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PubMed2004

Interallelic complementation at the Arabidopsis CRE1 locus uncovers independent pathways for the proliferation of vascular initials and canonical cytokinin signalling.

The differentiation of vascular tissue plays a central role in root architecture and its functionality. Regardless of its importance, the molecular mechanisms involved in the inception of vascular morphogenesis and their interaction with hormones are only now beginning to be understood. The characterisation of the WOODEN LEG (wol/cre1 mutant), impaired in procambial cell proliferation and the identification of WOL/CRE1 as a cytokinin receptor, provided the first genetic evidence pointing to a role of cytokinins in the formation of vascular initials. However, the striking wol phenotype in vascular differentiation is unique among all the available cre1 alleles collection. In this work, we identified a mutant with identical deficiencies in vascular differentiation as wol. Complementation analysis revealed that this mutant rescued the wol short-root phenotype. However, genetic characterisation of the mutant showed that the mutation was located at the CRE1 locus, indicating that both alleles displayed interallelic complementation. Trans-heterozygotes characterisation showed that these plants fully restored the deficiency in vascular differentiation but not the canonical cytokinin signalling. Furthermore, we show that, as measured in root growth inhibition, calli regeneration assays and northern analysis, the original wol allele is in fact more sensitive to cytokinins than the trans-heterozygous plants, or some cre1 alleles showing wild-type vascular morphogenesis. Thus, there is no strict correlation between the phenotype in vascular differentiation displayed by the cre1/wol alleles and canonical cytokinin signalling. These results indicate that at least partially independent regulatory circuits may operate in procambial cell proliferation and in cytokinin responsiveness exerted through the CRE1 receptor.

Alleles↗
PubMed1998

A transcriptional regulator of the LuxR-UhpA family, FlcA, controls flocculation and wheat root surface colonization by Azospirillum brasilense Sp7.

Genetic complementation of a spontaneous mutant, impaired in flocculation, Congo red binding, and colonization of root surface, led to the identification of a new regulatory gene in Azospirillum brasilense Sp7, designated flcA. The deduced amino acid sequence of flcA shared high similarity with a family of transcriptional activators of the LuxR-UphA family. The most significant match was with the AgmR protein, an activator for glycerol metabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Derivatives of Sp7 resulting from site-directed Tn5 mutagenesis in the flcA coding sequence were constructed by marker exchange. Characterization of the resulting mutant strains showed that flcA controls the production of capsular polysaccharides, the flocculation process in culture, and the colonization of the root surface of wheat. This study provides new information on the genetic control of the mechanism of plant root colonization by Azospirillum.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Arabidopsis roots and shoots have different mechanisms for hypoxic stress tolerance.

Arabidopsis has inducible responses for tolerance of O2 deficiency. Plants previously exposed to 5% O2 were more tolerant than the controls to hypoxic stress (0.1% O2 for 48 h) in both roots and shoots, but hypoxic acclimation did not improve tolerance to anoxia (0% O2). The acclimation of shoots was not dependent on the roots: increased shoot tolerance was observed when the roots of the plants were removed. An adh (alcohol dehydrogenase) null mutant did not show acclimation of the roots but retained the shoot survival response. Abscisic acid treatment also differentiated the root and shoot responses; pretreatment induced root survival in hypoxic stress conditions (0.1% O2) but did not induce any increase in the survival of shoots. Cycloheximide blocked both root and shoot acclimation, indicating that both acclimation mechanisms are dependent on protein synthesis.

Abscisic Acid↗
PubMed1995

A Mutation Altering Auxin Homeostasis and Plant Morphology in Arabidopsis.

