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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Lack of mycorrhizal autoregulation and phytohormonal changes in the supernodulating soybean mutant nts1007.

Autoregulatory mechanisms have been reported in the rhizobial and the mycorrhizal symbiosis. Autoregulation means that already existing nodules or an existing root colonization by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus systemically suppress subsequent nodule formation/root colonization in other parts of the root system. Mutants of some legumes lost their ability to autoregulate the nodule number and thus display a supernodulating phenotype. On studying the effect of pre-inoculation of one side of a split-root system with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on subsequent mycorrhization in the second side of the split-root system of a wild-type soybean (Glycine max L.) cv. Bragg and its supernodulating mutant nts1007, we observed a clear suppressional effect in the wild-type, whereas further root colonization in the split-root system of the mutant nts1007 was not suppressed. These data strongly indicate that the mechanisms involved in supernodulation also affect mycorrhization and support the hypothesis that the autoregulation in the rhizobial and the mycorrhizal symbiosis is controlled in a similar manner. The accumulation patterns of the plant hormones IAA, ABA and Jasmonic acid (JA) in non-inoculated control plants and split-root systems of inoculated plants with one mycorrhizal side of the split-root system and one non-mycorrhizal side, indicate an involvement of IAA in the autoregulation of mycorrhization. Mycorrhizal colonization of soybeans also resulted in a strong induction of ABA and JA levels, but on the basis of our data the role of these two phytohormones in mycorrhizal autoregulation is questionable.

Abscisic Acid↗

Root graviresponsiveness and cellular differentiation in wild-type and a starchless mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Primary roots of a starchless mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana L. are strongly graviresponsive despite lacking amyloplasts in their columella cells. The ultrastructures of calyptrogen and peripheral cells in wild-type as compared to mutant seedlings are not significantly different. The largest difference in cellular differentiation in caps of mutant and wild-type roots is the relative volume of plastids in columella cells. Plastids occupy 12.3% of the volume of columella cells in wild-type seedlings, but only 3.69% of columella cells in mutant seedlings. These results indicate that: (1) amyloplasts and starch are not necessary for root graviresponsiveness; (2) the increase in relative volume of plastids that usually accompanies differentiation of columella cells is not necessary for root graviresponsiveness; and (3) the absence of starch and amyloplasts does not affect the structure of calyptrogen (i.e. meristematic) and secretory (i.e. peripheral) cells in root caps. These results are discussed relative to proposed models for root gravitropism.

Arabidopsis↗

Physiological Characterization of a Single-Gene Mutant of Pisum sativum Exhibiting Excess Iron Accumulation: I. Root Iron Reduction and Iron Uptake.

Root systems of mutant (E107) and parental (cv ;Sparkle') Pisum sativum genotypes were studied to determine the basis for excess Fe accumulation in E107. Plants were grown with (+Fe-treated) or without (-Fe-treated) added Fe(III)-N,N'-ethylenebis[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)glycine] in aerated nutrient solutions. Daily measurements of Fe(III) reduction indicated a four-to seven-fold higher reduction rate in +Fe- or -Fe-treated E107, and -Fe-treated Sparkle, when compared with +Fe-treated Sparkle. An agarose-based staining technique used to localize Fe(III) reduction, revealed Fe(III) reduction over most of the length of the roots (but not at the root apices) in both E107 treatments and -Fe-treated Sparkle. In +Fe-treated Sparkle, Fe(III) reduction was either nonexistent or localized to central regions of the roots. Measurements of short-term Fe influx (with 0.1 millimolar (59)Fe(III)-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) was also enhanced (threefold) in +Fe- or -Fe-treated E107 and -Fe-treated Sparkle, relative to +Fe-treated Sparkle. The physiological characteristics of E107 root systems, which are similar to those seen in Fe-deficient Sparkle, have led us to conclude that the mutation causes E107 to act functionally as an Fe-deficient plant, and appears to explain the excess Fe accumulation in E107.

Journal Article↗

The HALTED ROOT gene encoding the 26S proteasome subunit RPT2a is essential for the maintenance of Arabidopsis meristems.

