The D-type cyclin gene (Nicta;CycD3;4) controls cell cycle progression in response to sugar availability in tobacco

Regulation of early seedling establishment and root development in Arabidopsis thaliana by light and carbohydrates

MAIN CONCLUSION

Root development is regulated by sucrose and light during early seedling establishment through changes in the auxin response and chromatin topology. Light is a key environmental signal that regulates plant growth and development. The impact of light on development is primarily analyzed in the above-ground tissues, but little is known about the mechanisms by which light shapes the architecture of underground roots. Our study shows that carbohydrate starvation during skotomorphogenesis is accompanied by compaction of nuclei in the root apical meristem, which prevents cell cycle progression and leads to irreversible root differentiation in the absence of external carbohydrates, as evidenced by the lack of DNA replication and increased numbers of nuclei with specific chromatin characteristics. In these conditions, induction of photomorphogenesis was unable to restore seedling growth, as overall root growth was compromised. The addition of carbohydrates, either locally or systemically by transferring seedlings to sugar-containing medium, led to the induction of adventitious root formation with rapid recovery of seedling growth. Conversely, transferring in vitro carbohydrate-grown seedlings from light to dark transiently promoted cell elongation and significantly reduced root meristem size, but did not primarily affect cell cycle kinetics. We show that, in the presence of sucrose, dark incubation does not affect zonation in the root apical meristem but leads to shortening of the proliferative and transition zones. Sugar starvation led to a rapid increase in lysine demethylation of histone H3 at position K9, which preceded a rapid decline in cell cycle activity and activation of cell differentiation. In conclusion, carbohydrates are required for cell cycle activity, epigenetics reprogramming and for postmitotic cell elongation and auxin-regulated response in the root apical meristem.

Transcriptome analysis of responses in Brachypodium distachyon overexpressing the BdbZIP26 transcription factor

BACKGROUND

Biotic and abiotic stresses are the major cause of reduced growth, persistence, and yield in agriculture. Over the past decade, RNA-Sequencing and the use of transgenics with altered expression of stress related genes have been utilized to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to salt tolerance in a variety of species. Identification of transcription factors that, when overexpressed in plants, improve multiple stress tolerance may be valuable for crop improvement, but sometimes overexpression leads to deleterious effects during normal plant growth.

RESULTS

Brachypodium constitutively expressing the BdbZIP26:GFP gene showed reduced stature compared to wild type plants (WT). RNA-Seq analysis comparing WT and bZIP26 transgenic plants revealed 7772 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Of these DEGs, 987 of the DEGs were differentially expressed in all three transgenic lines. Many of these DEGs are similar to those often observed in response to abiotic and biotic stress, including signaling proteins such as kinases/phosphatases, calcium/calmodulin related proteins, oxidases/reductases, hormone production and signaling, transcription factors, as well as disease responsive proteins. Interestingly, there were many DEGs associated with protein turnover including ubiquitin-related proteins, F-Box and U-box related proteins, membrane proteins, and ribosomal synthesis proteins. Transgenic and control plants were exposed to salinity stress. Many of the DEGs between the WT and transgenic lines under control conditions were also found to be differentially expressed in WT in response to salinity stress. This suggests that the over-expression of the transcription factor is placing the plant in a state of stress, which may contribute to the plants diminished stature.

CONCLUSION

The constitutive expression of BdbZIP26:GFP had an overall negative effect on plant growth and resulted in stunted plants compared to WT plants under control conditions, and a similar response to WT plants under salt stress conditions. The results of gene expression analysis suggest that the transgenic plants are in a constant state of stress, and that they are trying to allocate resources to survive.

Glucose and sucrose differentially modify cell proliferation in maize during germination

Glucose and sucrose play a dual role: as carbon and energy sources and as signaling molecules. In order to address the impact that sugars may have on maize seeds during germination, embryo axes were incubated with or without either of the two sugars. Expression of key cell cycle markers and protein abundance, cell patterning and de novo DNA synthesis in root meristem zones were analyzed. Embryo axes without added sugars in imbibition medium were unable to grow after 7 days; in sucrose, embryo axes developed seminal and primary roots with numerous root hairs, whereas in glucose axes showed a twisted morphology, no root hair formation but callus-like structures on adventitious and primary seminal roots. More and smaller cells were observed with glucose treatment in root apical meristems. de novo DNA synthesis was stimulated more by glucose than by sucrose. At 24 h of imbibition, expression of ZmCycD2;2a and ZmCycD4;2 was increased by sucrose and reduced by glucose. CDKA1;1 and CDKA2;1 expression was stimulated equally by both sugars. Protein abundance patterns were modified by sugars: ZmCycD2 showed peaks on glucose at 12 and 36 h of imbibition whereas sucrose promoted ZmCycD3 protein accumulation. In presence of glucose ZmCycD3, ZmCycD4 and ZmCycD6 protein abundance was reduced after 24 h. Finally, both sugars stimulated ZmCDKA protein accumulation but at different times. Overall, even though glucose appears to act as a stronger mitogen stimulator, sucrose stimulated the expression of more cell cycle markers during germination. This work provides evidence of a differential response of cell cycle markers to sucrose and glucose during maize germination that may affect the developmental program during plantlet establishment.