Many aspects of plant development are associated with changing concentrations of the phytohormone auxin. Several stages of root formation exhibit extreme sensitivities to exogenous auxin and are correlated with shifts in endogenous auxin concentration. In an effort to elucidate mechanisms regulating development of adventitious roots, an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized M2 population of Arabidopsis was screened for mutants altered in this process. A recessive nuclear mutant, rooty (rty), displayed extreme proliferation of roots, inhibition of shoot growth, and other alterations suggesting elevated responses to auxin or ethylene. Wild-type Arabidopsis seedlings grown on auxin-containing media phenocopied rty, whereas rty seedlings were partially rescued on cytokinin-containing media. Analysis by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectrometry showed endogenous indole-3-acetic acid concentrations to be two to 17 times higher in rty than in the wild type. Dose-response assays with exogenous indole-3-acetic acid indicated equal sensitivities to auxin in tissues of the wild type and rty. Combining rty with mutations conferring resistance to auxin (axr1-3) or ethylene (etr1-1) suggested that root proliferation and restricted shoot growth are auxin effects, whereas other phenotypic alterations are due to ethylene. Four mutant alleles from independently mutagenized populations were identified, and the locus was mapped using morphological and restriction fragment length polymorphism markers to 3.9 centimorgans distal to marker m605 on chromosome 2. The wild-type RTY gene product may serve a critical role in regulating auxin concentrations and thereby facilitating normal plant growth and development.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Ammonia-regulated expression of a soybean gene encoding cytosolic glutamine synthetase in transgenic Lotus corniculatus.

A full-length cDNA clone encoding cytosolic glutamine synthetase (GS), expressed in roots and root nodules of soybean, was isolated by direct complementation of an Escherichia coli gln A- mutant. This sequence is induced in roots by the availability of ammonia. A 3.5-kilobase promoter fragment of a genomic clone (lambda GS15) corresponding to this cDNA was isolated and fused with a reporter [beta-glucuronidase (GUS)] gene. The GS-GUS fusion was introduced into a legume (Lotus corniculatus) and a nonlegume (tobacco) plant by way of Agrobacterium-mediated transformations. This chimeric gene was found to be expressed in a root-specific manner in both tobacco and L. corniculatus, the expression being restricted to the growing root apices and the vascular bundles of the mature root. Treatment with ammonia increased the expression of this chimeric gene in the legume background (i.e., L. corniculatus); however, no induction was observed in tobacco roots. Histochemical localization of GUS activity in ammonia-treated transgenic L. corniculatus roots showed a uniform distribution across all cell types. These data suggest that the tissue specificity of the soybean cytosolic GS gene is conserved in both tobacco and L. corniculatus; however, in the latter case, this gene is ammonia inducible. Furthermore, the ammonia-enhanced GS gene expression in L. corniculatus is due to an increase in transcription. That this gene is directly regulated by externally supplied or symbiotically fixed nitrogen is also evident from the expression of GS-GUS in the infection zone, including the uninfected cells, and the inner cortex of transgenic L. corniculatus nodules, where a flux of ammonia is encountered by this tissue. The lack of expression of GS-GUS in the outer cortex of the nodules suggests that ammonia may not be able to diffuse outside the endodermis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Identification and isolation of genes involved in poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) biosynthesis in Azospirillum brasilense and characterization of a phbC mutant.

Like many other prokaryotes, rhizobacteria of the genus Azospirillum produce high levels of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) under suboptimal growth conditions. Utilization of PHB by bacteria under stress has been proposed as a mechanism that favors their compatible establishment in competitive environments, thus showing great potential for the improvement of bacterial inoculants for plants and soils. The three genes that are considered to be essential in the PHB biosynthetic pathway, phbA (beta-ketothiolase), phbB (acetoacetyl coenzyme A reductase), and phbC (PHB synthase), were identified in Azospirillum brasilense strain Sp7, cloned, and sequenced. The phbA, -B, and -C genes were found to be linked together and located on the chromosome. An A. brasilense phbC mutant was obtained by insertion of a kanamycin resistance cassette within the phbC gene. No PHB production was detected in this mutant. The capability of the wild-type strain to endure starvation conditions was higher than that of the mutant strain. However, motility, cell aggregation, root adhesion, and exopolysaccharide (EPS) and capsular polysaccharide (CPS) production were higher in the phbC mutant strain than in the wild type.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed2004

Potassium carrier TRH1 is required for auxin transport in Arabidopsis roots.