In higher plants, post-embryonic development is dependent on the activity of the root and shoot apical meristem (RAM and SAM). The quiescent center (QC) in the RAM and the organizing center (OC) in the SAM are known to be essential for the maintenance of meristematic activity. To understand the mechanism that maintains post-embryonic meristems, we isolated an Arabidopsis mutant, halted root (hlr). In this mutant, the cellular organization was disrupted in post-embryonic meristems both in the root and in the shoot, and their meristematic activity was reduced or became abnormal. We showed that the mutant RAM lost its QC identity after germination, which was specified during embryogenesis, whereas the identity of differentiated tissues was maintained. In the post-embryonic SAM, the expression pattern of a typical OC marker gene, WUSCHEL, was disturbed in the mutant. These observations indicate that the HLR gene is essential to maintain the cellular organization and normal nature of the RAM and SAM. The HLR gene encodes RPT2a, which is a subunit of the 26S proteasome that degrades key proteins in diverse cellular processes. We showed that the HLR gene was expressed both in the RAM and in the SAM, including in the QC and the OC, respectively, and that the activity of proteasomes were reduced in the mutant. We propose that proteasome-dependent programmed proteolysis is required to maintain the meristem integrity both in the shoot and in the root.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Twisted Sister1: an agravitropic mutant of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) with altered root and shoot architectures.

We identified a mutant of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) with impaired responses to gravity. The mutant, named Twisted Sister1 (TS1), had agravitropic roots that were often twisted along with altered shoot phenotypes. Roots of TS1 were insensitive to externally applied auxin, with the genetics and physiology suggestive of a mutated AUX/IAA transcription factor gene. Hexaploid wheat possesses over 80 AUX/IAA genes, and sequence information did not identify an obvious candidate. Bulked segregant analysis of an F2 population mapped the mutation to chromosome 5A, and subsequent mapping located the mutation to a 41 Mbp region. RNA-seq identified the TraesCS5A03G0149800 gene encoding a TaAUX/IAA protein to be mutated in the highly conserved domain II motif. We confirmed TraesCS5A03G0149800 as underlying the mutant phenotype by generating transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. Analysis of RNA-seq data suggested broad similarities between Arabidopsis and wheat for the role of AUX/IAA genes in gravity responses, although there were marked differences. Here we show that the sequenced wheat genome, along with previous knowledge of the physiology of gravity responses from other plant species, gene mapping, RNA-seq, and expression in Arabidopsis have enabled the cloning of a key wheat gene that defines plant architecture.

Triticum↗

Trichoderma mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling is involved in induction of plant systemic resistance.

The role of a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) TmkA in inducing systemic resistance in cucumber against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. lacrymans was investigated by using tmkA loss-of-function mutants of Trichoderma virens. In an assay where Trichoderma spores were germinated in proximity to cucumber roots, the mutants were able to colonize the plant roots as effectively as the wild-type strain but failed to induce full systemic resistance against the leaf pathogen. Interactions with the plant roots enhanced the level of tmkA transcript in T. virens and its homologue in Trichoderma asperellum. At the protein level, we could detect the activation of two forms reacting to the phospho-p44/42 MAPK antibody. Biocontrol experiments demonstrated that the tmkA mutants retain their biocontrol potential against Rhizoctonia solani in soil but are not effective against Sclerotium rolfsii in reducing disease incidence. Our results show that, unlike in many plant-pathogen interactions, Trichoderma TmkA MAPK is not involved in limited root colonization. Trichoderma, however, needs MAPK signaling in order to induce full systemic resistance in the plant.

Cucumis sativus↗

Shoot-to-Root Signal Transmission Regulates Root Fe(III) Reductase Activity in the dgl Mutant of Pea.

