Type 2C protein phosphatases directly regulate abscisic acid-activated protein kinases in Arabidopsis

The Pepper Lipoxygenase CaLOX1 Plays a Role in Osmotic, Drought and High Salinity Stress Response

In plants, lipoxygenases (LOXs) are involved in various physiological processes, including defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Our previous study had shown that the pepper 9-LOX gene, CaLOX1, plays a crucial role in cell death due to pathogen infection. Here, the function of CaLOX1 in response to osmotic, drought and high salinity stress was examined using CaLOX1-overexpressing (CaLOX1-OX) Arabidopsis plants. Changes in the temporal expression pattern of the CaLOX1 gene were observed when pepper leaves were treated with drought and high salinity, but not when treated with ABA, the primary hormone in response to drought stress. During seed germination and seedling development, CaLOX1-OX plants were more tolerant to ABA, mannitol and high salinity than wild-type plants. In contrast, expression of the ABA-responsive marker genes RAB18 and RD29B was higher in CaLOX1-OX Arabidopsis plants than in wild-type plants. In response to high salinity, CaLOX1-OX plants exhibited enhanced tolerance, compared with the wild type, which was accompanied by decreased accumulation of H2O2 and high levels of RD20, RD29A, RD29B and P5CS gene expression. Similarly, CaLOX1-OX plants were also more tolerant than wild-type plants to severe drought stress. H2O2 production and the relative increase in lipid peroxidation were lower, and the expression of COR15A, DREB2A, RD20, RD29A and RD29B was higher in CaLOX1-OX plants, relative to wild-type plants. Taken together, our results indicate that CaLOX1 plays a crucial role in plant stress responses by modulating the expression of ABA- and stress-responsive marker genes, lipid peroxidation and H2O2 production.

ABA inducible rice protein phosphatase 2C confers ABA insensitivity and abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis PP2C belonging to group A have been extensively worked out and known to negatively regulate ABA signaling. However, rice (Oryza sativa) orthologs of Arabidopsis group A PP2C are scarcely characterized functionally. We have identified a group A PP2C from rice (OsPP108), which is highly inducible under ABA, salt and drought stresses and localized predominantly in the nucleus. Genetic analysis revealed that Arabidopsis plants overexpressing OsPP108 are highly insensitive to ABA and tolerant to high salt and mannitol stresses during seed germination, root growth and overall seedling growth. At adult stage, OsPP108 overexpression leads to high tolerance to salt, mannitol and drought stresses with far better physiological parameters such as water loss, fresh weight, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic potential (Fv/Fm) in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Expression profile of various stress marker genes in OsPP108 overexpressing plants revealed interplay of ABA dependent and independent pathway for abiotic stress tolerance. Overall, this study has identified a potential rice group A PP2C, which regulates ABA signaling negatively and abiotic stress signaling positively. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing this gene might provide an answer to the problem of low crop yield and productivity during adverse environmental conditions.

OST1 kinase modulates freezing tolerance by enhancing ICE1 stability in Arabidopsis

Cold stress is a major environmental factor that limits plant growth and development. The C-repeat-binding factor (CBF)-dependent cold signaling pathway is extensively studied in Arabidopsis; however, the specific protein kinases involved in this pathway remain elusive. Here we report that OST1 (open stomata 1), a well-known Ser/Thr protein kinase in ABA signaling, acts upstream of CBFs to positively regulate freezing tolerance. The ost1 mutants show freezing hypersensitivity, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing OST1 exhibit enhanced freezing tolerance. The OST1 kinase is activated by cold stress. Moreover, OST1 interacts with both the transcription factor ICE1 and the E3 ligase HOS1 in the CBF pathway. Cold-activated OST1 phosphorylates ICE1 and enhances its stability and transcriptional activity. Meanwhile, OST1 interferes with the interaction between HOS1 and ICE1, thus suppressing HOS1-mediated ICE1 degradation under cold stress. Our results thus uncover the unexpected roles of OST1 in modulating CBF-dependent cold signaling in Arabidopsis.

Identification and characterization of an ABA-activated MAP kinase cascade in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a major phytohormone involved in important stress-related and developmental plant processes. Recent phosphoproteomic analyses revealed a large set of ABA-triggered phosphoproteins as putative mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) targets, although the evidence for MAPKs involved in ABA signalling is still scarce. Here, we identified and reconstituted in vivo a complete ABA-activated MAPK cascade, composed of the MAP3Ks MAP3K17/18, the MAP2K MKK3 and the four C group MAPKs MPK1/2/7/14. In planta, we show that ABA activation of MPK7 is blocked in mkk3-1 and map3k17mapk3k18 plants. Coherently, both mutants exhibit hypersensitivity to ABA and altered expression of a set of ABA-dependent genes. A genetic analysis further reveals that this MAPK cascade is activated by the PYR/PYL/RCAR-SnRK2-PP2C ABA core signalling module through protein synthesis of the MAP3Ks, unveiling an atypical mechanism for MAPK activation in eukaryotes. Our work provides evidence for a role of an ABA-induced MAPK pathway in plant stress signalling.

The ABA-deficiency suppressor locus HAS2 encodes the PPR protein LOI1/MEF11 involved in mitochondrial RNA editing

The hot ABA-deficiency suppressor2 (has2) mutation increases drought tolerance and the ABA sensitivity of stomata closure and seed germination. Here we report that the HAS2 locus encodes the mitochondrial editing factor11 (MEF11), also known as lovastatin insensitive1. has2/mef11 mutants exhibited phenotypes very similar to the ABA-hypersensitive mutant, hai1-1 pp2ca-1 hab1-1 abi1-2, which is impaired in four genes encoding type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2C) that act as upstream negative regulators of the ABA signaling cascade. Like pp2c, mef11 plants were more resistant to progressive water stress and seed germination was more sensitive to paclobutrazol (a gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor) as well as mannitol and NaCl, compared with the wild-type plants. Phenotypic alterations in mef11 were associated with the lack of editing of transcripts for the mitochondrial cytochrome c maturation FN2 (ccmFN2) gene, which encodes a cytochrome c-heme lyase subunit involved in cytochrome c biogenesis. Although the abundance of electron transfer chain complexes was not affected, their dysfunction could be deduced from increased respiration and altered production of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide in mef11 seeds. As minor defects in mitochondrial respiration affect ABA signaling, this suggests an essential role for ABA in mitochondrial retrograde regulation.

Two distinct families of protein kinases are required for plant growth under high external Mg2+ concentrations in Arabidopsis

Protein phosphorylation events play key roles in maintaining cellular ion homeostasis in higher plants, and the regulatory roles of these events in Na(+) and K(+) transport have been studied extensively. However, the regulatory mechanisms governing Mg(2+) transport and homeostasis in higher plants remain poorly understood, despite the vital roles of Mg(2+) in cellular function. A member of subclass III sucrose nonfermenting-1-related protein kinase2 (SnRK2), SRK2D/SnRK2.2, functions as a key positive regulator of abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated signaling in response to water deficit stresses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we used immunoprecipitation coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses to identify Calcineurin B-like-interacting protein kinase26 (CIPK26) as a novel protein that physically interacts with SRK2D. In addition to CIPK26, three additional CIPKs (CIPK3, CIPK9, and CIPK23) can physically interact with SRK2D in planta. The srk2d/e/i triple mutant lacking all three members of subclass III SnRK2 and the cipk26/3/9/23 quadruple mutant lacking CIPK26, CIPK3, CIPK9, and CIPK23 showed reduced shoot growth under high external Mg(2+) concentrations. Similarly, several ABA biosynthesis-deficient mutants, including aba2-1, were susceptible to high external Mg(2+) concentrations. Taken together, our findings provided genetic evidence that SRK2D/E/I and CIPK26/3/9/23 are required for plant growth under high external Mg(2+) concentrations in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, we showed that ABA, a key molecule in water deficit stress signaling, also serves as a signaling molecule in plant growth under high external Mg(2+) concentrations. These results suggested that SRK2D/E/I- and CIPK26/3/9/23-mediated phosphorylation signaling pathways maintain cellular Mg(2+) homeostasis.