Disruption of the TRH1 potassium transporter impairs root hair development in Arabidopsis, and also affects root gravitropic behaviour. Rescue of these morphological defects by exogenous auxin indicates a link between TRH1 activity and auxin transport. In agreement with this hypothesis, the rate of auxin translocation from shoots to roots and efflux of [3H]IAA in isolated root segments were reduced in the trh1 mutant, but efflux of radiolabelled auxin was accelerated in yeast cells transformed with the TRH1 gene. In roots, Pro(TRH1):GUS expression was localized to the root cap cells which are known to be the sites of gravity perception and are central for the redistribution of auxin fluxes. Consistent with these findings, auxin-dependent DR5:GUS promoter-reporter construct was misexpressed in the trh1 mutant indicating that partial block of auxin transport through the root cap is associated with upstream accumulation of the phytohormone in protoxylem cells. When [K+] in the medium was reduced from 20 to 0.1 mm, wild type roots showed mild agravitropic phenotype and DR5:GUS misexpression in stelar cells. This pattern of response to low external [K+] was also affected by trh1 mutation. We conclude that the TRH1 carrier is an important part of auxin transport system in Arabidopsis roots.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2003

[Creation and genetic study of a collection of symbiotic mutants of the pea (Pisum sativum L.)].

A collection of symbiotic pea mutants consisting of 34 lines was created. The morphobiological and symbiotic description of different types of pea mutants is presented. The mode of inheritance of symbiotic characters is analyzed. For the first time in pea, hypernodulation mutations with dominant inheritance were isolated. Differences in the structure of bacteroid tissues of root nodules were revealed between mutants with effective and ineffective nodules. Using reciprocal root/stem and stem/root grafts, the plant organ producing nodulation-controlling factors was established. New hypernodulation-controlling genes--nod4 and nod6--were identified. For the first time in pea, using pure lines derived from cultivars with contrasting nodulation, the new gene Nod5--nod5 was found. The dominant allele of this gene controls abundant nodulation, high nitrogen fixation, and nitrate resistance. Pea cultivars carrying the Nod5 gene that can be used in selection for improved symbiotic properties were identified.

Alleles↗
PubMed2002

Survival of GacS/GacA mutants of the biological control bacterium Pseudomonas aureofaciens 30-84 in the wheat rhizosphere.

GacS/GacA comprises a two-component regulatory system that controls the expression of secondary metabolites required for the control of plant diseases in many pseudomonads. High mutation frequencies of gacS and gacA have been observed in liquid culture. We examined whether gacS/gacA mutants could competitively displace the wild-type populations on roots and thus pose a threat to the efficacy of biological control. The survival of a gac mutant alone and in competition with the wild type on roots was examined in the biological control strain Pseudomonas aureofaciens 30-84. In this bacterium, GacS/GacA controls the expression of phenazine antibiotics that are inhibitory to plant pathogenic fungi and enhance the competitive survival of the bacterium. Wheat seedlings were inoculated with strain 30-84, and bacteria were recovered from roots after 21 days in sterile or nonsterile soil to check for the presence of gacS or gacA mutants. Although no mutants were detected in the inoculum, gacS/gacA mutants were recovered from 29 out of 31 roots and comprised up to 36% of the total bacterial populations. Southern hybridization analysis of the recovered gacA mutants did not indicate a conserved mutational mechanism. Replacement series analysis on roots utilizing strain 30-84 and a gacA mutant (30-84.gacA) or a gacS mutant (30-84.A2) demonstrated that although the mutant population partially displaced the wild type in sterile soil, it did not do so in natural soil. In fact, in natural soil final rhizosphere populations of wild-type strain 30-84 starting from mixtures were at least 1.5 times larger than would be predicted from their inoculation ratio and generally were greater than or equal to the population of wild type alone despite lower inoculation rates. These results indicate that although gacS/gacA mutants survive in natural rhizosphere populations, they do not displace wild-type populations. Better survival of wild-type populations in mixtures with mutants suggests that mutants arising de novo or introduced within the inoculum may be beneficial for the survival of wild-type populations in the rhizosphere.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2001

Cooperative action of SLR1 and SLR2 is required for lateral root-specific cell elongation in maize.