To understand the root, shoot, and Fe-nutritional factors that regulate root Fe-acquisition processes in dicotyledonous plants, Fe(III) reduction and net proton efflux were quantified in root systems of an Fe-hyperaccumulating mutant (dgl) and a parental (cv Dippes Gelbe Viktoria [DGV]) genotype of pea (Pisum sativum). Plants were grown with (+Fe treated) or without (-Fe treated) added Fe(III)-N,N'-ethylenebis[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-glycine] (2 [mu]M); root Fe(III) reduction was measured in solutions containing growth nutrients, 0.1 mM Fe(III)-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and 0.1 mM Na2-bathophenanthrolinedisulfonic acid. Daily measurements of Fe(III) reduction (d 10-20) revealed initially low rates in +Fe-treated and -Fe-treated dgl, followed by a nearly 5-fold stimulation in rates by d 15 for both growth types. In DGV, root Fe(III) reductase activity increased only minimally by d 20 in +Fe-treated plants and about 3-fold in -Fe-treated plants, beginning on d 15. Net proton efflux was enhanced in roots of -Fe-treated DGV and both dgl growth types, relative to +Fe-treated DGV. In dgl, the enhanced proton efflux occurred prior to the increase in root Fe(III) reductase activity. Reductase studies using plants with reciprocal shoot:root grafts demonstrated that shoot expression of the dgl gene leads to the generation of a transmissible signal that enhances Fe(III) reductase activity in roots. The dgl gene product may alter or interfere with a normal component of a signal transduction mechanism regulating Fe homeostasis in plants.

Journal Article↗

Altered exopolysaccharides of Bradyrhizobium japonicum mutants correlate with impaired soybean lectin binding, but not with effective nodule formation.

The exact mechanism(s) of infection and symbiotic development between rhizobia and legumes is not yet known, but changes in rhizobial exopolysaccharides (EPSs) affect both infection and nodule development of the legume host. Early events in the symbiotic process between Bradyrhizobium japonicum and soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) were studied using two mutants, defective in soybean lectin (SBL) binding, which had been generated from B. japonicum 2143 (USDA 3I-1b-143 derivative) by Tn5 mutagenesis. In addition to their SBL-binding deficiency, these mutants produced less EPS than the parental strain. The composition of EPS varied with the genotype and with the carbon source used for growth. When grown on arabinose, gluconate, or mannitol, the wild-type parental strain, B. japonicum 2143, produced EPS typical of DNA homology group I Bradyrhizobium, designated EPS I. When grown on malate, strain 2143 produced a different EPS composed only of galactose and its acetylated derivative and designated EPS II. Mutant 1252 produced EPS II when grown on arabinose or malate, but when grown on gluconate or mannitol, mutant 1252 produced a different EPS comprised of glucose, galactose, xylose and glucuronic acid (1:5:1:1) and designated EPS III. Mutant 1251, grown on any of these carbon sources, produced EPS III. The EPS of strain 2143 and mutant 1252 contained SBL-binding polysaccharide. The amount of the SBL-binding polysaccharide produced by mutant 1252 varied with the carbon source used for growth. The capsular polysaccharide (CPS) produced by strain 2143 during growth on arabinose, gluconate or mannitol, showed a high level of SBL binding, whereas CPS produced during growth of strain 2143 on malate showed a low level of SBL binding. However, the change in EPS composition and SBL binding of strain 2143 grown on malate did not affect the wild-type nodulation and nitrogen fixation phenotype of 2143. Mutant 1251, which produced EPS III, nodulated 2 d later than parental strain 2143, but formed effective, nitrogen-fixing tap root nodules. Mutant 1252, which produced either EPS II or III, however nodulated 5-6 d later and formed few and ineffective tap root nodules. Restoration of EPS I production in mutant 1252 correlated with restored SBL binding, but not with wild-type nodulation and nitrogen fixation.