Targeting proteins for proteasomal degradation-a new function of Arabidopsis ABI1 protein phosphatase 2C

The ubiquitin/26S proteasome system (UPS) has been implicated in the regulation of many physiological processes including hormone signaling. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) employs the UPS to control its own synthesis and signaling and to regulate stress response and tolerance. Among the known effectors of ABA signaling, the ABI1 (abscisic acid-insensitive 1) protein phosphatase, which belongs to group A of the type 2C protein phosphatases, is recognized as a key component of the pathway. Molecular and genetic evidence implicates this protein phosphatase in numerous plant responses. This mini-review discusses recent progress in understanding the role of ABI1 in ABA signaling, with particular emphasis on recent data that link ABI1 to protein degradation via the UPS.

Physiological and transcriptional memory in guard cells during repetitive dehydration stress

Arabidopsis plants subjected to a daily dehydration stress and watered recovery cycle display physiological and transcriptional stress memory. Previously stressed plants have stomatal apertures that remain partially closed during a watered recovery period, facilitating reduced transpiration during a subsequent dehydration stress. Guard cells (GCs) display transcriptional memory that is similar to that in leaf tissues for some genes, but display GC-specific transcriptional memory for other genes. The rate-limiting abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic genes NINE-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 3 (NCED3) and ALDEHYDE OXIDASE 3 (AAO3) are expressed at much higher levels in GCs, particularly during the watered recovery interval, relative to their low levels in leaves. A genetic analysis using mutants in the ABA signaling pathway indicated that GC stomatal memory is ABA-dependent, and that ABA-dependent SNF1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE 2.2 (SnRK2.2), SnRK2.3 and SnRK2.6 have distinguishable roles in the process. SnRK2.6 is more important for overall stomatal control, while SnRK2.2 and SnRK2.3 are more important for implementing GC stress memory in the subsequent dehydration response. Collectively, our results support a model of altered ABA production in GCs that maintains a partially closed stomatal aperture during an overnight watered recovery period.

The Arabidopsis a zinc finger domain protein ARS1 is essential for seed germination and ROS homeostasis in response to ABA and oxidative stress

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) induces accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can disrupt seed dormancy and plant development. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant called ars1 (aba and ros sensitive 1) that showed hypersensitivity to ABA during seed germination and to methyl viologen (MV) at the seedling stage. ARS1 encodes a nuclear protein with one zinc finger domain, two nuclear localization signal (NLS) domains, and one nuclear export signal (NES). The ars1 mutants showed reduced expression of a gene for superoxide dismutase (CSD3) and enhanced accumulation of ROS after ABA treatment. Transient expression of ARS1 in Arabidopsis protoplasts strongly suppressed ABA-mediated ROS production. Interestingly, nuclear-localized ARS1 translocated to the cytoplasm in response to treatment with ABA, H2O2, or MV. Taken together, these results suggest that ARS1 modulates seed germination and ROS homeostasis in response to ABA and oxidative stress in plants.

The roles of ROS and ABA in systemic acquired acclimation

Systemic responses to environmental stimuli are essential for the survival of multicellular organisms. In plants, they are initiated in response to many different signals including pathogens, wounding, and abiotic stresses. Recent studies highlighted the importance of systemic acquired acclimation to abiotic stresses in plants and identified several different signals involved in this response. These included reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium waves, hydraulic waves, electric signals, and abscisic acid (ABA). Here, we address the interactions between ROS and ABA at the local and systemic tissues of plants subjected to abiotic stress and attempt to propose a model for the involvement of ROS, ABA, and stomata in systemic signaling leading to systemic acquired acclimation.

Functional characterization and reconstitution of ABA signaling components using transient gene expression in rice protoplasts

The core components of ABA-dependent gene expression signaling have been identified in Arabidopsis and rice. This signaling pathway consists of four major components; group A OsbZIPs, SAPKs, subclass A OsPP2Cs and OsPYL/RCARs in rice. These might be able to make thousands of combinations through interaction networks resulting in diverse signaling responses. We tried to characterize those gene functions using transient gene expression for rice protoplasts (TGERP) because it is instantaneous and convenient system. Firstly, in order to monitor the ABA signaling output, we developed reporter system named pRab16A-fLUC which consists of Rab16A promoter of rice and luciferase gene. It responses more rapidly and sensitively to ABA than pABRC3-fLUC that consists of ABRC3 of HVA1 promoter in TGERP. We screened the reporter responses for over-expression of each signaling components from group A OsbZIPs to OsPYL/RCARs with or without ABA in TGERP. OsbZIP46 induced reporter most strongly among OsbZIPs tested in the presence of ABA. SAPKs could activate the OsbZIP46 even in the ABA independence. Subclass A OsPP2C6 and -8 almost completely inhibited the OsbZIP46 activity in the different degree through the SAPK9. Lastly, OsPYL/RCAR2 and -5 rescued the OsbZIP46 activity in the presence of SAPK9 and OsPP2C6 dependent on ABA concentration and expression level. By using TGERP, we could characterize successfully the effects of ABA dependent gene expression signaling components in rice. In conclusion, TGERP represents very useful technology to study systemic functional genomics in rice or other monocots.

Structural basis and functions of abscisic acid receptors PYLs

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a key role in many developmental processes and responses to adaptive stresses in plants. Recently, a new family of nucleocytoplasmic PYR/PYL/RCAR (PYLs) has been identified as bona fide ABA receptors. PYLs together with protein phosphatases type-2C (PP2Cs), Snf1 (Sucrose-non-fermentation 1)-related kinases subfamily 2 (SnRK2s) and downstream substrates constitute the core ABA signaling network. Generally, PP2Cs inactivate SnRK2s kinases by physical interaction and direct dephosphorylation. Upon ABA binding, PYLs change their conformations and then contact and inhibit PP2Cs, thus activating SnRK2s. Here, we reviewed the recent progress in research regarding the structures of the core signaling pathways of ABA, including the (+)-ABA, (-)-ABA and ABA analogs pyrabactin as well as 6AS perception by PYLs, SnRK2s mimicking PYLs in binding PP2Cs. PYLs inhibited PP2Cs in both the presence and absence of ABA and activated SnRK2s. The present review elucidates multiple ABA signal perception and transduction by PYLs, which might shed light on how to design small chemical compounds for improving plant performance in the future.

The single-subunit RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase RSL1 targets PYL4 and PYR1 ABA receptors in plasma membrane to modulate abscisic acid signaling

Membrane-delimited events play a crucial role for ABA signaling and PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors, clade A PP2Cs and SnRK2/CPK kinases modulate the activity of different plasma membrane components involved in ABA action. Therefore, the turnover of PYR/PYL/RCARs in the proximity of plasma membrane might be a step that affects receptor function and downstream signaling. In this study we describe a single-subunit RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase RSL1 that interacts with the PYL4 and PYR1 ABA receptors at the plasma membrane. Overexpression of RSL1 reduces ABA sensitivity and rsl1 RNAi lines that impair expression of several members of the RSL1/RFA gene family show enhanced sensitivity to ABA. RSL1 bears a C-terminal transmembrane domain that targets the E3 ligase to plasma membrane. Accordingly, bimolecular fluorescent complementation (BiFC) studies showed the RSL1-PYL4 and RSL1-PYR1 interaction is localized to plasma membrane. RSL1 promoted PYL4 and PYR1 degradation in vivo and mediated in vitro ubiquitylation of the receptors. Taken together, these results suggest ubiquitylation of ABA receptors at plasma membrane is a process that might affect their function via effect on their half-life, protein interactions or trafficking.

