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The roles of phytochromes in elongation and gravitropism of roots.

Gravitropic orientation and the elongation of etiolated hypocotyls are both regulated by red light through the phytochrome family of photoreceptors. The importance of phytochromes A and B (phyA and phyB) in these red light responses has been established through studies using phy mutants. To identify the roles that phytochromes play in gravitropism and elongation of roots, we studied the effects of red light on root elongation and then compared the gravitropic curvature from roots of phytochrome mutants of Arabidopsis (phyA, phyB, phyD and phyAB) with wild type. We found that red light inhibits root elongation approximately 35% in etiolated seedlings and that this response is controlled by phytochromes. Roots from dark- and light-grown double mutants (phyAB) and light-grown phyB seedlings have reduced elongation rates compared with wild type. In addition, roots from these seedlings (dark/light-grown phyAB and light-grown phyB) have reduced rates of gravitropic curvature compared with wild type. These results demonstrate roles for phytochromes in regulating both the elongation and gravitropic curvature of roots.

Arabidopsis↗

BIN2, a new brassinosteroid-insensitive locus in Arabidopsis.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play important roles throughout plant development. Although many genes have been identified that are involved in BR biosynthesis, genetic approaches in Arabidopsis have led to the identification of only one gene, BRI1, that encodes a membrane receptor for BRs. To expand our knowledge of the molecular mechanism(s) of plant steroid signaling, we analyzed many dwarf and semidwarf mutants collected from our previous genetic screens and identified a semidwarf mutant that showed little response to exogenous BR treatments. Genetic analysis of the bin2 (BR-INSENSITIVE 2) mutant indicated that the BR-insensitive dwarf phenotype was due to a semidominant mutation in the BIN2 gene that mapped to the middle of chromosome IV between the markers CH42 and AG. A direct screening for similar semidwarf mutants resulted in the identification of a second allele of the BIN2 gene. Despite some novel phenotypes observed with the bin2/+ mutants, the homozygous bin2 mutants were almost identical to the well-characterized bri1 mutants that are defective in BR perception. In addition to the BR-insensitive dwarf phenotype, bin2 mutants exhibited BR insensitivity when assayed for root growth inhibition and feedback inhibition of CPD gene expression. Furthermore, bin2 mutants displayed an abscisic acid-hypersensitive phenotype that is shared by the bri1 and BR-deficient mutants. A gene dosage experiment using triploid plants suggested that the bin2 phenotypes were likely caused by either neomorphic or hypermorphic gain-of-function mutations in the BIN2 gene. Thus, the two bin2 mutations define a novel genetic locus whose gene product might play a role in BR signaling.

Arabidopsis↗

Cellular differentiation regulated by gibberellin in the Arabidopsis thaliana pickle mutant.

The plant growth regulator gibberellin (GA) has a profound effect on shoot development and promotes developmental transitions such as flowering. Little is known about any analogous effect GA might have on root development. In a screen for mutants, Arabidopsis plants carrying a mutation designated pickle (pkl) were isolated in which the primary root meristem retained characteristics of embryonic tissue. Expression of this aberrant differentiation state was suppressed by GA. Root tissue from plants carrying the pkl mutation spontaneously regenerated new embryos and plants.

Arabidopsis↗

Direct Measurement of 59Fe-Labeled Fe2+ Influx in Roots of Pea Using a Chelator Buffer System to Control Free Fe2+ in Solution.