Arabinose↗

Attachment to roots and virulence of a chvB mutant of Agrobacterium tumefaciens are temperature sensitive.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens chvB mutants are unable to produce beta-1,2 glucan. They are nonattaching and avirulent and show reduced motility at room temperature. At lower temperatures (16 degrees C), chvB mutants became virulent on Bryophyllum daigremontiana and Lycopersicon esculentum and were able to attach to L. esculentum, Arabidopsis thaliana, Daucus carota, and Tagetes erecta roots. The mutant bacteria also recovered wild-type motility at lower temperatures. Two other nonattaching mutants of A. tumefaciens, AttR and AtrA, were unaffected by the lowered temperature, remaining nonattaching and avirulent.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

Al Inhibits Both Shoot Development and Root Growth in als3, an Al-Sensitive Arabidopsis Mutant.

In als3, an Al-sensitive Arabidopsis mutant, shoot development and root growth are sensitive to Al. Mutant als3 seedlings grown in an Al-containing medium exhibit severely inhibited leaf expansion and root growth. In the presence of Al, unexpanded leaves accumulate callose, an indicator of Al damage in roots. The possibility that the inhibition of shoot development in als3 is due to the hyperaccumulation of Al in this tissue was examined. However, it was found that the levels of Al that accumulated in shoots of als3 are not different from the wild type. The inhibition of shoot development in als3 is not a consequence of nonspecific damage to roots, because other metals (e.g. LaCl3 or CuSO4) that strongly inhibit root growth did not block shoot development in als3 seedlings. Al did not block leaf development in excised als3 shoots grown in an Al-containing medium, demonstrating that the Al-induced damage in als3 shoots was dependent on the presence of roots. This suggests that Al inhibition of als3 shoot development may be a delocalized response to Al-induced stresses in roots following Al exposure.

Journal Article↗

The axr4 auxin-resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana define a gene important for root gravitropism and lateral root initiation.

To understand the molecular mechanism of auxin action, mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with altered responses to auxin have been identified and characterized. Here the isolation of two auxin-resistant mutants that define a new locus involved in auxin response, named AXR4, is reported. The axr4 mutations are recessive and map near the ch1 mutation on chromosome 1. Mutant plants are specifically resistant to auxin and defective in root gravitropism. Double mutants between axr4 and the recessive auxin-resistant mutants axr1-3 and aux1-7 were characterized to ascertain possible genetic interactions between the mutations. The roots of the axr4 axr1-3 double mutant plants are less sensitive to auxin, respond more slowly to gravity, and form fewer lateral roots than either parental single mutant. These results suggest that the two mutations have additive or even synergistic effects. The AXR1 and AXR4 gene products may therefore act in separate pathways of auxin response or perhaps perform partially redundant functions in a single pathway. The axr4 aux1-7 double mutant has the same sensitivity to auxin as the aux1-7 mutant but forms far fewer lateral roots than either parental single mutant. The aux1-7 mutation thus appears to be epistatic to axr4 with respect to auxin-resistant root elongation, whereas in lateral root formation, the effects of the two mutations are additive. The complexity of the genetic interactions indicated by these results may reflect differences in the mechanism of auxin action during root elongation and the formation of lateral roots. The AXR4 gene product, along with those of the AXR1 and AUX1 genes, is important for normal auxin sensitivity, gravitropic response in roots and lateral root formation.

Arabidopsis↗

Organellar gene transcription and early seedling development are affected in the rpoT;2 mutant of Arabidopsis.

An Arabidopsis mutant that exhibited reduced root length was isolated from a population of activation-tagged T-DNA insertion lines in a screen for aberrant root growth. This mutant also exhibited reduced hypocotyl length as well as a delay in greening and altered leaf shape. Molecular genetic analysis of the mutant indicated a single T-DNA insertion in the gene RpoT;2 encoding a homolog of the phage-type RNA polymerase (RNAP), that is targeted to both mitochondria and plastids. A second T-DNA-tagged allele also showed a similar phenotype. The mutation in RpoT;2 affected the light-induced accumulation of several plastid mRNAs and proteins and resulted in a lower photosynthetic efficiency. In contrast to the alterations in the plastid gene expression, no major effect of the rpoT;2 mutation on the accumulation of examined mitochondrial gene transcripts and proteins was observed. The rpoT;2 mutant exhibited tissue-specific alterations in the transcript levels of two other organelle-directed nuclear-encoded RNAPs, RpoT;1 and RpoT;3. This suggests the existence of cross-talk between the regulatory pathways of the three RNAPs through organelle to nucleus communication. These data provide an important information on a role of RpoT;2 in plastid gene expression and early plant development.