Hydrogen sulfide generated by L-cysteine desulfhydrase acts upstream of nitric oxide to modulate abscisic acid-dependent stomatal closure

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a well-studied regulator of stomatal movement. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a small signaling gas molecule involved in key physiological processes in mammals, has been recently reported as a new component of the ABA signaling network in stomatal guard cells. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), H2S is enzymatically produced in the cytosol through the activity of l-cysteine desulfhydrase (DES1). In this work, we used DES1 knockout Arabidopsis mutant plants (des1) to study the participation of DES1 in the cross talk between H2S and nitric oxide (NO) in the ABA-dependent signaling network in guard cells. The results show that ABA did not close the stomata in isolated epidermal strips of des1 mutants, an effect that was restored by the application of exogenous H2S. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that ABA induces DES1 expression in guard cell-enriched RNA extracts from wild-type Arabidopsis plants. Furthermore, stomata from isolated epidermal strips of Arabidopsis ABA receptor mutant pyrabactin-resistant1 (pyr1)/pyrabactin-like1 (pyl1)/pyl2/pyl4 close in response to exogenous H2S, suggesting that this gasotransmitter is acting downstream, although acting independently of the ABA receptor cannot be ruled out with this data. However, the Arabidopsis clade-A PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE2C mutant abscisic acid-insensitive1 (abi1-1) does not close the stomata when epidermal strips were treated with H2S, suggesting that H2S required a functional ABI1. Further studies to unravel the cross talk between H2S and NO indicate that (1) H2S promotes NO production, (2) DES1 is required for ABA-dependent NO production, and (3) NO is downstream of H2S in ABA-induced stomatal closure. Altogether, data indicate that DES1 is a unique component of ABA signaling in guard cells.

RNA sequencing reveals high resolution expression change of major plant hormone pathway genes after young seedless grape berries treated with gibberellin

Seedless varieties are of particular importance to the table-grape and raisin industries. Gibberellin (GA) application is widely used in the early stages of seedless berry development to increase berry size and economic value. However, the underlying mechanism of GA induction of berry enlargement is not well understood. Here, RNA-sequencing analysis of 'Centennial Seedless' (Vitis vinifera L.) berries treated with GA3 12 days after flowering is reported. Pair-wise comparison of GA3-treated and control samples detected 165, 444, 463 genes with an over two-fold change in expression 1, 3, and 7 days after GA3 treatment, respectively. The number of differentially expressed genes increased with time after GA3 treatment, and the differential expression was dominated by downregulation. Significantly modulated expression included genes encoding synthesis and catabolism to manage plant hormone homeostasis, hormone transporters, receptors and key components in signaling pathways; exogenous GA3 induced multipoint cross talk with auxin, cytokinin, brassinosteroid, ABA and ethylene. The temporal gene-expression patterns of cell-wall-modification enzymes, cytoskeleton and membrane components and transporters revealed a pivotal role for cell-wall-relaxation genes in GA3-induced berry enlargement. Our results provide the first sequential transcriptomic atlas of exogenous GA3-induced berry enlargement and reveal the complexity of GA3's effect on berry sizing.

Seed-specific expression of a feedback-insensitive form of CYSTATHIONINE-γ-SYNTHASE in Arabidopsis stimulates metabolic and transcriptomic responses associated with desiccation stress

With an aim to elucidate novel metabolic and transcriptional interactions associated with methionine (Met) metabolism in seeds, we have produced transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seeds expressing a feedback-insensitive form of CYSTATHIONINE-γ-SYNTHASE, a key enzyme of Met synthesis. Metabolic profiling of these seeds revealed that, in addition to higher levels of Met, the levels of many other amino acids were elevated. The most pronounced changes were the higher levels of stress-related amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, valine, and proline), sugars, intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and polyamines and lower levels of polyols, cysteine, and glutathione. These changes reflect stress responses and an altered mitochondrial energy metabolism. The transgenic seeds also had higher contents of total proteins and starch but lower water contents. In accordance with the metabolic profiles, microarray analysis identified a strong induction of genes involved in defense mechanisms against osmotic and drought conditions, including those mediated by the signaling cascades of ethylene and abscisic acid. These changes imply that stronger desiccation processes occur during seed development. The expression levels of transcripts controlling the levels of Met, sugars, and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites were also significantly elevated. Germination assays showed that the transgenic seeds had higher germination rates under salt and osmotic stresses and in the presence of ethylene substrate and abscisic acid. However, under oxidative conditions, the transgenic seeds displayed much lower germination rates. Altogether, the data provide new insights on the factors regulating Met metabolism in Arabidopsis seeds and on the mechanisms by which elevated Met levels affect seed composition and behavior.

Reduced Dormancy5 encodes a protein phosphatase 2C that is required for seed dormancy in Arabidopsis

Seed dormancy determines germination timing and contributes to crop production and the adaptation of natural populations to their environment. Our knowledge about its regulation is limited. In a mutagenesis screen of a highly dormant Arabidopsis thaliana line, the reduced dormancy5 (rdo5) mutant was isolated based on its strongly reduced seed dormancy. Cloning of RDO5 showed that it encodes a PP2C phosphatase. Several PP2C phosphatases belonging to clade A are involved in abscisic acid signaling and control seed dormancy. However, RDO5 does not cluster with clade A phosphatases, and abscisic acid levels and sensitivity are unaltered in the rdo5 mutant. RDO5 transcript could only be detected in seeds and was most abundant in dry seeds. RDO5 was found in cells throughout the embryo and is located in the nucleus. A transcriptome analysis revealed that several genes belonging to the conserved PUF family of RNA binding proteins, in particular Arabidopsis PUMILIO9 (APUM9) and APUM11, showed strongly enhanced transcript levels in rdo5 during seed imbibition. Further transgenic analyses indicated that APUM9 reduces seed dormancy. Interestingly, reduction of APUM transcripts by RNA interference complemented the reduced dormancy phenotype of rdo5, indicating that RDO5 functions by suppressing APUM transcript levels.

Arabidopsis RAV1 transcription factor, phosphorylated by SnRK2 kinases, regulates the expression of ABI3, ABI4, and ABI5 during seed germination and early seedling development

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) modulates a number of processes during plant growth and development. In this study, the molecular mechanism of Arabidopsis RAV (Related to ABI3/VP1) transcription factor RAV1 involving ABA signaling was investigated. RAV1-underexpressing lines were more sensitive to ABA than wild-type plants during seed germination and early seedling development, whereas RAV1-overexpressing lines showed strong ABA-insensitive phenotypes. Overexpression of RAV1 repressed ABI3, ABI4, and ABI5 expression, and RAV1 bound to the ABI3, ABI4, and ABI5 promoters in vitro and in vivo, indicating that RAV1 directly down-regulates the expression of ABI3, ABI4, and ABI5. The interruption of ABI5 function in RAV1-U abi5 plants abolished the ABA-hypersensitive phenotype of RAV1-U plants, demonstrating that ABI5 is epistatic to RAV1. RAV1 interacted with SNF1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE SnRK2.2, SnRK2.3 and SnRK2.6 in the nucleus. In vitro kinase assays showed that SnRK2.2, SnRK2.3 and SnRK2.6 phosphorylated RAV1. Transient expression assays revealed that SnRK2.2, SnRK2.3 and SnRK2.6 reduced the RAV1-dependent repression of ABI5, and the ABA-insensitive phenotype of the RAV1-overexpressing line was impaired by overexpression of SnRK2.3 in the RAV1 OE3 plants. Together, these results demonstrated that the Arabidopsis RAV1 transcription factor plays an important role in ABA signaling by modulating the expression of ABI3, ABI4, and ABI5, and that its activity is negatively affected by SnRK2s.

Type 2C phosphatase 1 of Artemisia annua L. is a negative regulator of ABA signaling

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant development and environmental stress response. Additionally, ABA also regulates secondary metabolism such as artemisinin in the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. Although an earlier study showed that ABA receptor, AaPYL9, plays a positive role in ABA-induced artemisinin content improvement, many components in the ABA signaling pathway remain to be elucidated in Artemisia annua L. To get insight of the function of AaPYL9, we isolated and characterized an AaPYL9-interacting partner, AaPP2C1. The coding sequence of AaPP2C1 encodes a deduced protein of 464 amino acids, with all the features of plant type clade A PP2C. Transcriptional analysis showed that the expression level of AaPP2C1 is increased after ABA, salt, and drought treatments. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays (BiFC) showed that AaPYL9 interacted with AaPP2C1. The P89S, H116A substitution in AaPYL9 as well as G199D substitution or deletion of the third phosphorylation site-like motif in AaPP2C1 abolished this interaction. Furthermore, constitutive expression of AaPP2C1 conferred ABA insensitivity compared with the wild type. In summary, our data reveals that AaPP2C1 is an AaPYL9-interacting partner and involved in the negative modulation of the ABA signaling pathway in A. annua L.