Fe2+ transport in plants has been difficult to quantify because of the inability to control Fe2+ activity in aerated solutions and non-specific binding of Fe to cell walls. In this study, a Fe(II)-3-(2-pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine-4[prime]4"-disulfonic acid buffer system was used to control free Fe2+ in uptake solutions. Additionally, desorption methodologies were developed to adequately remove nonspecifically bound Fe from the root apoplasm. This enabled us to quantify unidirectional Fe2+ influx via radiotracer (59Fe) uptake in roots of pea (Pisum sativum cv Sparkle) and its single gene mutant brz, an Fe hyperaccumulator. Fe influx into roots was dramatically inhibited by low temperature, indicating that the measured Fe accumulation in these roots was due to true influx across the plasma membrane rather than nonspecific binding to the root apoplasm. Both Fe2+ influx and Fe translocation to the shoots were stimulated by Fe deficiency in Sparkle. Additionally, brz, a mutant that constitutively exhibits high ferric reductase activity, exhibited higher Fe2+ influx rates than +Fe-grown Sparkle. These results suggest that either Fe deficiency triggers the induction of the Fe2+ transporter or that the enhanced ferric reductase activity somehow stimulates the activity of the existing Fe2+ transport protein.

Journal Article↗

Smaller number of large myelinated fibers and focal myelin thickening in mutant quails deficient in neurofilaments.

The peripheral nervous system of a mutant of a Japanese quail deficient in neurofilaments (mutant) and of a normal Japanese quail (control) was morphometrically evaluated to characterize the morphological findings, especially those of the myelinated fibers of the mutant. In the proximal peroneal nerves, the frequency of the teased myelinated fibers showing the focal myelin thickening was higher in mutant than in control (P < 0.001) without obvious ongoing axonal degeneration and segmental demyelination. The total numbers of the myelinated fibers in the proximal and distal peroneal nerve, and in the tibial nerve branch to gastrocnemius muscle (pars medialis) were similar between control and mutant, although the number of the large myelinated fibers was less (P < 0.01) and the number of the small myelinated fibers was greater (P < 0.01) in mutant compared with control. The median diameters of neuronal cell bodies of the sacral dorsal root ganglia were similar in control and mutant. The percentages of light, dark and unclassified cells evaluated based on the histologic cytoplasmic features were also similar in control and mutant. Therefore, morphometric alterations were more pronounced in the peripheral myelinated nerve fibers compared with those in the cell bodies of the spinal dorsal root ganglia. We concluded that a smaller number of large myelinated fibers with a greater number of small myelinated fibers and the presence of focal myelin thickening are the main morphologic findings in this mutant, probably due to the arrest of radial growth or maturation of the axons of the myelinated fibers in the absence of ongoing myelinated fiber degeneration.

Animals↗

Integrin-Linked Kinases 1, 4, and 5 participate in cell wall-mediated innate immunity to leaf and root pathogens.

The cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway is triggered by plasma membrane-localized receptors in plant cells and serves to orchestrate responses to cell wall damage by initiating compensatory changes under stressful environments. The essential role of CWI maintenance as part of plants' interactions with pests or pathogens and during growth is well known. Nevertheless, CWI pathways remain to be fully characterized. Here, we show that altered Integrin-Linked Kinase 1 (ILK1) expression causes widespread defects in the transcriptional program activated by the bacterial elicitor flg22, primarily in genes associated with cell wall integrity and immunity. These transcriptional deficiencies are recapitulated in mutant lines with altered ILK4 or ILK5 expression. Analysis of molecular and cellular defenses in ilk mutants revealed reduced callose accumulation in leaves treated with bacterial (elf18) and plant (pep1) elicitors and increased pathogen susceptibility. Histochemical analysis of cell-wall-associated staining across diverse cells and organs of ilk mutants revealed modified lignin-associated patterns in the root xylem and altered calcofluor staining patterns in the seed coat. All ilk mutants exhibited altered root morphology due to mechano-touch and high-NaCl stress. Based on these results, we propose that ILKs contribute to pathways connecting elicitor-triggered immune signaling with cell-wall-associated stress responses and that ILK-related defense functions may extend to the cotton root-nematode interaction, while the mechanism remains to be elucidated.

Cell Wall↗

Arabidopsis auxin-resistance gene AXR1 encodes a protein related to ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1.

