Characterization of gravitropic inflorescence bending in brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling Arabidopsis mutants

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Hormone Signaling Genes Involved in the Launch of Culm-Shape Differentiation in Dendrocalamus sinicus

Dendrocalamus sinicus is a sympodial bamboo species endemic to Yunnan Province, China, and is the strongest bamboo species in the world. However, there is substantial variation in the basal culm shape, i.e., straight culm (SC) and bent culm (BC), among different D. sinicus as a result of genetic and growth factors. This study performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of bamboo shoots of two variants at the early, mid-, and late shoot-development stages to examine the molecular basis of this variation. In total, 98,479 unigenes were annotated, of which 13,495 were differentially expressed in pairwise comparisons of the six libraries. More differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in SC than in BC culm development. The DEGs between BC and SC were assigned to 108 metabolic pathways. The 1064 DEGs in early development might mainly control the launch of culm-shape differentiation. Sixty genes encoding components of hormone signaling pathways were differentially expressed between BC5 and SC5, indicating complex hormonal regulation of culm differentiation. The AUX/IAA, ARF, PP2C, SnRK2, and ABF genes involved in auxin and abscisic acid signaling played key roles. These results help us to understand the molecular mechanism of culm variation and other aspects of culm development in D. sinicus.

Hypocotyl directional growth in Arabidopsis: a complex trait

The growth direction of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) etiolated-seedling hypocotyl is a complex trait that is controlled by extrinsic signals such as gravity and touch as well as intrinsic signals such as hormones (brassinosteroid [BR], auxin, cytokinin, ethylene) and nutrient status (glucose [Glc], sucrose). We used a genetic approach to identify the signaling elements and their relationship underlying hypocotyl growth direction. BR randomizes etiolated-seedling growth by inhibiting negative gravitropism of the hypocotyls via modulating auxin homeostasis for which we designate as reset, not to be confused with the gravity set point angle. Cytokinin signaling antagonizes this BR reset of gravity sensing and/or tropism by affecting ethylene biosynthesis/signaling. Glc also antagonizes BR reset but acts independently of cytokinin and ethylene signaling pathways via inhibiting BR-regulated gene expression quantitatively and spatially, by altering protein degradation, and by antagonizing BR-induced changes in microtubule organization and cell patterning associated with hypocotyl agravitropism. This BR reset is reduced in the presence of the microtubule organization inhibitor oryzalin, suggesting a central role for cytoskeleton reorganization. A unifying and hierarchical model of Glc and hormone signaling interplay is proposed. The biological significance of BR-mediated changes in hypocotyl graviresponse lies in the fact that BR signaling sensitizes the dark-grown seedling hypocotyl to the presence of obstacles, overriding gravitropism, to enable efficient circumnavigation through soil.