Arabidopsis pentatricopeptide repeat protein SOAR1 plays a critical role in abscisic acid signalling

A dominant suppressor of the ABAR overexpressor, soar1-1D, from CHLH/ABAR [coding for Mg-chelatase H subunit/putative abscisic acid (ABA) receptor (ABAR)] overexpression lines was screened to explore the mechanism of the ABAR-mediated ABA signalling. The SOAR1 gene encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein which localizes to both the cytosol and nucleus. Down-regulation of SOAR1 strongly enhances, but up-regulation of SOAR1 almost completely impairs, ABA responses, revealing that SOAR1 is a critical, negative, regulator of ABA signalling. Further genetic evidence supports that SOAR1 functions downstream of ABAR and probably upstream of an ABA-responsive transcription factor ABI5. Changes in the SOAR1 expression alter expression of a subset of ABA-responsive genes including ABI5. These findings provide important information to elucidate further the functional mechanism of PPR proteins and the complicated ABA signalling network.

Overexpression of a novel Arabidopsis PP2C isoform, AtPP2CF1, enhances plant biomass production by increasing inflorescence stem growth

In contrast to mammals, higher plants have evolved to express diverse protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs). Of all Arabidopsis thaliana PP2Cs, members of PP2C subfamily A, including ABI1, have been shown to be key negative regulators of abscisic acid (ABA) signalling pathways, which regulate plant growth and development as well as tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. However, little is known about the enzymatic and signalling roles of other PP2C subfamilies. Here, we report a novel Arabidopsis subfamily E PP2C gene, At3g05640, designated AtPP2CF1. AtPP2CF1 was dramatically expressed in response to exogenous ABA and was expressed in vascular tissues and guard cells, similar to most subfamily A PP2C genes. In vitro enzymatic activity assays showed that AtPP2CF1 possessed functional PP2C activity. However, yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed that AtPP2CF1 did not interact with PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors or three SnRK2 kinases, which are ABI1-interacting proteins. This was supported by homology-based structural modelling demonstrating that the putative active- and substrate-binding site of AtPP2CF1 differed from that of ABI1. Furthermore, while overexpression of ABI1 in plants induced an ABA-insensitive phenotype, Arabidopsis plants overexpressing AtPP2CF1 (AtPP2CF1oe) were weakly hypersensitive to ABA during seed germination and drought stress. Unexpectedly, AtPP2CF1oe plants also exhibited increased biomass yield, mainly due to accelerated growth of inflorescence stems through the activation of cell proliferation and expansion. Our results provide new insights into the physiological significance of AtPP2CF1 as a candidate gene for plant growth production and for potential application in the sustainable supply of plant biomass.

Expression of a gene encoding a rice RING zinc-finger protein, OsRZFP34, enhances stomata opening

By oligo microarray expression profiling, we identified a rice RING zinc-finger protein (RZFP), OsRZFP34, whose gene expression increased with high temperature or abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. As compared with the wild type, rice and Arabidopsis with OsRZFP34 overexpression showed increased relative stomata opening even with ABA treatment. Furthermore, loss-of-function mutation of OsRZFP34 and AtRZFP34 (At5g22920), an OsRZFP34 homolog in Arabidopsis, decreased relative stomata aperture under nonstress control conditions. Expressing OsRZFP34 in atrzfp34 reverted the mutant phenotype to normal, which indicates a conserved molecular function between OsRZFP34 and AtRZFP34. Analysis of water loss and leaf temperature under stress conditions revealed a higher evaporation rate and cooling effect in OsRZFP34-overexpressing Arabidopsis and rice than the wild type, atrzfp34 and osrzfp34. Thus, stomata opening, enhanced leaf cooling, and ABA insensitivity was conserved with OsRZFP34 expression. Transcription profiling of transgenic rice overexpressing OsRZFP34 revealed many genes involved in OsRZFP34-mediated stomatal movement. Several genes upregulated or downregulated in OsRZFP34-overexpressing plants were previously implicated in Ca(2+) sensing, K(+) regulator, and ABA response. We suggest that OsRZFP34 may modulate these genes to control stomata opening.

Early molecular events involved in Pinus pinaster Ait. somatic embryo development under reduced water availability: transcriptomic and proteomic analyses

Maritime pine somatic embryos (SEs) require a reduction in water availability (high gellan gum concentration in the maturation medium) to reach the cotyledonary stage. This key switch, reported specifically for pine species, is not yet well understood. To facilitate the use of somatic embryogenesis for mass propagation of conifers, we need a better understanding of embryo development. Comparison of both transcriptome (Illumina RNA sequencing) and proteome [two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (MS) identification] of immature SEs, cultured on either high (9G) or low (4G) gellan gum concentration, was performed, together with analysis of water content, fresh and dry mass, endogenous abscisic acid (ABA; gas chromatography-MS), soluble sugars (high-pressure liquid chromatography), starch and confocal laser microscope observations. This multiscale, integrated analysis was used to unravel early molecular and physiological events involved in SE development. Under unfavorable conditions (4G), the glycolytic pathway was enhanced, possibly in relation to cell proliferation that may be antagonistic to SE development. Under favorable conditions (9G), SEs adapted to culture constraint by activating specific protective pathways, and ABA-mediated molecular and physiological responses promoting embryo development. Our results suggest that on 9G, germin-like protein and ubiquitin-protein ligase could be used as predictive markers of SE development, whereas protein phosphatase 2C could be a biomarker for culture adaptive responses. This is the first characterization of early molecular mechanisms involved in the development of pine SEs following an increase in gellan gum concentration in the maturation medium, and it is also the first report on somatic embryogenesis in conifers combining transcriptomic and proteomic datasets.

Tomato PYR/PYL/RCAR abscisic acid receptors show high expression in root, differential sensitivity to the abscisic acid agonist quinabactin, and the capability to enhance plant drought resistance

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in the plant's response to both biotic and abiotic stress. Sustainable production of food faces several key challenges, particularly the generation of new varieties with improved water use efficiency and drought tolerance. Different studies have shown the potential applications of Arabidopsis PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors to enhance plant drought resistance. Consequently the functional characterization of orthologous genes in crops holds promise for agriculture. The full set of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors have been identified here. From the 15 putative tomato ABA receptors, 14 of them could be grouped in three subfamilies that correlated well with corresponding Arabidopsis subfamilies. High levels of expression of PYR/PYL/RCAR genes was found in tomato root, and some genes showed predominant expression in leaf and fruit tissues. Functional characterization of tomato receptors was performed through interaction assays with Arabidopsis and tomato clade A protein phosphatase type 2Cs (PP2Cs) as well as phosphatase inhibition studies. Tomato receptors were able to inhibit the activity of clade A PP2Cs differentially in an ABA-dependent manner, and at least three receptors were sensitive to the ABA agonist quinabactin, which inhibited tomato seed germination. Indeed, the chemical activation of ABA signalling induced by quinabactin was able to activate stress-responsive genes. Both dimeric and monomeric tomato receptors were functional in Arabidopsis plant cells, but only overexpression of monomeric-type receptors conferred enhanced drought resistance. In summary, gene expression analyses, and chemical and transgenic approaches revealed distinct properties of tomato PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors that might have biotechnological implications.

Arabidopsis DELLA protein degradation is controlled by a type-one protein phosphatase, TOPP4

Gibberellins (GAs) are a class of important phytohormones regulating a variety of physiological processes during normal plant growth and development. One of the major events during GA-mediated growth is the degradation of DELLA proteins, key negative regulators of GA signaling pathway. The stability of DELLA proteins is thought to be controlled by protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Up to date, no phosphatase involved in this process has been identified. We have identified a dwarfed dominant-negative Arabidopsis mutant, named topp4-1. Reduced expression of TOPP4 using an artificial microRNA strategy also resulted in a dwarfed phenotype. Genetic and biochemical analyses indicated that TOPP4 regulates GA signal transduction mainly via promoting DELLA protein degradation. The severely dwarfed topp4-1 phenotypes were partially rescued by the DELLA deficient mutants rga-t2 and gai-t6, suggesting that the DELLA proteins RGA and GAI are required for the biological function of TOPP4. Both RGA and GAI were greatly accumulated in topp4-1 but significantly decreased in 35S-TOPP4 transgenic plants compared to wild-type plants. Further analyses demonstrated that TOPP4 is able to directly bind and dephosphorylate RGA and GAI, confirming that the TOPP4-controlled phosphorylation status of DELLAs is associated with their stability. These studies provide direct evidence for a crucial role of protein dephosphorylation mediated by TOPP4 in the GA signaling pathway.