Arabidopsis↗

Roles of the 35S promoter and multiple overlapping domains in the pathogenicity of the pararetrovirus cauliflower mosaic virus.

Elements associated with the 35S promoter involved in generating the pregenomic RNA (35S RNA) of the pararetrovirus cauliflower mosaic virus have been extensively studied in heterologous systems, but little is known about their role in viral pathogenicity. To investigate these elements, premature termination codons were progressively inserted into the 3' end of the adjacent gene VI to dissect it from colinear 35S enhancer sequences. The ability to cause a systemic infection in plants was retained with loss of up to 40 amino acids from the gene VI polypeptide, but truncations into a putative zinc finger proved lethal. In the 35S promoter, removal of the TATA box also abolished infectivity. However, upstream deletions encompassing the 35S enhancer showed that the sequence between -207 and -56 from the cap site comprised nonessential elements, although complete removal of this fragment caused loss of infectivity even when domain spacing was restored by linker insertion. Two separate enhancer domains (-207 to - 150 and -95 to -56) were identified, of which either one or the other, but not both, was required for infectivity. Some mutations affected the cellular levels of viral RNAs in unexpected ways, as with removal of the as-1 enhancer element causing an increase in 35S RNA. Others altered the relative abundance of nuclear and cytoplasmic viral DNAs. Mutations in promoter domains thought to be involved in regulating tissue-specific expression did not significantly affect virus accumulation in leaves versus roots, whereas gene VI mutants showed reduced root accumulation. We conclude that elements associated with the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter contain extensive nonessential regions that can behave differently in their proper context than as isolated elements.

Base Sequence↗

Role of a phenazine antibiotic from Pseudomonas fluorescens in biological control of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici.

Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 (NRRL B-15132) and its rifampin-resistant derivative 2-79RN10 are suppressive to take-all, a major root disease of wheat caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. Strain 2-79 produces the antibiotic phenazine-1-carboxylate, which is active in vitro against G. graminis var. tritici and other fungal root pathogens. Mutants defective in phenazine synthesis (Phz-) were generated by Tn5 insertion and then compared with the parental strain to determine the importance of the antibiotic in take-all suppression on wheat roots. Six independent, prototrophic Phz- mutants were noninhibitory to G. graminis var. tritici in vitro and provided significantly less control of take-all than strain 2-79 on wheat seedlings. Antibiotic synthesis, fungal inhibition in vitro, and suppression of take-all on wheat were coordinately restored in two mutants complemented with cloned DNA from a 2-79 genomic library. These mutants contained Tn5 insertions in adjacent EcoRI fragments in the 2-79 genome, and the restriction maps of the region flanking the insertions and the complementary DNA were colinear. These results indicate that sequences required for phenazine production were present in the cloned DNA and support the importance of the phenazine antibiotic in disease suppression in the rhizosphere.

Antifungal Agents↗

ACTIN2 is essential for bulge site selection and tip growth during root hair development of Arabidopsis.

Root hairs develop as long extensions from root epidermal cells. After the formation of an initial bulge at the distal end of the epidermal cell, the root hair structure elongates by tip growth. Because root hairs are not surrounded by other cells, root hair formation provides an excellent system for studying the highly complex process of plant cell growth. Pharmacological experiments with actin filament-interfering drugs have provided evidence that the actin cytoskeleton is an important factor in the establishment of cell polarity and in the maintenance of the tip growth machinery at the apex of the growing root hair. However, there has been no genetic evidence to directly support this assumption. We have isolated an Arabidopsis mutant, deformed root hairs 1 (der1), that is impaired in root hair development. The DER1 locus was cloned by map-based cloning and encodes ACTIN2 (ACT2), a major actin of the vegetative tissue. The three der1 alleles develop the mutant phenotype to different degrees and are all missense mutations, thus providing the means to study the effect of partially functional ACT2. The detailed characterization of the der1 phenotypes revealed that ACT2 is not only involved in root hair tip growth, but is also required for correct selection of the bulge site on the epidermal cell. Thus, the der1 mutants are useful tools to better understand the function of the actin cytoskeleton in the process of root hair formation.

