Expression analyses of AtAGP17 and AtAGP19, two lysine-rich arabinogalactan proteins, in Arabidopsis

Making and breaking of boron bridges in the pectic domain rhamnogalacturonan-II at apoplastic pH in vivo and in vitro

Cross-linking of the cell-wall pectin domain rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II) via boron bridges between apiose residues is essential for normal plant growth and development, but little is known about its mechanism or reversibility. We characterized the making and breaking of boron bridges in vivo and in vitro at 'apoplastic' pH. RG-II (13-26 μm) was incubated in living Rosa cell cultures and cell-free media with and without 1.2 mm H3 BO3 and cationic chaperones (Ca2+ , Pb2+ , polyhistidine, or arabinogalactan-protein oligopeptides). The cross-linking status of RG-II was monitored electrophoretically. Dimeric RG-II was stable at pH 2.0-7.0 in vivo and in vitro. In-vitro dimerization required a 'catalytic' cation at all pHs tested (1.75-7.0); thus, merely neutralizing the negative charge of RG-II (at pH 1.75) does not enable boron bridging. Pb2+ (20-2500 μm) was highly effective at pH 1.75-4.0, but not 4.75-7.0. Cationic peptides were effective at approximately 1-30 μm; higher concentrations caused less dimerization, probably because two RG-IIs then rarely bonded to the same peptide molecule. Peptides were ineffective at pH 1.75, their pH optimum being 2.5-4.75. d-Apiose (>40 mm) blocked RG-II dimerization in vitro, but did not cleave existing boron bridges. Rosa cells did not take up d-[U-14 C]apiose; therefore, exogenous apiose would block only apoplastic RG-II dimerization in vivo. In conclusion, apoplastic pH neither broke boron bridges nor prevented their formation. Thus boron-starved cells cannot salvage boron from RG-II, and 'acid growth' is not achieved by pH-dependent monomerization of RG-II. Divalent metals and cationic peptides catalyse RG-II dimerization via co-ordinate and ionic bonding respectively (possible and impossible, respectively, at pH 1.75). Exogenous apiose may be useful to distinguish intra- and extra-protoplasmic dimerization.

An Arabidopsis thaliana arabinogalactan-protein (AGP31) and several cationic AGP fragments catalyse the boron bridging of rhamnogalacturonan-II

Rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II) is a complex pectic domain in plant primary cell walls. In vivo, most RG-II domains are covalently dimerised via borate diester bridges, essential for correct cell-wall assembly, but the dimerisation of pure RG-II monomers by boric acid in vitro is extremely slow. Cationic ‘chaperones’ can promote dimerisation, probably by overcoming the mutual repulsion between neighbouring anionic RG-II molecules. Highly effective artificial chaperones include Pb²⁺ and polyhistidine, but the proposed natural chaperones remained elusive. We have now tested cationic peptide fragments of several Arabidopsis thaliana arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) as candidates. Fragments of AGP17, 18, 19 and 31 were effective, typically at ∼25 µg/ml (9–19 µM), promoting the boron bridging of 16–20 µM monomeric RG-II at pH 4.8 in vitro. Native AGP31 glycoprotein was also effective, and hexahistidine was moderately so. All chaperones tested interacted reversibly with RG-II and were not consumed during the reaction; thus they acted catalytically, and may constitute the first reported boron-acting enzyme activity, an RG-II borate diesterase. Many of the peptide chaperones became less effective catalysts at higher concentration, which we interpret as due to the formation of RG-II–peptide complexes with a net positive charge, as mutually repulsive as negatively charged pure RG-II molecules. The four unique AGPs studied here may serve an enzymic role in the living plant cell, acting on RG-II within Golgi cisternae and/or in the apoplast after secretion. In this way, RG-II and specific AGPs may contribute to cell-wall assembly and hence plant cell expansion and development.

Arabinogalactan Proteins: Focus on the Role in Cellulose Synthesis and Deposition during Plant Cell Wall Biogenesis

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) belong to a family of glycoproteins that are widely present in plants. AGPs are mostly composed of a protein backbone decorated with complex carbohydrate side chains and are usually anchored to the plasma membrane or secreted extracellularly. A trickle of compelling biochemical and genetic evidence has demonstrated that AGPs make exciting candidates for a multitude of vital activities related to plant growth and development. However, because of the diversity of AGPs, functional redundancy of AGP family members, and blunt-force research tools, the precise functions of AGPs and their mechanisms of action remain elusive. In this review, we put together the current knowledge about the characteristics, classification, and identification of AGPs and make a summary of the biological functions of AGPs in multiple phases of plant reproduction and developmental processes. In addition, we especially discuss deeply the potential mechanisms for AGP action in different biological processes via their impacts on cellulose synthesis and deposition based on previous studies. Particularly, five hypothetical models that may explain the AGP involvement in cellulose synthesis and deposition during plant cell wall biogenesis are proposed. AGPs open a new avenue for understanding cellulose synthesis and deposition in plants.