Gibberellins (GAs) are essential regulators of plant growth and development. They are tightly related to crop productivity in the first “green revolution.” GA triggers its responses by targeting DELLA proteins, the important repressors, for degradation. This process is believed to be regulated by protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, but there are not any reports describing the identification of phosphatases regulating this critical event. By screening an ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS)-mutagenized Arabidopsis thaliana population, we identified a protein phosphatase TOPP4, a member of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1), that acts as a positive regulator in the GA signaling pathway. TOPP4 promotes the GA-induced degradation of DELLA proteins by directly dephosphorylating these proteins. This study provides an important insight for the switch role of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in GA signal transduction and sheds light on PP1 protein phosphatases in regulating plant growth and development.

Phosphoproteomic Analyses Reveal Early Signaling Events in the Osmotic Stress Response

Elucidating how plants sense and respond to water loss is important for identifying genetic and chemical interventions that may help sustain crop yields in water-limiting environments. Currently, the molecular mechanisms involved in the initial perception and response to dehydration are not well understood. Modern mass spectrometric methods for quantifying changes in the phosphoproteome provide an opportunity to identify key phosphorylation events involved in this process. Here, we have used both untargeted and targeted isotope-assisted mass spectrometric methods of phosphopeptide quantitation to characterize proteins in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) whose degree of phosphorylation is rapidly altered by hyperosmotic treatment. Thus, protein phosphorylation events responsive to 5 min of 0.3 m mannitol treatment were first identified using ¹⁵N metabolic labeling and untargeted mass spectrometry with a high-resolution ion-trap instrument. The results from these discovery experiments were then validated using targeted Selected Reaction Monitoring mass spectrometry with a triple quadrupole. Targeted Selected Reaction Monitoring experiments were conducted with plants treated under nine different environmental perturbations to determine whether the phosphorylation changes were specific for osmosignaling or involved cross talk with other signaling pathways. The results indicate that regulatory proteins such as members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family are specifically phosphorylated in response to osmotic stress. Proteins involved in 5' messenger RNA decapping and phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate synthesis were also identified as targets of dehydration-induced phosphoregulation. The results of these experiments demonstrate the utility of targeted phosphoproteomic analysis in understanding protein regulation networks and provide new insight into cellular processes involved in the osmotic stress response.

Copper amine oxidase and phospholipase D act independently in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure in Vicia faba and Arabidopsis

Recent evidence has demonstrated that both copper amine oxidase (CuAO; EC 1.4.3.6) and phospholipase D (PLD; EC 3.1.4.4) are involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure. In this study, we investigated the interaction between CuAO and PLD in the ABA response. Pretreatment with either CuAO or PLD inhibitors alone or that with both additively led to impairment of ABA-induced H2O2 production and stomatal closure in Vicia faba. ABA-stimulated PLD activation could not be inhibited by the CuAO inhibitor, and CuAO activity was not affected by the PLD inhibitor. These data suggest that CuAO and PLD act independently in the ABA response. To further examine PLD and CuAO activities in ABA responses, we used the Arabidopsis mutants cuaoζ and pldα1. Ablation of guard cell-expressed CuAOζ or PLDα1 gene retarded ABA-induced H2O2 generation and stomatal closure. As a product of PLD, phosphatidic acid (PA) substantially enhanced H2O2 production and stomatal closure in wide type, pldα1, and cuaoζ. Moreover, putrescine (Put), a substrate of CuAO as well as an activator of PLD, induced H2O2 production and stomatal closure in WT but not in both mutants. These results suggest that CuAO and PLD act independently in ABA-induced stomatal closure.

Abscisic acid (ABA) sensitivity regulates desiccation tolerance in germinated Arabidopsis seeds

During germination, orthodox seeds lose their desiccation tolerance (DT) and become sensitive to extreme drying. Yet, DT can be rescued, in a well-defined developmental window, by the application of a mild osmotic stress before dehydration. A role for abscisic acid (ABA) has been implicated in this stress response and in DT re-establishment. However, the path from the sensing of an osmotic cue and its signaling to DT re-establishment is still largely unknown. Analyses of DT, ABA sensitivity, ABA content and gene expression were performed in desiccation-sensitive (DS) and desiccation-tolerant Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. Furthermore, loss and re-establishment of DT in germinated Arabidopsis seeds was studied in ABA-deficient and ABA-insensitive mutants. We demonstrate that the developmental window in which DT can be re-established correlates strongly with the window in which ABA sensitivity is still present. Using ABA biosynthesis and signaling mutants, we show that this hormone plays a key role in DT re-establishment. Surprisingly, re-establishment of DT depends on the modulation of ABA sensitivity rather than enhanced ABA content. In addition, the evaluation of several ABA-insensitive mutants, which can still produce normal desiccation-tolerant seeds, but are impaired in the re-establishment of DT, shows that the acquisition of DT during seed development is genetically different from its re-establishment during germination.

GSK3-like kinases positively modulate abscisic acid signaling through phosphorylating subgroup III SnRK2s in Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)-like kinases have versatile functions in plant development and in responding to abiotic stresses. Although physiological evidence suggested a potential role of GSK3-like kinases in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, the underlying molecular mechanism was largely unknown. Here we identified members of Snf1-related kinase 2s (SnRK2s), SnRK2.2 and SnRK2.3, that can interact with and be phosphorylated by a GSK3-like kinase, brassinosteroid insensitive 2 (BIN2). bin2-3 bil1 bil2, a loss-of-function mutant of BIN2 and its two closest homologs, BIN2 like 1 (BIL1) and BIN2 like 2 (BIL2), was hyposensitive to ABA in primary root inhibition, ABA-responsive gene expression, and phosphorylating ABA Response Element Binding Factor (ABF) 2 fragment by in-gel kinase assays, whereas bin2-1, a gain-of-function mutation of BIN2, was hypersensitive to ABA, suggesting that these GSK3-like kinases function as positive regulators in ABA signaling. Furthermore, BIN2 phosphorylated SnRK2.3 on T180, and SnRK2.3(T180A) had decreased kinase activity in both autophosphorylation and phosphorylating ABFs. Bikinin, a GSK3 kinase inhibitor, inhibited the SnRK2.3 kinase activity and its T180 phosphorylation in vivo. Our genetic analysis further demonstrated that BIN2 regulates ABA signaling downstream of the PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1/PYR1-LIKE/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS receptors and clade A protein phosphatase 2C but relies on SnRK2.2 and SnRK2.3. These findings provide significant insight into the modulation of ABA signaling by Arabidopsis GSK3-like kinases.

Meta-Analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Phospho-Proteomics Data Reveals Compartmentalization of Phosphorylation Motifs

Protein (de)phosphorylation plays an important role in plants. To provide a robust foundation for subcellular phosphorylation signaling network analysis and kinase-substrate relationships, we performed a meta-analysis of 27 published and unpublished in-house mass spectrometry-based phospho-proteome data sets for Arabidopsis thaliana covering a range of processes, (non)photosynthetic tissue types, and cell cultures. This resulted in an assembly of 60,366 phospho-peptides matching to 8141 nonredundant proteins. Filtering the data for quality and consistency generated a set of medium and a set of high confidence phospho-proteins and their assigned phospho-sites. The relation between single and multiphosphorylated peptides is discussed. The distribution of p-proteins across cellular functions and subcellular compartments was determined and showed overrepresentation of protein kinases. Extensive differences in frequency of pY were found between individual studies due to proteomics and mass spectrometry workflows. Interestingly, pY was underrepresented in peroxisomes but overrepresented in mitochondria. Using motif-finding algorithms motif-x and MMFPh at high stringency, we identified compartmentalization of phosphorylation motifs likely reflecting localized kinase activity. The filtering of the data assembly improved signal/noise ratio for such motifs. Identified motifs were linked to kinases through (bioinformatic) enrichment analysis. This study also provides insight into the challenges/pitfalls of using large-scale phospho-proteomic data sets to nonexperts.

