Gibberellin Acts through Jasmonate to Control the Expression of MYB21, MYB24, and MYB57 to Promote Stamen Filament Growth in Arabidopsis

Precise coordination between stamen and pistil development is essential to make a fertile flower. Mutations impairing stamen filament elongation, pollen maturation, or anther dehiscence will cause male sterility. Deficiency in plant hormone gibberellin (GA) causes male sterility due to accumulation of DELLA proteins, and GA triggers DELLA degradation to promote stamen development. Deficiency in plant hormone jasmonate (JA) also causes male sterility. However, little is known about the relationship between GA and JA in controlling stamen development. Here, we show that MYB21, MYB24, and MYB57 are GA-dependent stamen-enriched genes. Loss-of-function of two DELLAs RGA and RGL2 restores the expression of these three MYB genes together with restoration of stamen filament growth in GA-deficient plants. Genetic analysis showed that the myb21-t1 myb24-t1 myb57-t1 triple mutant confers a short stamen phenotype leading to male sterility. Further genetic and molecular studies demonstrate that GA suppresses DELLAs to mobilize the expression of the key JA biosynthesis gene DAD1, and this is consistent with the observation that the JA content in the young flower buds of the GA-deficient quadruple mutant ga1-3 gai-t6 rga-t2 rgl1-1 is much lower than that in the WT. We conclude that GA promotes JA biosynthesis to control the expression of MYB21, MYB24, and MYB57. Therefore, we have established a hierarchical relationship between GA and JA in that modulation of JA pathway by GA is one of the prerequisites for GA to regulate the normal stamen development in Arabidopsis.     

Systematic Reduction of a Stochastic Signalling Cascade Model

Biochemical systems involve chemical reactions occurring in low-number regimes, wherein fluctuations are not negligible and thus stochastic models are required to capture the system behaviour. The resulting models are often quite large and complex, involving many reactions and species. For clarity and computational tractability, it is important to be able to simplify these systems to equivalent ones involving fewer elements. While many model simplification approaches have been developed for deterministic systems, there has been limited work on applying these approaches to stochastic modelling. Here, we propose a method that reduces the complexity of stochastic biochemical network models, and apply this method to the reduction of a mammalian signalling cascade. Our results indicate that the simplified model gives an accurate representation for not only the average number of all species, but also for the associated fluctuations and statistical parameters.     

Signalling mechanism of phototropin-mediated chloroplast movement in Arabidopsis

Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology - To efficiently use light for photosynthesis, chloroplasts move to the appropriate location according to ambient light conditions. Chloroplasts...     

Mutagenesis of a large MYB gene family in Arabidopsis

YopJ, a virulence factor of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, can bind to several key intracellular signaling proteins, members of the MAPKK family, preventing their activation and protecting the pathogen from host defense mechanisms.     

Signalling in Rhizobacteria-Induced Systemic Resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract: To protect themselves from disease, plants have evolved sophisticated defence mechanisms in which the signal molecules salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and ethylene often play crucial roles. Elucidation of signalling pathways controlling disease resistance is a major objective in research on plant-pathogen interactions. The capacity of a plant to develop a broad spectrum, systemic acquired resistance (SAR) after primary infection with a necrotizing pathogen is well-known and its signal transduction pathway extensively studied. Plants of which the roots have been colonized by specific strains of non-pathogenic fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. develop a phenotypically similar form of protection that is called rhizobacteria-mediated induced systemic resistance (ISR). In contrast to pathogen-induced SAR, which is regulated by salicylic acid, rhizobacteria-mediated ISR is controlled by a signalling pathway in which jasmonic acid and ethylene play key roles. In the past eight years, the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana was explored to study the molecular basis of rhizobacteria-mediated ISR. Here we review current knowledge of the signal transduction steps involved in the ISR pathway that leads from recognition of the rhizobacteria in the roots to systemic expression of broad-spectrum disease resistance in aboveground foliar tissues.     

真核生物的MAPK级联信号传递途径

MAPK级联途径在真核生物细胞的信号传递过程中起着重要的作用.MAPK级联途径由MAPK、MAPKK和MAPKKK三类酶蛋白组成.这三类蛋白质的结构非常保守,通过磷酸化作用传递各种信号.在酵母和动、植物细胞中已经发现了一系列的MAPK级联途径成员,使真核生物的信号传递途径逐渐得到阐明.     

拟南芥MYB转录因子家族研究进展

在长期的进化过程中,植物形成了复杂的基因调控网络,调节其生长发育及生理代谢,以适应外界环境的变化,其中一种重要的方式是通过转录因子在转录水平上调控目的基因的表达。MYB转录因子作为拟南芥中最大的转录因子家族之一,广泛参与调节拟南芥的不同生理活动。现对拟南芥MYB转录因子的分类和生物学功能进行综述,其中重点阐述了其在细胞周期控制、次生代谢及不同逆境胁迫中的作用。