Lateral roots play an important role in water and nutrient uptake largely by increasing the root surface area. In an effort to characterize lateral root development in maize (Zea mays), we have isolated from Mutator (Mu) transposon stocks and characterized two nonallelic monogenic recessive mutants: slr1 and slr2 (short lateral roots1 and 2), which display short lateral roots as a result of impaired root cell elongation. The defects in both mutants act specifically during early postembryonic root development, affecting only the lateral roots emerging from the embryonic primary and seminal roots but not from the postembryonic nodal roots. These mutations have no major influence on the aboveground performance of the affected plants. The double mutant slr1; slr2 displays a strikingly different phenotype than the single mutants. The defect in slr1; slr2 does not only influence lateral root specific cell elongation, but also leads to disarranged cellular patterns in the primary and seminal roots. However, the phase-specific nature of the single mutants is retained in the double mutant, indicating that the two loci cooperate in the wild type to maintain the lateral root specificity during a short time of early root development.

Genes, Plant↗
PubMed2006

Ethylene modulates flavonoid accumulation and gravitropic responses in roots of Arabidopsis.

Plant organs change their growth direction in response to reorientation relative to the gravity vector. We explored the role of ethylene in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root gravitropism. Treatment of wild-type Columbia seedlings with the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) reduced root elongation and gravitropic curvature. The ethylene-insensitive mutants ein2-5 and etr1-3 had wild-type root gravity responses, but lacked the growth and gravity inhibition by ACC found in the wild type. We examined the effect of ACC on tt4(2YY6) seedlings, which have a null mutation in the gene encoding chalcone synthase, the first enzyme in flavonoid synthesis. The tt4(2YY6) mutant makes no flavonoids, has elevated indole-3-acetic acid transport, and exhibits a delayed gravity response. Roots of tt4(2YY6), the backcrossed line tt4-2, and two other tt4 alleles had wild-type sensitivity to growth inhibition by ACC, whereas the root gravitropic curvature of these tt4 alleles was much less inhibited by ACC than wild-type roots, suggesting that ACC may reduce gravitropic curvature by altering flavonoid synthesis. ACC treatment induced flavonoid accumulation in root tips, as judged by a dye that becomes fluorescent upon binding flavonoids in wild type, but not in ein2-5 and etr1-3. ACC also prevented a transient peak in flavonoid synthesis in response to gravity. Together, these experiments suggest that elevated ethylene levels negatively regulate root gravitropism, using EIN2- and ETR1-dependent pathways, and that ACC inhibition of gravity response occurs through altering flavonoid synthesis.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed2002

An endoplasmic reticulum-bound Ca(2+)/Mn(2+) pump, ECA1, supports plant growth and confers tolerance to Mn(2+) stress.

Plants can grow in soils containing highly variable amounts of mineral nutrients, like Ca(2+) and Mn(2+), though the mechanisms of adaptation are poorly understood. Here, we report the first genetic study to determine in vivo functions of a Ca(2+) pump in plants. Homozygous mutants of Arabidopsis harboring a T-DNA disruption in ECA1 showed a 4-fold reduction in endoplasmic reticulum-type calcium pump activity. Surprisingly, the phenotype of mutant plants was indistinguishable from wild type when grown on standard nutrient medium containing 1.5 mM Ca(2+) and 50 microM Mn(2+). However, mutants grew poorly on medium with low Ca(2+) (0.2 mM) or high Mn(2+) (0.5 mM). On high Mn(2+), the mutants failed to elongate their root hairs, suggesting impairment in tip growth processes. Expression of the wild-type gene (CAMV35S::ECA1) reversed these conditional phenotypes. The activity of ECA1 was examined by expression in a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mutant, K616, which harbors a deletion of its endogenous calcium pumps. In vitro assays demonstrated that Ca(2+), Mn(2+), and Zn(2+) stimulated formation of a phosphoenzyme intermediate, consistent with the translocation of these ions by the pump. ECA1 provided increased tolerance of yeast mutant to toxic levels of Mn(2+) (1 mM) and Zn(2+)(3 mM), consistent with removal of these ions from the cytoplasm. These results show that despite the potential redundancy of multiple Ca(2+) pumps and Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporters in Arabidopsis, pumping of Ca(2+) and Mn(2+) by ECA1 into the endoplasmic reticulum is required to support plant growth under conditions of Ca(2+) deficiency or Mn(2+) toxicity.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Differential expression of vacuolar H+-ATPase subunit c genes in tissues active in membrane trafficking and their roles in plant growth as revealed by RNAi.