Role of chromatin in water stress responses in plants

As sessile organisms, plants are exposed to environmental stresses throughout their life. They have developed survival strategies such as developmental and morphological adaptations, as well as physiological responses, to protect themselves from adverse environments. In addition, stress sensing triggers large-scale transcriptional reprogramming directed at minimizing the deleterious effect of water stress on plant cells. Here, we review recent findings that reveal a role of chromatin in water stress responses. In addition, we discuss data in support of the idea that chromatin remodelling and modifying enzymes may be direct targets of stress signalling pathways. Modulation of chromatin regulator activity by these signaling pathways may be critical in minimizing potential trade-offs between growth and stress responses. Alterations in the chromatin organization and/or in the activity of chromatin remodelling and modifying enzymes may furthermore contribute to stress memory. Mechanistic insight into these phenomena derived from studies in model plant systems should allow future engineering of broadly drought-tolerant crop plants that do not incur unnecessary losses in yield or growth.

Arabidopsis protein phosphatase 2C ABI1 interacts with type I ACC synthases and is involved in the regulation of ozone-induced ethylene biosynthesis

Ethylene plays a crucial role in various biological processes and therefore its biosynthesis is strictly regulated by multiple mechanisms. Posttranslational regulation, which is pivotal in controlling ethylene biosynthesis, impacts 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylate synthase (ACS) protein stability via the complex interplay of specific factors. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana protein phosphatase type 2C, ABI1, a negative regulator of abscisic acid signaling, is involved in the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis under oxidative stress conditions. We found that ABI1 interacts with ACS6 and dephosphorylates its C-terminal fragment, a target of the stress-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase, MPK6. In addition, ABI1 controls MPK6 activity directly and by this means also affects the ACS6 phosphorylation level. Consistently with this, ozone-induced ethylene production was significantly higher in an ABI1 knockout strain (abi1td) than in wild-type plants. Importantly, an increase in stress-induced ethylene production in the abi1td mutant was compensated by a higher ascorbate redox state and elevated antioxidant activities. Overall, the results of this study provide evidence that ABI1 restricts ethylene synthesis by affecting the activity of ACS6. The ABI1 contribution to stress phenotype underpins its role in the interplay between the abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene signaling pathways.

Designed abscisic acid analogs as antagonists of PYL-PP2C receptor interactions

The plant stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is critical for several abiotic stress responses. ABA signaling is normally repressed by group-A protein phosphatases 2C (PP2Cs), but stress-induced ABA binds Arabidopsis PYR/PYL/RCAR (PYL) receptors, which then bind and inhibit PP2Cs. X-ray structures of several receptor-ABA complexes revealed a tunnel above ABA's 3' ring CH that opens at the PP2C binding interface. Here, ABA analogs with sufficiently long 3' alkyl chains were predicted to traverse this tunnel and block PYL-PP2C interactions. To test this, a series of 3'-alkylsulfanyl ABAs were synthesized with different alkyl chain lengths. Physiological, biochemical and structural analyses revealed that a six-carbon alkyl substitution produced a potent ABA antagonist that was sufficiently active to block multiple stress-induced ABA responses in vivo. This study provides a new approach for the design of ABA analogs, and the results validated structure-based design for this target class.

Abscisic acid perception and signaling: structural mechanisms and applications

Adverse environmental conditions are a threat to agricultural yield and therefore exert a global effect on livelihood, health and the economy. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a vital plant hormone that regulates abiotic stress tolerance, thereby allowing plants to cope with environmental stresses. Previously, attempts to develop a complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying ABA signaling have been hindered by difficulties in the identification of bona fide ABA receptors. The discovery of the PYR/PYL/RCAR family of ABA receptors therefore represented a major milestone in the effort to overcome these roadblocks; since then, many structural and functional studies have provided detailed insights into processes ranging from ABA perception to the activation of ABA-responsive gene transcription. This understanding of the mechanisms of ABA perception and signaling has served as the basis for recent, preliminary developments in the genetic engineering of stress-resistant crops as well as in the design of new synthetic ABA agonists, which hold great promise for the agricultural enhancement of stress tolerance.

FRET-based reporters for the direct visualization of abscisic acid concentration changes and distribution in Arabidopsis

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that regulates plant growth and development and mediates abiotic stress responses. Direct cellular monitoring of dynamic ABA concentration changes in response to environmental cues is essential for understanding ABA action. We have developed ABAleons: ABA-specific optogenetic reporters that instantaneously convert the phytohormone-triggered interaction of ABA receptors with PP2C-type phosphatases to send a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signal in response to ABA. We report the design, engineering and use of ABAleons with ABA affinities in the range of 100–600 nM to map ABA concentration changes in plant tissues with spatial and temporal resolution. High ABAleon expression can partially repress Arabidopsis ABA responses. ABAleons report ABA concentration differences in distinct cell types, ABA concentration increases in response to low humidity and NaCl in guard cells and to NaCl and osmotic stress in roots and ABA transport from the hypocotyl to the shoot and root.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01739.001

Plants are able to respond to detrimental changes in their environment—when, for example, water becomes scarce or the soil becomes too salty—in ways that minimize stress and damage caused by these changes. Hormones are chemicals that trigger the plant’s response under these circumstances.

Abscisic acid is the hormone that regulates how plants respond to drought and salt stress and that controls the plant growth in these conditions. In the past, it was possible to measure the average level of this hormone in a given tissue, but not the level in individual cells in a living plant. Moreover, it was difficult to follow directly how abscisic acid moved between the plant cells, tissues or organs.

Now, Waadt et al. (and independently Jones et al.) have developed tools that can measure the levels of abscisic acid within individual cells in living plants and in real time. The plants were genetically engineered to produce sensor proteins with two properties: they can bind to abscisic acid in a reversible manner, and they contain two ‘tags’ that fluoresce at different wavelengths. Shining light onto the plant at a specific wavelength that is only absorbed by one of the tags actually causes both of the tags on the sensor proteins to fluoresce. However, the sensors fluoresce more at one wavelength when they are bound to abscisic acid, and more at the other wavelength when they are not bound to abscisic acid. Hence, measuring the ratio of these two wavelengths in the light that is given off by the sensor proteins can be used as a measure of the concentration of abscisic acid in a plant cell.

Waadt et al. developed sensor proteins called ‘ABAleons’, and used one of these to analyze the uptake, distribution and movement of abscisic acid in different tissues in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Changes in the level of abscisic acid could be detected at the level of an individual plant cell, and over time scales of fractions of seconds to hours. ABAleons also revealed that the concentration of abscisic acid in guard cells—specialized cells that help stop the loss of water vapor from a leaf—increases when humidity levels are low, or when salt levels are high. Low water levels, or high salt levels, also slowly increased the concentration of abscisic acid in the roots of the plant. Furthermore, Waadt et al. saw that abscisic acid moved long distances from the base of the stem up into the shoot, and down to the root.

Waadt et al. also report that the ABAleons made plants less responsive to abscisic acid, possibly because binding to the ABAleons reduced the amount of abscisic acid that was available to perform its role as a hormone. The next challenge is to engineer ABAleons that minimize this unwanted side effect, and then go on to use ABAleons to study environmental conditions and proteins involved in plant hormone responses.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01739.002

Abscisic acid dynamics in roots detected with genetically encoded FRET sensors

Cytosolic hormone levels must be tightly controlled at the level of influx, efflux, synthesis, degradation and compartmentation. To determine ABA dynamics at the single cell level, FRET sensors (ABACUS) covering a range ∼0.2–800 µM were engineered using structure-guided design and a high-throughput screening platform. When expressed in yeast, ABACUS1 detected concentrative ABA uptake mediated by the AIT1/NRT1.2 transporter. Arabidopsis roots expressing ABACUS1-2µ (K_d∼2 µM) and ABACUS1-80µ (K_d∼80 µM) respond to perfusion with ABA in a concentration-dependent manner. The properties of the observed ABA accumulation in roots appear incompatible with the activity of known ABA transporters (AIT1, ABCG40). ABACUS reveals effects of external ABA on homeostasis, that is, ABA-triggered induction of ABA degradation, modification, or compartmentation. ABACUS can be used to study ABA responses in mutants and quantitatively monitor ABA translocation and regulation, and identify missing components. The sensor screening platform promises to enable rapid fine-tuning of the ABA sensors and engineering of plant and animal hormone sensors to advance our understanding of hormone signaling.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01741.001

Plants are able to respond to detrimental changes in their environment—when, for example, water becomes scarce or the soil becomes too salty—in ways that minimize stress and damage caused by these changes. Hormones are chemicals that trigger the plant’s response under these circumstances.