CbCBF from Capsella bursa-pastoris enhances cold tolerance and restrains growth in Nicotiana tabacum by antagonizing with gibberellin and affecting cell cycle signaling

Plant cells respond to cold stress via a regulatory mechanism leading to enhanced cold acclimation accompanied by growth retardation. The C-repeat binding factor (CBF) signaling pathway is essential for cold response of flowering plants. Our previously study documented a novel CBF-like gene from the cold-tolerant Capsella bursa-pastoris named CbCBF, which was responsive to chilling temperatures. Here, we show that CbCBF expression is obviously responsive to chilling, freezing, abscisic acid, gibberellic acid (GA), indoleacetic acid or methyl jasmonate treatments and that the CbCBF:GFP fusion protein was localized to the nucleus. In addition, CbCBF overexpression conferred to the cold-sensitive tobacco plants enhanced tolerance to chilling and freezing, as well as dwarfism and delayed flowering. The leaf cells of CbCBF overexpression tobacco lines attained smaller sizes and underwent delayed cell division with reduced expression of cyclin D genes. The dwarfism of CbCBF transformants can be partially restored by GA application. Consistently, CbCBF overexpression reduced the bioactive gibberellin contents and disturbed the expression of gibberellin metabolic genes in tobacco. Meanwhile, cold induced CbCBF expression and cold tolerance in C. bursa-pastoris are reduced by GA. We conclude that CbCBF confers cold resistance and growth inhibition to tobacco cells by interacting with gibberellin and cell cycle pathways, likely through activation of downstream target genes.

Early steps of adventitious rooting: morphology, hormonal profiling and carbohydrate turnover in carnation stem cuttings

The rooting of stem cuttings is a common vegetative propagation practice in many ornamental species. A detailed analysis of the morphological changes occurring in the basal region of cultivated carnation cuttings during the early stages of adventitious rooting was carried out and the physiological modifications induced by exogenous auxin application were studied. To this end, the endogenous concentrations of five major classes of plant hormones [auxin, cytokinin (CK), abscisic acid, salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid] and the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid were analyzed at the base of stem cuttings and at different stages of adventitious root formation. We found that the stimulus triggering the initiation of adventitious root formation occurred during the first hours after their excision from the donor plant, due to the breakdown of the vascular continuum that induces auxin accumulation near the wounding. Although this stimulus was independent of exogenously applied auxin, it was observed that the auxin treatment accelerated cell division in the cambium and increased the sucrolytic activities at the base of the stem, both of which contributed to the establishment of the new root primordia at the stem base. Further, several genes involved in auxin transport were upregulated in the stem base either with or without auxin application, while endogenous CK and SA concentrations were specially affected by exogenous auxin application. Taken together our results indicate significant crosstalk between auxin levels, stress hormone homeostasis and sugar availability in the base of the stem cuttings in carnation during the initial steps of adventitious rooting.

Histological and molecular investigation of the basis for variation in tomato fruit size in response to fruit load and genotype

Understanding the molecular mechanisms and cellular dynamics that cause variation in fruit size is critical for the control of fruit growth. The aim of this study was to investigate how both genotypic factors and carbohydrate limitation cause variation in fruit size. We grew a parental line (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and two inbred lines from Solanum chmielewskii (C.M.Rick et al.; D.M.Spooner et al.) producing small or large fruits under three fruit loads (FL): continuously two fruits/truss (2&2F) or five fruits/truss (5&5F) and a switch from five to two fruits/truss (5&2F) 7 days after anthesis (DAA). Final fruit size, sugar content and cell phenotypes were measured. The expression of major cell cycle genes 7 DAA was investigated using quantitative PCR. The 5&5F treatment resulted in significantly smaller fruits than the 5&2F and 2&2F treatments. In the 5&5F treatment, cell number and cell volume contributed equally to the genotypic variation in final fruit size. In the 5&2F and 2&2F treatment, cell number contributed twice as much to the genotypic variation in final fruit size than cell volume did. FL treatments resulted in only subtle variations in gene expression. Genotypic differences were detected in transcript levels of CycD3 (cyclin) and CDKB1 (cyclin-dependent-kinase), but not CycB2. Genotypic variation in fruit FW, pericarp volume and cell volume was linked to pericarp glucose and fructose content (R2=0.41, R2=0.48, R2=0.11 respectively). Genotypic variation in cell number was positively correlated with pericarp fructose content (R2=0.28). These results emphasise the role of sugar content and of the timing of assimilate supply in the variation of cell and fruit phenotypes.