The plant hormone auxin has a central role in many aspects of plant growth and development. By screening for mutants of Arabidopsis that are resistant to exogenous auxin, we have identified several genes that are required for normal auxin response. One of these genes, AXR1, is defined by recessive mutations that confer auxin resistance to the roots, rosettes and inflorescences of mutant plants. In addition, axr1 mutants display a variety of morphological defects that are consistent with a reduction in auxin sensitivity. Here we isolate the AXR1 gene using a map-based approach and report that AXR1 encodes a new protein with significant sequence similarity to the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1. The AXR1 protein is highly diverged from previously characterized E1 enzymes, however, and lacks a key cysteine residue that is essential for E1 activity. AXR1 may therefore define a new class of enzymes in the ubiquitin pathway or it may have a novel function in cellular regulation which is unrelated to ubiquitin conjugation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A Supernodulation and Nitrate-Tolerant Symbiotic (nts) Soybean Mutant.

The nodulation characteristics of soybean (Glycine max) mutant nts382 are described. The mutant nodulated significantly more than the parent cultivar Bragg in the presence and absence of several combined nitrogen sources (KNO(3), urea, NH(4)Cl, and NH(4)NO(3)). The number of nodules on the tap root and on lateral roots was increased in the mutant line. In the presence of KNO(3) and urea, nitrogenase activity was considerably higher in nts382 than in Bragg. Mutant plants were generally smaller than wild-type plants. Although nts382 is a supernodulator, inoculation with Rhizobium japonicum was necessary to induce nodule formation and both trial strains CB1809 (= USDA136) and USDA110 elicited the mutant phenotype. Segregation of M(3) progeny derived from a M(2) wild-type plant indicated that the mutant character is inherited as a Mendelian recessive. The mutant is discussed in the context of regulation of nodulation and of hypotheses that have been proposed to explain nitrate inhibition of nodulation.

Journal Article↗

The plastid protein THYLAKOID FORMATION1 and the plasma membrane G-protein GPA1 interact in a novel sugar-signaling mechanism in Arabidopsis.

Mutations in genes encoding components of the heterotrimeric G-protein complex were previously shown to confer altered sensitivity to increased levels of D-glucose. This suggests that G-protein coupling may be a novel sugar-signaling mechanism in Arabidopsis thaliana. THYLAKOID FORMATION1 (THF1) is here demonstrated in vivo as a Galpha interaction partner that functions downstream of the plasma membrane-delimited heterotrimeric G-protein (GPA1) in a D-glucose signaling pathway. THF1 is a plastid protein localized to both the outer plastid membrane and the stroma. Contact between root plastidic THF1 and GPA1 at the plasma membrane occurs at sites where the plastid membrane abuts the plasma membrane, as demonstrated by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). A probable role for THF1 in sugar signaling is demonstrated by both biochemical and genetic evidence. Root growth in the thf1-1 null mutant is hypersensitive to exogenous D-glucose, and THF1-overexpressing roots are resistant to inhibition of growth rate by high D-glucose. Additionally, THF1 levels are rapidly degraded by D-glucose but not L-glucose. The interaction between THF1 and GPA1 has been confirmed by in vitro and in vivo coimmunoprecipitation, FRET analysis, and genetic epistasis and provides evidence of a sugar-signaling mechanism between plastids and the plasma membrane.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The ndvA gene product of Rhizobium meliloti is required for beta-(1----2)glucan production and has homology to the ATP-binding export protein HlyB.