Abscisic acid is the hormone that regulates how plants respond to drought and salt stress, and also controls growth and development. In the past, it was possible to measure the average level of this hormone in a given tissue, but not the level in individual cells in a living plant, nor in specific compartments within a cell. Moreover, it was difficult to follow directly how abscisic acid moved between the plant cells, tissues or organs.

Now, Jones et al. (and independently Waadt et al.) have developed tools that can measure the levels of abscisic acid within defined compartments of individual cells in living plants and in real time. The plants were genetically engineered to produce sensor proteins with two properties: they can bind to abscisic acid in a reversible manner, and they contain two ‘reporters’ that fluoresce at different wavelengths. Shining light onto the plant at a specific wavelength that is only absorbed by one of the reporters causes both of the reporters on the sensor proteins to fluoresce. However, the two reporters fluoresce differently when the sensor binds to abscisic acid. Specifically, one reporter fluoresces more and the other less. Hence, measuring the ratio of these two wavelengths in the light that is given off by the sensor proteins can be used as a measure of the concentration of abscisic acid in a plant cell.

Jones et al. used a high-throughput platform to engineer five sensor proteins that detect abscisic acid over a wide range of concentrations. Using these ‘ABACUS’ sensors in living plants could track the uptake of abscisic acid into root cells, and revealed that the concentration of the hormone inside the cell stayed below the levels provided on the outside. Since known abscisic acid-transporters are capable of raising the hormone concentration inside a cell above that provided on the outside, abscisic acid transport into plant roots may occur via as-yet-undiscovered transporter proteins. Jones et al. also show that root cells rapidly eliminate abscisic acid, and that adding extra abscisic acid to the roots increases the rate of elimination within minutes.

Plants were also engineered to target the sensor proteins specifically to the cell nucleus. In the future, targeting these sensors to the cell wall should allow tracking of the cell-to-cell movement of this hormone. Further aims include using ABACUS to track abscisic acid in plants undergoing stress, and to use the high-throughput platform to develop new sensors to track other hormones in living organisms (including animals).

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01741.002

Abscisic acid sensor RCAR7/PYL13, specific regulator of protein phosphatase coreceptors

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) acts both as a developmental signal and as an integrator of environmental cues such as drought and cold. ABA perception recruits an ABA-binding regulatory component [regulatory component of ABA receptor (RCAR)/PYR1/PYL] and an associated protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C). Phytohormone binding inactivates the phosphatase activity of the coreceptor, permitting phosphorelay of the ABA signal via downstream protein kinases. RCARs and PP2C coreceptors are represented by small protein families comprising 14 and 9 members in Arabidopsis, respectively. The specificity of the RCAR-PP2C interaction and the constraints contributing to specific combinations are poorly understood. In this contribution, we analyzed RCAR7/PYL13, which is characterized by three variant amino acid residues in the conserved ABA-binding pocket. RCAR7 regulated the phosphatase activity of the PP2Cs ABI1, ABI2, and PP2CA in vitro at nanomolar ABA levels; however, it was unable to regulate the structurally related hypersensitive to ABA 1 (HAB1). Site-directed mutagenesis of HAB1 established ABA-dependent regulation by RCAR7. Conversion of the noncanonical amino acid residues of RCAR7 into the consensus ABA-binding pocket did not perceptibly change receptor function. Ectopic expression of RCAR7 in Arabidopsis resulted in ABA hypersensitivity affecting gene regulation, seed germination, and stomatal closure. The RCAR7 loss-of-function mutant revealed no changes in ABA responses, similar to the RCAR9 knockout line, whereas the combined deficiency of RCAR7 and RCAR9 resulted in ABA-insensitive seed germination. The study shows a role of RCAR7 in early plant development, proves its ABA receptor function, and identifies structural constraints of RCAR7-PP2C interaction.

Abscisic acid flux alterations result in differential abscisic acid signaling responses and impact assimilation efficiency in barley under terminal drought stress

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a central player in plant responses to drought stress. How variable levels of ABA under short-term versus long-term drought stress impact assimilation and growth in crops is unclear. We addressed this through comparative analysis, using two elite breeding lines of barley (Hordeum vulgare) that show senescence or stay-green phenotype under terminal drought stress and by making use of transgenic barley lines that express Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (AtNCED6) coding sequence or an RNA interference (RNAi) sequence of ABA 8'-hydroxylase under the control of a drought-inducible barley promoter. The high levels of ABA and its catabolites in the senescing breeding line under long-term stress were detrimental for assimilate productivity, whereas these levels were not perturbed in the stay-green type that performed better. In transgenic barley, drought-inducible AtNCED expression afforded temporal control in ABA levels such that the ABA levels rose sooner than in wild-type plants but also subsided, unlike as in the wild type , to near-basal levels upon prolonged stress treatment due to down-regulation of endogenous HvNCED genes. Suppressing of ABA catabolism with the RNA interference approach of ABA 8'-hydroxylase caused ABA flux during the entire period of stress. These transgenic plants performed better than the wild type under stress to maintain a favorable instantaneous water use efficiency and better assimilation. Gene expression analysis, protein structural modeling, and protein-protein interaction analyses of the members of the PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1/PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1-LIKE/REGULATORY COMPONENT OF ABA RECEPTORS, TYPE 2C PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE Sucrose non-fermenting1-related protein kinase2, and ABA-INSENSITIVE5/ABA-responsive element binding factor family identified specific members that could potentially impact ABA metabolism and stress adaptation in barley.

Cross-family translational genomics of abiotic stress-responsive genes between Arabidopsis and Medicago truncatula

Cross-species translation of genomic information may play a pivotal role in applying biological knowledge gained from relatively simple model system to other less studied, but related, genomes. The information of abiotic stress (ABS)-responsive genes in Arabidopsis was identified and translated into the legume model system, Medicago truncatula. Various data resources, such as TAIR/AtGI DB, expression profiles and literatures, were used to build a genome-wide list of ABS genes. tBlastX/BlastP similarity search tools and manual inspection of alignments were used to identify orthologous genes between the two genomes. A total of 1,377 genes were finally collected and classified into 18 functional criteria of gene ontology (GO). The data analysis according to the expression cues showed that there was substantial level of interaction among three major types (i.e., drought, salinity and cold stress) of abiotic stresses. In an attempt to translate the ABS genes between these two species, genomic locations for each gene were mapped using an in-house-developed comparative analysis platform. The comparative analysis revealed that fragmental colinearity, represented by only 37 synteny blocks, existed between Arabidopsis and M. truncatula. Based on the combination of E-value and alignment remarks, estimated translation rate was 60.2% for this cross-family translation. As a prelude of the functional comparative genomic approaches, in-silico gene network/interactome analyses were conducted to predict key components in the ABS responses, and one of the sub-networks was integrated with corresponding comparative map. The results demonstrated that core members of the sub-network were well aligned with previously reported ABS regulatory networks. Taken together, the results indicate that network-based integrative approaches of comparative and functional genomics are important to interpret and translate genomic information for complex traits such as abiotic stresses.

