Changes in starch and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate levels and auxin transport are interrelated in graviresponding oat (Avena sativa) shoots

The functions of phospholipases and their hydrolysis products in plant growth, development and stress responses

Cell membranes are the initial site of stimulus perception from environment and phospholipids are the basic and important components of cell membranes. Phospholipases hydrolyze membrane lipids to generate various cellular mediators. These phospholipase-derived products, such as diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, inositol phosphates, lysophopsholipids, and free fatty acids, act as second messengers, playing vital roles in signal transduction during plant growth, development, and stress responses. This review focuses on the structure, substrate specificities, reaction requirements, and acting mechanism of several phospholipase families. It will discuss their functional significance in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In addition, it will highlight some critical knowledge gaps in the action mechanism, metabolic and signaling roles of these phospholipases and their products in the context of plant growth, development and stress responses.

Link between Lipid Second Messengers and Osmotic Stress in Plants

Plants are subject to different types of stress, which consequently affect their growth and development. They have developed mechanisms for recognizing and processing an extracellular signal. Second messengers are transient molecules that modulate the physiological responses in plant cells under stress conditions. In this sense, it has been shown in various plant models that membrane lipids are substrates for the generation of second lipid messengers such as phosphoinositide, phosphatidic acid, sphingolipids, and lysophospholipids. In recent years, research on lipid second messengers has been moving toward using genetic and molecular approaches to reveal the molecular setting in which these molecules act in response to osmotic stress. In this sense, these studies have established that second messengers can transiently recruit target proteins to the membrane and, therefore, affect protein conformation, activity, and gene expression. This review summarizes recent advances in responses related to the link between lipid second messengers and osmotic stress in plant cells.

Brevis plant1, a putative inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase, is required for internode elongation in maize

In maize (Zea mays L.), as in other grass species, stem elongation occurs during growth and most noticeably upon the transition to flowering. Genes that reduce stem elongation have been important to reduce stem breakage, or lodging. Stem elongation has been mediated by dwarf and brachytic/brevis plant mutants that affect giberellic acid and auxin pathways, respectively. Maize brevis plant1 (bv1) mutants, first identified over 80 years ago, strongly resemble brachytic2 mutants that have shortened internodes, short internode cells, and are deficient in auxin transport. Here, we characterized two novel bv1 maize mutants. We found that an inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase orthologue of the rice gene dwarf50 was the molecular basis for the bv1 phenotype, implicating auxin-mediated inositol polyphosphate and/or phosphoinositide signalling in stem elongation. We suggest that auxin-mediated internode elongation involves processes that also contribute to stem gravitropism. Genes misregulated in bv1 mutants included genes important for cell wall synthesis, transmembrane transport, and cytoskeletal function. Mutant and wild-type plants were indistinguishable early in development, responded similarly to changes in light quality, had unaltered flowering times, and had normal flower development. These attributes suggest that breeding could utilize bv1 alleles to increase crop grain yields.

Function and regulation of phospholipid signalling in plants

As an important metabolic pathway, phosphatidylinositol metabolism generates both constitutive and signalling molecules that are crucial for plant growth and development. Recent studies using genetic and molecular approaches reveal the important roles of phospholipid molecules and signalling in multiple processes of higher plants, including root growth, pollen and vascular development, hormone effects and cell responses to environmental stimuli plants. The present review summarizes the current progress in our understanding of the functional mechanism of phospholipid signalling, with an emphasis on the regulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3-Ca2+ oscillation, the second messenger molecule phosphatidic acid and the cytoskeleton.

Increased levels of reactive oxygen species and expression of a cytoplasmic aconitase/iron regulatory protein 1 homolog during the early response of maize pulvini to gravistimulation

The maize (Zea mays L.) stem pulvinus is a disc of tissue located apical to each node that functions to return a tipped stem to a more upright position via increased cell elongation on its lower side. We investigated the possibility that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), in particular, are involved in the gravitropic response of the pulvinus prior to initiation of the growth response by employing the cytochemical stain 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB). DAB polymers were found in the bundle sheath cells of gravistimulated pulvini in association with amyloplasts after 1 min of gravistimulation, and the signal spread throughout the cytosol of these cells by 30 min. Furthermore, treatment of maize stem explants containing pulvini with 1 mm H2O2 on their upper sides caused reversal of bending polarity. Similar, though less dramatic, results were obtained via application of 1 mm ascorbic acid to the lower side of the explants. In addition, we determined that a maize cytoplasmic aconitase/iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) homolog is up-regulated in the pulvinus bundle sheath cells after gravistimulation using suppressive subtractive hybridization PCR (SSH PCR), real-time RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. Although we do not yet know the role of the IRP1 homolog in the pulvinus, the protein is known to be a redox sensor in other systems. Collectively, our results point to an increase in ROS quite early in the gravitropic signalling pathway and its possible role in determining the direction of bending of the pulvini. We speculate that an ROS burst may serve to link the physical phenomenon of amyloplast sedimentation to the changes in cellular biochemistry and gene expression that facilitate directional growth.