The ndvA locus of Rhizobium meliloti is homologous to and can substitute for the chvA locus of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We have previously shown that an ndvA mutant exhibited reduced motility and formed small, white, empty nodules on alfalfa roots. Here we show that this ndvA mutant is defective in the production of the cyclic extracellular polysaccharide beta-(1----2)glucan, even though a 235,000-dalton protein intermediate, known to be involved in the synthesis of this molecule, is present and active in vitro. The DNA sequence of the ndvA locus revealed a single large open reading frame encoding a 67,100-dalton protein that was homologous to a number of bacterial ATP-binding transport proteins. The greatest degree of relatedness was seen with Escherichia coli HlyB, a protein involved in the export of hemolysin, and with the mdr gene product of mammalian cells, which is also homologous to HlyB and thought to be involved in export. Based on the overall symbiotic phenotype of ndvA mutants, the extensive homology between NdvA and HlyB, the fact that ndvA mutants retained an active 235,000-dalton membrane intermediate, and the absence of extracellular beta-(1----2)glucan, we propose that NdvA is involved in export of beta-(1----2)glucan from the cell and that this process is fundamentally important for normal alfalfa nodule development.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Rhicadhesin-mediated attachment and virulence of an Agrobacterium tumefaciens chvB mutant can be restored by growth in a highly osmotic medium.

Cyclic beta-1,2-glucan is considered to play a role in osmoadaptation of members of the family Rhizobiaceae in hypotonic media. Agrobacterium tumefaciens chvB mutants, lacking beta-1,2-glucan, exhibit a pleiotropic phenotype, including nonmotility, attachment deficiency, and avirulence. Here we report that by growth of chvB mutant cells in tryptone-yeast extract medium supplemented with 7 mM CaCl2 and 100 mM NaCl, the mutant cells become motile, attach to pea root hair tips, and are virulent on Kalanchoë leaves. Moreover, whereas chvB mutants grown in tryptone-yeast extract medium containing 7 mM CaCl2 do not produce active rhicadhesin, addition of 100 mM NaCl to this medium resulted in restoration of rhicadhesin activity. The presence of CaCl2 appeared to be required for attachment, virulence, and activity of rhicadhesin. The results support a role for cyclic beta-1,2-glucan in osmoadaptation and strengthen the notion that rhicadhesin is required for attachment and virulence of A. tumefaciens.

Adaptation, Biological↗

nir1, a conditional-lethal mutation in barley causing a defect in nitrite reduction.

Eleven green individuals were isolated when 95000 M2 plants of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), mutagenised with azide in the M1, were screened for nitrite accumulation in their leaves after nitrate treatment in the light. The selected plants were maintained in aerated liquid culture solution containing glutamine as sole nitrogen source. Not all plants survived to flowering and some others that did were not fertile. One of the selected plants, STA3999, from the cultivar Tweed could be crossed to the wild-type cultivar and analysis of the F2 progeny showed that leaf nitrite accumulation was due to a recessive mutation in a single nuclear gene, which has been designated Nir1. The homozygous nir1 mutant could be maintained to flowering in liquid culture with either glutamine or ammonium as sole nitrogen source, but died within 14 days after transfer to compost. The nitrite reductase cross-reacting material seen in nitrate-treated wild-type plants could not be detected in either the leaf or the root of the homozygous nir1 mutant. Nitrite reductase activity, measured with dithionite-reduced methyl viologen as electron donor, of the nitrate-treated homozygous nir1 mutant was much reduced but NADH-nitrate reductase activity was elevated compared to wild-type plants. We conclude that the Nir1 locus determines the formation of nitrite reductase apoprotein in both the leaf and root of barley and speculate that it represents either the nitrite reductase apoprotein gene locus or, less likely, a regulatory locus whose product is required for the synthesis of nitrite reductase, but not nitrate reductase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Apoproteins↗

klavier (klv), a novel hypernodulation mutant of Lotus japonicus affected in vascular tissue organization and floral induction.