Abscisic acid signalling determines susceptibility of bundle sheath cells to photoinhibition in high light-exposed Arabidopsis leaves

The rapid induction of the bundle sheath cell (BSC)-specific expression of ASCORBATE PEROXIDASE2 (APX2) in high light (HL)-exposed leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana is, in part, regulated by the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) produced by vascular parenchyma cells. In this study, we provide more details of the ABA signalling that regulates APX2 expression and consider its importance in the photosynthetic responses of BSCs and whole leaves. This was done using a combination of analyses of gene expression and chlorophyll a fluorescence of both leaves and individual BSCs and mesophyll cells. The regulation of APX2 expression occurs by the combination of the protein kinase SnRK2.6 (OST1):protein phosphatase 2C ABI2 and a Gα (GPA1)-regulated signalling pathway. The use of an ost1-1/gpa1-4 mutant established that these signalling pathways are distinct but interact to regulate APX2. In HL-exposed leaves, BSC chloroplasts were more susceptible to photoinhibition than those of mesophyll cells. The activity of the ABA-signalling network determined the degree of susceptibility of BSCs to photoinhibition by influencing non-photochemical quenching. By contrast, in HL-exposed whole leaves, ABA signalling did not have any major influence on their transcriptomes nor on their susceptibility to photoinhibition, except where guard cell responses were observed.

Behind the scenes: the roles of reactive oxygen species in guard cells

Guard cells regulate stomatal pore size through integration of both endogenous and environmental signals; they are widely recognized as providing a key switching mechanism that maximizes both the efficient use of water and rates of CO₂ exchange for photosynthesis; this is essential for the adaptation of plants to water stress. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are widely considered to be an important player in guard cell signalling. In this review, we focus on recent progress concerning the role of ROS as signal molecules in controlling stomatal movement, the interaction between ROS and intrinsic and environmental response pathways, the specificity of ROS signalling, and how ROS signals are sensed and relayed. However, the picture of ROS-mediated signalling is still fragmented and the issues of ROS sensing and the specificity of ROS signalling remain unclear. Here, we review some recent advances in our understanding of ROS signalling in guard cells, with an emphasis on the main players known to interact with abscisic acid signalling.

Abscisic acid regulates early seed development in Arabidopsis by ABI5-mediated transcription of SHORT HYPOCOTYL UNDER BLUE1

Seed development includes an early stage of endosperm proliferation and a late stage of embryo growth at the expense of the endosperm in Arabidopsis thaliana. Abscisic acid (ABA) has known functions during late seed development, but its roles in early seed development remain elusive. In this study, we report that ABA-deficient mutants produced seeds with increased size, mass, and embryo cell number but delayed endosperm cellularization. ABSCISIC ACID DEFICIENT2 (ABA2) encodes a unique short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase that functions in ABA biosynthesis, and its expression pattern overlaps that of SHORT HYPOCOTYL UNDER BLUE1 (SHB1) during seed development. SHB1 RNA accumulation was significantly upregulated in the aba2-1 mutant and was downregulated by the application of exogenous ABA. Furthermore, RNA accumulation of the basic/region leucine zipper transcription factor ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE5 (ABI5), involved in ABA signaling, was decreased in aba2-1. Consistent with this, seed size was also increased in abi5. We further show that ABI5 directly binds to two discrete regions in the SHB1 promoter. Our results suggest that ABA negatively regulates SHB1 expression, at least in part, through the action of its downstream signaling component ABI5. Our findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms by which ABA regulates early seed development.

Convergence of Light and ABA signaling on the ABI5 promoter

Light is one of the most important environmental cues regulating multiple aspects of plant growth and development, and abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that plays important roles during many phases of the plant life cycle and in plants' responses to various environmental stresses. How plants integrate the external light signal with endogenous ABA pathway for better adaptation and survival remains poorly understood. Here, we show that BBX21 (also known as SALT TOLERANCE HOMOLOG 2), a B-box (BBX) protein previously shown to positively regulate seedling photomorphogenesis, is also involved in ABA signaling. Our genetic data show that BBX21 may act upstream of several ABA INSENSITIVE (ABI) genes and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) in ABA control of seed germination. Previous studies showed that HY5 acts as a direct activator of ABI5 expression, and that BBX21 interacts with HY5. We further demonstrate that BBX21 negatively regulates ABI5 expression by interfering with HY5 binding to the ABI5 promoter. In addition, ABI5 was shown to directly activate its own expression, whereas BBX21 negatively regulates this activity by directly interacting with ABI5. Together, our study indicates that BBX21 coordinates with HY5 and ABI5 on the ABI5 promoter and that these transcriptional regulators work in concert to integrate light and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Many factors such as light, phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), etc., regulate multiple developmental processes throughout the plants' life cycle. Light promotes seed germination and ABA maintains seed dormancy. However, little is known about how light and ABA signaling pathways interact with each other. It was previously reported that Arabidopsis HY5, a well-known bZIP transcription factor involved in promoting seedling photomorphogenesis, is involved in ABA signaling by directly activating ABI5 expression. Here, we report that the B-box protein BBX21 negatively regulates ABI5 expression by interfering with HY5 binding to the ABI5 promoter. Interestingly, ABI5 was shown to directly bind to its own promoter and activate its expression, whereas BBX21 also negatively regulates this activity by interacting with ABI5. Together, our study shows that light and ABA signaling pathways converge on the ABI5 promoter, on which BBX21 acts as a negative regulator of ABI5 expression.

Group A PP2Cs evolved in land plants as key regulators of intrinsic desiccation tolerance

Vegetative desiccation tolerance is common in bryophytes, although this character has been lost in most vascular plants. The moss Physcomitrella patens survives complete desiccation if treated with abscisic acid (ABA). Group A protein phosphatases type 2C (PP2C) are negative regulators of abscisic acid signalling. Here we show that the elimination of Group A PP2C is sufficient to ensure P. patens survival to full desiccation, without ABA treatment, although its growth is severely hindered. Microarray analysis shows that the Group A PP2C-regulated genes exclusively overlap with genes exhibiting a high level of ABA induction. Group A PP2C disruption weakly affects ABA-activated kinase activity, indicating Group A PP2C action downstream of these kinases in the moss. We propose that Group A PP2C emerged in land plants to repress desiccation tolerance mechanisms, possibly facilitating plants propagation on land, whereas ABA releases the intrinsic desiccation tolerance from Group A PP2C regulation.

A hub for ABA signaling to the nucleus: significance of a cytosolic and nuclear dual-localized PPR protein SOAR1 acting downstream of Mg-chelatase H subunit

SOAR1 is a cytosol-nucleus dual-localized pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein, which we indentified recently as a crucial regulator in the CHLH/ABAR (Mg-chelatase H subunit /putative ABA receptor)-mediated signaling pathway, acting downstream of CHLH/ABAR and upstream of a nuclear ABA-responsive bZIP transcription factor ABI5. Downregulation and upregulation of SOAR1 expression alter dramatically both ABA sensitivity and expression of a subset of key, nuclear ABA-responsive genes, suggesting that SOAR1 is a hub for ABA signaling to the nucleus, and CHLH/ABAR mediates a central signaling pathway to regulate downstream gene expression through SOAR1.

Tolerance to drought and salt stress in plants: Unraveling the signaling networks

Tolerance of plants to abiotic stressors such as drought and salinity is triggered by complex multicomponent signaling pathways to restore cellular homeostasis and promote survival. Major plant transcription factor families such as bZIP, NAC, AP2/ERF, and MYB orchestrate regulatory networks underlying abiotic stress tolerance. Sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinase 2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways contribute to initiation of stress adaptive downstream responses and promote plant growth and development. As a convergent point of multiple abiotic cues, cellular effects of environmental stresses are not only imbalances of ionic and osmotic homeostasis but also impaired photosynthesis, cellular energy depletion, and redox imbalances. Recent evidence of regulatory systems that link sensing and signaling of environmental conditions and the intracellular redox status have shed light on interfaces of stress and energy signaling. ROS (reactive oxygen species) cause severe cellular damage by peroxidation and de-esterification of membrane-lipids, however, current models also define a pivotal signaling function of ROS in triggering tolerance against stress. Recent research advances suggest and support a regulatory role of ROS in the cross talks of stress triggered hormonal signaling such as the abscisic acid pathway and endogenously induced redox and metabolite signals. Here, we discuss and review the versatile molecular convergence in the abiotic stress responsive signaling networks in the context of ROS and lipid-derived signals and the specific role of stomatal signaling.