Acidification of intracellular compartments by the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPases (VHA) is known to energize ion and metabolite transport, though cellular processes influenced by this activity are poorly understood. At least 26 VHA genes encode 12 subunits of the V(1)V(o)-ATPase complex in Arabidopsis, and how the expression, assembly, and activity of the pump are integrated into signaling networks that govern growth and adaptation are largely unknown. The role of multiple VHA-c genes encoding the 16-kD subunit of the membrane V(o) sector was investigated. Expression of VHA-c1, monitored by promoter-driven beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity was responsive to light or dark in an organ-specific manner. VHA-c1 expression in expanding cotyledons, hypocotyls of etiolated seedlings, and elongation zone of roots supported a role for V-ATPase in cell enlargement. Mutants reduced in VHA-c1 transcript using dsRNA-mediated interference showed reduction in root growth relative to wild-type seedlings. In contrast, VHA-c3 promoter::GUS expression was undetectable in most organs of seedlings, but strong in the root cap. Interestingly, dsRNA-mediated mutants of vha-c3 also showed reduced root length and decreased tolerance to moderate salt stress. The results suggest that V-ATPase functions in the root cap influenced root growth. Expression of VHA-c1 and VHA-c3 in tissues with active membrane flow, including root cap, vascular strands, and floral style would support a model for participation of the V(o) sector and V(1)V(o)-ATPase in membrane trafficking and fusion. Two VHA-c genes are thus differentially expressed to support growth in expanding cells and to supply increased demand for V-ATPase in cells with active exocytosis.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2002

Mutant alleles of Arabidopsis RADIALLY SWOLLEN 4 and 7 reduce growth anisotropy without altering the transverse orientation of cortical microtubules or cellulose microfibrils.

The anisotropic growth of plant cells depends on cell walls having anisotropic mechanical properties, which are hypothesized to arise from aligned cellulose microfibrils. To test this hypothesis and to identify genes involved in controlling plant shape, we isolated mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana in which the degree of anisotropic expansion of the root is reduced. We report here the characterization of mutants at two new loci, RADIALLY SWOLLEN 4 (RSW4) and RSW7. The radial swelling phenotype is temperature sensitive, being moderate (rsw7) or negligible (rsw4) at the permissive temperature, 19 degrees C, and pronounced at the restrictive temperature, 30 degrees C. After transfer to 30 degrees C, the primary root's elongation rate decreases and diameter increases, with all tissues swelling radially. Swelling is accompanied by ectopic cell production but swelling is not reduced when the extra cell production is eliminated chemically. A double mutant was generated, whose roots swell constitutively and more than either parent. Based on analytical determination of acid-insoluble glucose, the amount of cellulose was normal in rsw4 and slightly elevated in rsw7. The orientation of cortical microtubules was examined with immunofluorescence in whole mounts and in semi-thin plastic sections, and the orientation of microfibrils was examined with field-emission scanning electron microscopy and quantitative polarized-light microscopy. In the swollen regions of both mutants, cortical microtubules and cellulose microfibrils are neither depleted nor disoriented. Thus, oriented microtubules and microfibrils themselves are insufficient to limit radial expansion; to build a wall with high mechanical anisotropy, additional factors are required, supplied in part by RSW4 and RSW7.

Anisotropy↗
PubMed1993

Characterization of cell surface properties in agglutinable and nonagglutinable mutants of Pseudomonas putida.