A novel hypernodulation mutant line was isolated from Lotus japonicus Miyakojima MG-20 by irradiation with a helium ion beam. This mutant, named klavier (klv), had roots that were densely covered with small nodules. The nodulation zone of klv was significantly wider than that of the wild type. Grafting experiments showed that klv is impaired in the long-distance shoot-to-root autoregulatory mechanism. Thus the shoot genotype was found to be responsible for the negative regulation of nodule development by KLV. Nodulation of klv showed a higher tolerance to nitrogen (KNO3) than the wild type, which is a common feature of hypernodulating mutants. In addition to an increased number of nodules, the klv mutant showed convex leaf veins on the adaxial leaf surface, markedly delayed flowering and dwarf phenotypes. Microscopic examination of the leaf veins revealed that they were discontinuous. Other phenotypes such as fasciated stems, increased number of flowers and bifurcated pistils were also frequently observed in the klv mutant. Among these phenotypes, hypernodulation, aberrant leaf vein formation and significantly delayed flowering were all linked in a monogenic and recessive manner, indicating that these phenotypes are caused by either a single mutation, or tightly linked mutations. KLV was mapped within 0.29 cM on the long arm of chromosome 1.

Flowers↗

[The effect of the plant growth stimulant bactozole on Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 250a and its nitrogen-tolerant mutant M-71 under varied nitrogen supply].

The effect of the plant growth stimulant bactozole on the growth of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 250a and its nitrogen-tolerant mutant M-71 and the synthesis of extracellular carbohydrates was studied. At a low content of nitrate (6 mM) in the medium, all three bactozole concentrations tested (0.001, 0.01, and 0.1%) exerted similar stimulating effects on the growth of the parent strain 250a (about 1.5-fold) and the synthesis of extracellular carbohydrates (about 2-fold). At a high content of nitrate (20 mM) in the medium, when the growth of the parent strain and the synthesis of extracellular carbohydrates were inhibited, bactozole at all three concentrations exerted only a growth-stimulating effect. At the same time, mutant M-71 showed better growth at higher concentrations of bactozole, whereas the ability of the mutant to synthesize extracellular carbohydrates decreased with increasing bactozole concentration. The cell biomass of the mutant accumulated at 20 mM nitrate was 1.8-2.5 times greater than it was at 6 mM nitrate. Bactozole enhanced the symbiosis of legume plants with both parent and mutant strains, raising the mass of plants and enhancing nodulation and the nitrogen-fixing activity of root nodules. The symbiotic parameters of mutant M-71 were better (irrespective of whether bactozole was present or not) when its inoculum was grown at a high nitrogen content (20 mM nitrate), whereas the respective parameters of the parent strain were better when it was grown at 6 mM nitrate. The inference is made that the better physiological characteristics of the mutant in the high-nitrate medium is due to its higher nitrate reductase activity (as compared with the parent strain) in both the free-living state and in legume nodules.

Carbohydrates↗

Defective long-distance auxin transport regulation in the Medicago truncatula super numeric nodules mutant.

Long-distance auxin transport was examined in Medicago truncatula and in its supernodulating mutant sunn (super numeric nodules) to investigate the regulation of auxin transport during autoregulation of nodulation (AON). A method was developed to monitor the transport of auxin from the shoot to the root in whole seedlings. Subsequently, the transport was monitored after inoculation of roots with the nodulating symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti. The sunn mutant showed an increased amount of auxin transported from the shoot to the root compared to the wild type. The auxin transport capacity of excised root segments was similar in wild type and sunn, suggesting that the difference in long-distance auxin transfer between them is due to loading in the shoot. After inoculation, wild-type seedlings showed decreased auxin loading from the shoot to the root; however, the sunn mutant failed to reduce the amount of auxin loaded. The time of reduced auxin loading correlated with the onset of AON. Quantification of endogenous auxin levels at the site of nodule initiation showed that sunn contained three times more auxin than wild type. Inoculation of sunn failed to reduce the level of auxin within 24 h, as was observed in the wild type. We propose a model for the role of auxin during AON of indeterminate legumes: 1) high levels of endogenous auxin are correlated with increased numbers of nodules, 2) inoculation of roots reduces auxin loading from the shoot to the root, and 3) subsequent reduction of auxin levels in the root inhibits further nodule initiation.

Biological Transport↗

Some Physiological Characteristics of the Ethylene-requiring Tomato Mutant Diageotropica.

