid/anthocyanin biosynthesis, seed coat (mucilage) development/pigmentation and trichome formation in leaves. Here, we characterized the TTG1 gene of Matthiola incana wild type ( e locus), showing 85.3% similarity to TTG1 of A. thaliana on the nucleotide level and 96.2% on the protein level. A white-flowered and glabrous mutant, line 17, of M. incana exhibits one nucleotide change, leading to an amino acid substitution directly in the WD motif (W158R). Correspondingly, the DFR (dihydroflavonol 4-reductase) gene, in which the expression is known to be dependent on TTG1, is not expressed in Matthiola mutant lines 17 (and 19). Comparison of the GC content of the Matthiola TTG1 (54.1%) and Arabidopsis TTG1 (46.1%) genes revealed a strong difference, mostly obtained by neutral substitutions (C to T transitions). To examine whether this is an ecologically influenced trend, a fragment of TTG1 was characterized from another Matthiola species ( M. tricuspidata ) and from Malcolmia flexuosa subsp. naxensis from the eastern Mediterranean, near a beach with sandy and salty soils. Both Matthiola species have a higher GC content in the TTG1 gene than Arabidopsis and the closer-related Malcolmia , indicating that the GC content is rather an evolutionary than an ecological signal. A similar WD-40 repeat protein gene (containing no intron in the 3' untranslated region) with high similarity to the Arabidopsis TTG1 -like ( AtAN11 ) gene was found in Matthiola .     

The acid-labile,peripheral chains of the mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica

Partial hydrolysis of the mucilage of O. ficus-indica affords O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→6)-d-galactose, the polymer-homologous trisaccharide, and fourteen oligosaccharides that contain arabinose and most of which have xylosyl end-groups. O-β-d-Xylopyranosyl-(1→5)-l-arabinofuranose and O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→5)-O-α-l-arabinofuranosyl-(1→5)-l-arabinofuranose were the oligosaccharides isolated in greatest amount. The most-important structural features found in the peripheral chains in the mucilage are discussed.     

Structural features of an arabinogalactan from the seeds of Becium filamentosum

The Cetavlon non-precipitable fraction of Becium filamentosum seed mucilage on DEAE-cellulose column chromatography yielded three fractions. The major polysaccharide was composed of L-rhamnose, D-galactose and L-arabinose (1:2:2). Structural analysis revealed a (1 → 4)-linked D-galactopyranose backbone with occasional side chains at O-6 of (1 → 5)-linked L-arabinofuranose terminating in rhamnopyranosyl residues.     

Pattern in the Root Epidermis: An Interplay of Diffusible Signals and Cellular Geometry

The epidermis of roots is composed of hair and non-hair cells. Patterning of this epidermis results from spatially regulated differentiation of these cell types. Root epidermal development in vascular plants may be divided into three broad groups based on the mode of hair development; Type 1: any cell in the epidermis can form a root hair; Type 2: the smaller product of an asymmetric cell division forms a root hair; Type 3: the epidermis is organized into discrete files of hair and non-hair cells. TheArabidopsisroot epidermis is composed of discrete files of hair and non-hair cells (Type 3). Genetic and physiological evidence indicates that ethylene is a positive regulator of hair cell development. Genes with opposite roles in the development of hair cells in the shoot (trichomes) and hair cells in the root have been identified. Plants with presumptive loss of function alleles in theTRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA (TTG)orGLABRA2(GL2) genes are devoid of trichomes indicating that these genes are positive regulators of trichome development. The development of supernumerary root hair cells in these mutant backgrounds illustrates that these genes are also negative regulators of root hair cell development. A model that explains the spatial pattern of epidermal cell differentiation implicates ethylene or its precursor 1-amino-1-cyclopropane carboxylate as a diffusible signal. Possible roles for theTTGandGL2genes in relation to the ethylene signal are discussed.     

Isolation and Characterization of Mutants Defective in Seed Coat Mucilage Secretory Cell Development in Arabidopsis

In Arabidopsis, fertilization induces the epidermal cells of the outer ovule integument to differentiate into a specialized seed coat cell type producing extracellular pectinaceous mucilage and a volcano-shaped secondary cell wall. Differentiation involves a regulated series of cytological events including growth, cytoplasmic rearrangement, mucilage synthesis, and secondary cell wall production. We have tested the potential of Arabidopsis seed coat epidermal cells as a model system for the genetic analysis of these processes. A screen for mutants defective in seed mucilage identified five novel genes (MUCILAGE-MODIFIED [MUM]1–5). The seed coat development of these mutants, and that of three previously identified ones (TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1, GLABRA2, and APETALA2) were characterized. Our results show that the genes identified define several events in seed coat differentiation. Although APETALA2 is needed for differentiation of both outer layers of the seed coat, TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1, GLABRA2, and MUM4 are required for complete mucilage synthesis and cytoplasmic rearrangement. MUM3 and MUM5 may be involved in the regulation of mucilage composition, whereas MUM1 and MUM2 appear to play novel roles in post-synthesis cell wall modifications necessary for mucilage extrusion.     

‘津田’芜菁Transparent Testa Glabra 1（BrTTG1）基因的克隆及表达分析

TTG1（Transparent Testa Glabra 1）蛋白是一种WD40类蛋白,参与植物的生长和发育。采用RT-PCR方法从芜菁品种‘津田＇中克隆了BrTTG1 cDNA序列（GenBank登录号HM208590）。该基因cDNA开放阅读框长度为1 014 bp,编码一个由337个氨基酸残基组成的蛋白,该蛋白分子量为37.28 kDa,理论等电点为4.66。与其他植物中的TTG1蛋白进行同源性比对结果显示,BrTTG1与甘蓝型油菜的TTG1同源性最高。BrTTG1蛋白在31～337位氨基酸处含有WD40超家族的保守结构域。荧光定量PCR检测BrTTG1在‘津田＇芜菁不同组织中的表达结果表明,该基因在有花青素合成的红色‘津田＇芜菁根皮中表达量最高。     

A WD-repeat gene from peach (Prunus persica L.) is a functional ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1

We have cloned a WD-repeat gene from peach. The cloned gene is more than 3 kb and contains signature domains characteristic of WD-repeat genes. Because of its high homology with AtTTG1, we hypothesized that this gene could be a TTG1 ortholog in peach. Functional studies were carried out by complementing the trichome minus Arabidopsis ttg1-1 mutant with the putative peach TTG1 homolog. Successful restoration of normal trichomes was achieved in the resulting transgenics. We further tested the possibility that this gene was the candidate gene differentiating peach and nectarine. Sequence analysis indicated no difference in the full-length TTG1 and 1,600 bp of its promoter between peach and nectarine.