Arabinogalactan Proteins in Plant Roots - An Update on Possible Functions

Responsiveness to environmental conditions and developmental plasticity of root systems are crucial determinants of plant fitness. These processes are interconnected at a cellular level with cell wall properties and cell surface signaling, which involve arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) as essential components. AGPs are cell-wall localized glycoproteins, often GPI-anchored, which participate in root functions at many levels. They are involved in cell expansion and differentiation, regulation of root growth, interactions with other organisms, and environmental response. Due to the complexity of cell wall functional and regulatory networks, and despite the large amount of experimental data, the exact molecular mechanisms of AGP-action are still largely unknown. This dynamically evolving field of root biology is summarized in the present review.

Identification of Hydroxyproline-Containing Proteins and Hydroxylation of Proline Residues in Rice

The hydroxyproline-containing proteins (HCPs) among secretory and vacuolar proteins play important roles in growth and development of higher plants. Many hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs), including Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs), extensins (EXTs), and proline-rich proteins (PRPs), are identified as HCPs by bioinformatics approaches. The experimental evidence for validation of novel proline hydroxylation sites is vital for understanding their functional roles. In this study, the 62 HCPs containing 114 hydroxyproline (O, Hyp) residues were identified, and it was found that hydroxylation of proline residues in the HCPs could either constitute attachment sites for glycans or have other biological function in rice. The glycomodules of AO, OA, OG, VO, LO, and OE were abundant in the 62 HCPs. Further analysis showed that the 22 of 62 HCPs contained both signal peptides and transmembrane domains, and the 19 HCPs only contained transmembrane domains, while 21 HCPs contained neither. This study indicated the feasibility of mass spectrometry-based proteomics combined with bioinformatics approaches for the large-scale characterization of Hyp sites from complex protein digest mixtures. Furthermore, the expression of AGPs in rice was detected by using β-GlcY reagent and JIM13 antibody. The results displayed that the AGPs were widely distributed in different tissues and organs of rice, especially expressed highly in lateral root, pollen and embryo. In conclusion, our study revealed that the HCPs and Hyp residues in rice were ubiquitous and that these Hyps could be candidates for linking to glycans, which laid the foundation for further studying the functions of HCPs and hydroxylation of proline residues in rice.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Proteins in Arabidopsis and One of Their Common Roles in Signaling Transduction

Diverse proteins are found modified with glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) at their carboxyl terminus in eukaryotes, which allows them to associate with membrane lipid bilayers and anchor on the external surface of the plasma membrane. GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) play crucial roles in various processes, and more and more GPI-APs have been identified and studied. In this review, previous genomic and proteomic predictions of GPI-APs in Arabidopsis have been updated, which reveal their high abundance and complexity. From studies of individual GPI-APs in Arabidopsis, certain GPI-APs have been found associated with partner receptor-like kinases (RLKs), targeting RLKs to their subcellular localization and helping to recognize extracellular signaling polypeptide ligands. Interestingly, the association might also be involved in ligand selection. The analyses suggest that GPI-APs are essential and widely involved in signal transduction through association with RLKs.

Linkage mapping combined with association analysis reveals QTL and candidate genes for three husk traits in maize

Key message Combined linkage and association mapping analyses facilitate the emphasis on the candidate genes putatively involved in maize husk growth. The maize (Zea mays L.) husk consists of multiple leafy layers and plays important roles in protecting the ear from pathogen infection and in preventing grain dehydration. Although husk morphology varies widely among different maize inbred lines, the genetic basis of such variation is poorly understood. In this study, we used three maize recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations to dissect the genetic basis of three husk traits: i.e., husk length (HL), husk width (HW), and the number of husk layers (HN). Three husk traits in all three RIL populations showed wide phenotypic variation and high heritability. The HL showed stronger correlations with ear traits than did HW and HN. A total of 21 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for the three traits in three RIL populations, and some of them were commonly observed for the same trait in different populations. The proportions of total phenotypic variation explained by QTL in three RIL populations were 31.8, 35.3, and 44.5% for HL, HW, and HN, respectively. The highest proportions of phenotypic variation explained by a single QTL were 14.7% for HL in the By815/K22 RIL population (BYK), 13.5% for HW in the By815/DE3 RIL population (BYD), and 19.4% for HN in the BYD population. A combined analysis of linkage mapping with a previous genome-wide association study revealed five candidate genes related to husk morphology situated within three QTL loci. These five genes were related to metabolism, gene expression regulation, and signal transduction.

AtAGP18 is localized at the plasma membrane and functions in plant growth and development

Arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are a family of highly glycosylated hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs). AtAGP17, 18 and 19 comprise the lysine-rich classical AGP subfamily in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of GFP-AtAGP17/18/19 fusion proteins in Arabidopsis revealed localization of the fusion proteins on the plant cell surface of different organs. Subcellular localization of the fusion proteins at the plasma membrane was further determined by plasmolysis of leaf trichome cells. To elucidate AtAGP17/18/19 function(s), these AGPs were expressed without the green fluorescent protein (GFP) tag under the control of 35S cauliflower mosaic virus promoter. In contrast to AtAGP17/AtAGP19 overexpressors which showed phenotypes identical to wild-type plants, AtAGP18 overexpressors displayed several phenotypes distinct from wild-type plants. Specifically, these overexpressors had smaller rosettes and shorter stems and roots, produced more branches and had less viable seeds. Moreover, these AtAGP18 overexpressors exhibited similar phenotypes to tomato LeAGP-1 overexpressors, suggesting these two AGP genes may have similar function(s) in Arabidopsis and tomato.