Cells of an aggressive, root-colonizing isolate of Pseudomonas putida are agglutinated by a root surface glycoprotein. The agglutination phenotype in P. putida isolate Corvallis is lacking in mutants (Agg-) derived by Tn5 insertion and chemical mutagenesis. Specific mutation in the aggA locus by Tn5 insertion results in loss of agglutinability that is complemented in trans by a wild-type copy of the P. putida aggA locus. We examined the biochemical bases of agglutination in P. putida by comparing cell surface features in Agg+, Agg- mutants, and a genetically restored aggA mutant. No changes in gross cell surface features involving hydrophobic or hydrophilic binding or net negative charge were observed. Three macromolecular features, pili, flagella, and lipopolysaccharide size, did not differ between Agg+ and Agg- mutants. Protein profiles of cell envelope, periplasmic, and outer membrane preparations revealed pleiotropic effects of mutation in agglutination phenotype including alterations of an outer membrane protein of 47,000 molecular weight and periplasmic proteins of 56,000 and 60,000 molecular weight. The protein alterations seen in the aggA::Tn5 Agg- mutant 5123 reverted to wild-type patterns upon introduction of a wild-type copy of the aggA locus. These data suggest agglutinability may be conditioned by more than one proteinaceous component associated with the bacterial envelope layers.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed2000

Ethylene is involved in the nodulation phenotype of Pisum sativum R50 (sym 16), a pleiotropic mutant that nodulates poorly and has pale green leaves.

R50 is characterized as a pleiotropic pea mutant; it forms few nodules and has short lateral roots, short stature and pale leaves. Using grafting techniques, R50 paleness was found to be controlled by the shoot of the mutant whereas the nodulation phenotype was regulated by its root. The paleness of R50 is due to a lower than normal total chlorophyll content in its young leaves. The defect appears to be overcome with age because, as the plant matures, the chlorophyll levels increase in the older leaves. The reduction in stature is attributed to shorter internodes, and the oldest internodes are thicker than those of the parent Sparkle. Upon rhizobial inoculation, R50 forms as many infection threads as Sparkle. However, most of these are arrested in the inner cortex. The threads appear to have lost their directional growth towards the stele, and they coil around within enlarged cortical cells. In addition, very few infection threads are associated with divisions of the inner cortical cells. These aborted nodule primordia are abnormal, flat and mainly composed of cells which have divided anticlinally only. Nodulation of R50 was restored by treating the roots with ethylene inhibitors. The R50 mutant further supports the postulated role of ethylene in regulating rhizobial infection with a probable role in the control of the primordium development.

Chlorophyll↗
PubMed1998

Cell fate and cell differentiation status in the Arabidopsis root.

Post-embryonic development in plants is mainly achieved by its meristems. Within the Arabidopsis root meristem, both the fate and origin of its cells can be predicted with high accuracy. Mutants defective in the determination of root cell fates show that the corresponding genes are first required during embryogenesis. The sub-specification of cell fates, such as during epidermal root hair formation, involves transcription factors and phytohormones. In the Arabidopsis root, initial cell fate specification events must be followed by position-dependent reinforcement of cellular identity. A major question remains as to whether the signals that are involved in initiating the cellular pattern are the same or different from the signals used to reinforce it. The integrity of the root meristem is kept by balancing cell proliferation and cell differentiation, and differentiation-inhibiting signals originating from the quiescent centre are involved.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed1996

Mutations in the AXR3 gene of Arabidopsis result in altered auxin response including ectopic expression from the SAUR-AC1 promoter.

A new auxin response gene in Arabidopsis called AXR3 has been identified. This gene is defined by two semi-dominant mutations which affect many auxin-regulated developmental processes. Auxin has been shown to maintain apical dominance, inhibit root elongation, stimulate adventitious rooting, mediate root gravitropism, and stimulate transcription from the SAUR-AC1 promoter. Mutant axr3 plants show enhanced apical dominance, reduced root elongation, increased adventitious rooting, no root gravitropism, and ectopic expression from the SAUR-AC1 promoter. These phenotypes suggest an increased auxin response in the mutants. In support of this hypothesis, many of the phenotypes are partially restored to wild-type by exogenous cytokinin, a treatment that could restore a more wild-type auxin to cytokinin ratio.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