The diageotropica mutant of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is shown to require exogenous ethylene for normal growth and development. This single gene mutant is characterized by unsupported horizontal growth of shoots and roots, dark green hyponastic leaf segments, thin rigid stems, and primary and adventitious roots which lack lateral roots. Experiments with growth regulators indicate that the mutant does not produce normal amounts of ethylene in response to auxin treatment. Tests with ethylene-producing compounds or ethylene precursors demonstrate that the mutant requires ethylene for normality. Ethylene concentrations as low as 0.005 microliters per liter are capable of completely normalizing mutant characteristics. This mutant with its isogenic parent variety, cv. VFN8, should be a suitable tool for investigating auxin-stimulated ethylene production and their interrelationship in the control of plant morphology and physiology.

Journal Article↗

Polygalacturonase is a virulence factor in Agrobacterium tumefaciens biovar 3.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens biovar 3 causes both crown gall and root decay of grapes. All biovar 3 strains, regardless of their tumorigenicity, produce in culture a single polygalacturonase with a pI around 4.5. A. tumefaciens biovar 3 strain CG49 was mutagenized with Tn5 by using pSUP2021 as a suicide vector. A mutant strain, CG50, lacking polygalacturonase activity was isolated. The mutation was due to a single Tn5 insertion in an 8.5-kb EcoRI fragment that also contained the polygalacturonase structural gene. The polygalacturonase-encoding pehA gene was cloned in Escherichia coli by using the plasmid pBluescript as a vector. Activity-stained isoelectric focusing gel analysis demonstrated that E. coli cells harboring the pehA+ recombinant plasmid pCPP2067 produced a polygalacturonase in culture with the same pI as the enzyme produced by CG49. The pehA gene was localized within a 2.5-kb HindIII-SalI fragment. This fragment was used as a probe in Southern hybridization analysis and showed that no closely related genes are present in A. tumefaciens biovars 1 or 2, Rhizobium leguminosarum, or Bradyrhizobium japonicum. The polygalacturonase mutant was unable to induce root decay in grapes (Vitis vinifera cv. Chardonnay) and was substantially less tumorigenic than the wild type in grape stems when low levels of inoculum were used, although both strains were equally tumorigenic in potato disc assays. The results indicate that polygalacturonase is a virulence factor in both the root decay and crown gall incited in grapes by A. tumefaciens biovar 3.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

Gene expression of the NO3- transporter NRT1.1 and the nitrate reductase NIA1 is repressed in Arabidopsis roots by NO2-, the product of NO3- reduction.

NRT1.1 and NIA1 genes, which encode a nitrate (NO3-) transporter and the minor isoform of NO3- reductase (NR), respectively, are overexpressed in roots of NR-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis grown on nutrient solution containing NO3- and reduced N. The overexpression is found only in mutants with reduced NIA2 activity, and disruption of the NIA1 gene alone has no effect on NRT1.1 expression. Because the up-regulation of NRT1.1 and NIA1 is observed in N-sufficient NR mutant plants, it cannot be related to a release of the general feedback repression exerted by the N status of the plant. Our data do not support the hypothesis of overinduction of these genes by an increased concentration of NO3- in tissues. Furthermore, although a control by external pH might contribute to the regulation of NRT1.1, changes in external pH due to lack of NR activity cannot alone explain the up-regulation of both genes. The stimulation of NRT1.1 and NIA1 in NR mutants in these conditions suggests that NR activity is able to repress directly the expression of both genes independently of the availability of reduced N metabolites in wild-type plants. Accordingly, nitrite (NO2-) strongly represses NRT1.1 and NIA1 transcript accumulation in the roots. This effect is rapid, specific, and reversible. Furthermore, transport studies on plants exposed to NO2- show that down-regulation of the NRT1.1 gene is associated with a decrease in NO3- influx. These results indicate that feedback regulation of genes of NO3- assimilation relies not only on the repression exerted by reduced N metabolites, such as NH4+ or amino acids, but may also involve the action of NO2- as a regulatory signal.

Anion Transport Proteins↗