Phytochrome-induced transmissible signal elicits germination response in turions of Spirodela polyrhiza

The role of cell competence, including the spatiotemporal aspect of phytochrome-induced long-distance signal transmission, was investigated in turions of Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden. Irradiation of the dorsal surface of the turions triggered a significant germination response, while identical treatment of the ventral surface was less effective. Red-light (R) microbeam irradiation of a subregion (ca. 1 μm²) of the dorsal surface could induce the germination response. Therefore, photoactivation of phytochrome in a single cell or few cells is sufficient to trigger the photomorphogenetic response. The ultimate response occurs at the proximal end of the turion by way of growth and emergence of the frond primordia about 1.3 mm away from the microbeam-irradiated distal cell(s). This photoinduction was reversible by a pulse of far-red light (FR) given less than 24 h after R microbeam irradiation. Microsurgical separation of distal (irradiated) and proximal (primordium-bearing) halves of the turions following microbeam irradiation further revealed that the light-induced transmissible signal can be intercepted and that it required more than 48 h to traverse one half distance of the turions. Based on the kinetics of the signal transmission, the possible involvement of light scattering, light piping, or transfer of electrophysiological signals can be excluded. Taken together, the results indicate that a transmissible signal is generated by the irradiated cell(s) and propagated across to the non-irradiated cells, leading to induction of the photomorphogenetic response.