Actins↗

Interaction between two auxin-resistant mutants and their effects on lateral root formation in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Since root elongation is very sensitive to auxin, screening for reduced inhibition in root elongation has been an important method for the detection of auxin-resistant mutants. Two recessive auxin-resistant lines of rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica cv. IR8), arm1 and arm2, have been isolated by screening for resistance to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). arm1 displays a variety of morphological defects including reduced lateral root formation, increased seminal root elongation, reduced root diameter, and impaired xylem development in roots, while the arm2 phenotype is almost similar to wild-type IR8 except for a slightly reduced lateral root formation, impaired xylem development in roots and an enhanced plant height. Although the growth of arm2 roots exhibited a resistance to 2,4-D, it was sensitive to 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) as the wild type. At the same time, the arm2 roots showed a reduced [14C]2,4-D uptake while uptake of [3H]NAA was normal, suggesting that the resistance to 2,4-D of arm2 roots is due to a defect in 2,4-D uptake. To investigate the possible interaction between arm1 and arm2 genes, a double mutant has been constructed. The roots of arm1 arm2 double mutant were more resistant to 2,4-D and formed fewer lateral roots than those of either single mutant, suggesting that the two genes show synergistic effects with respect to both auxin response and lateral root formation. By contrast, all these mutants displayed the normal gravitropic response in roots, as did the wild-type plants. Taken together, Arm1 and Arm2 genes seem to function in different processes in the auxin-response pathways leading to lateral root formation.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗

Plastid translation is required for the expression of nuclear photosynthesis genes in the dark and in roots of the pea lip1 mutant

The expression of nuclear photosynthesis genes in pea seedlings requires both light and a postulated signal produced by developing plastids. The requirement for the plastid signal for the accumulation of transcripts of Lhcb1, RbcS, PetE, and AtpC genes was investigated in the pea mutant lip1, which shows light-independent photomorphogenic development. Lincomycin and erythromycin, inhibitors of plastid translation, decreased the accumulation of transcripts of nuclear photosynthesis genes in shoots of light-grown wild-type and lip1 seedlings, indicating that the plastid signal is required in the lip1 mutant. Treatment with lincomycin or erythromycin also reduced the accumulation of transcripts in shoots of dark-grown lip1 seedlings, indicating that light is not an obligate requirement for the synthesis or activity of the plastid signal. Lincomycin had a similar effect on the accumulation of Lhcb1 transcripts in dark-grown cop1-4 seedlings of Arabidopsis. Accumulation of transcripts of nuclear photosynthesis genes was also observed in roots of light-grown lip1 seedlings, and this accumulation, which was associated with the development of chloroplasts, was again dependent on plastid translation. The plastid signal therefore regulates the expression of nuclear photosynthesis genes in the dark and in roots of the lip1 mutant.

Journal Article↗

Comparison of growth, exogenous auxin sensitivity, and endogenous indole-3-acetic acid content in roots of Hordeum vulgare L. and an agravitropic mutant.

The chemically induced barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mutation, agr, was found to be a simple recessive trait resulting in agravitropic roots and normal gravitropic shoots. The total seedling root growth was similar for mutant and wild-type roots, although the mutant had fewer roots per seed and greater elongation per root. Although the concentration of exogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) required to reduce root growth by 50% (GR50) was 12 times greater for the agravitropic mutant, agravitropic and gravitropic roots were equally sensitive to exogenous applications of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Root IAA contents, determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), were not different for gravitropes and agravitropes. The greater root elongation rates, lack of sensitivity to exogenous IAA, and normal endogenous IAA levels indicate that auxin-controlled growth regulation may be altered in the mutant.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