Natural variation in the expression of ORGANIC CATION TRANSPORTER 1 affects root length responses to cadaverine in Arabidopsis.

Polyamines, including cadaverine, are organic cations that affect numerous biological processes including transcription, translation, cell signalling, and ion channel activity. They often function in biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. Because little is known about how plants respond to cadaverine, a quantitative natural variation approach was used to identify genetic factors that contribute to this response. Here it is shown that Arabidopsis thaliana accessions have varying root length responses to exogenous cadaverine: Cape Verde Islands (Cvi) was one of the most resistant accessions tested, whereas Landsberg erecta (Ler) was one of the most sensitive. Recombinant inbred lines, near isogenic lines, and a microarray were used to show that variation in ORGANIC CATION TRANSPORTER 1 (OCT1) is at least partially responsible for this difference. OCT1 expression was higher in Cvi than in Ler, and oct1 mutants were more sensitive to cadaverine than wild-type plants. In oct1 mutants transformed with an ectopic copy of OCT1 originating from either Cvi or Ler, the expression level of the transgene, not its accession, correlated with the cadaverine response. These results suggest that decreased OCT1 expression confers cadaverine sensitivity in some accessions.

A QTL Study for Regions Contributing to Arabidopsis thaliana Root Skewing on Tilted Surfaces.

Plant root systems must grow in a manner that is dictated by endogenous genetic pathways, yet sensitive to environmental input. This allows them to provide the plant with water and nutrients while navigating a heterogeneous soil environment filled with obstacles, toxins, and pests. Gravity and touch, which constitute important cues for roots growing in soil, have been shown to modulate root architecture by altering growth patterns. This is illustrated by Arabidopsis thaliana roots growing on tilted hard agar surfaces. Under these conditions, the roots are exposed to both gravity and touch stimulation. Consequently, they tend to skew their growth away from the vertical and wave along the surface. This complex growth behavior is believed to help roots avoid obstacles in nature. Interestingly, A. thaliana accessions display distinct growth patterns under these conditions, suggesting the possibility of using this variation as a tool to identify the molecular mechanisms that modulate root behavior in response to their mechanical environment. We have used the Cvi/Ler recombinant inbred line population to identify quantitative trait loci that contribute to root skewing on tilted hard agar surfaces. A combination of fine mapping for one of these QTL and microarray analysis of expression differences between Cvi and Ler root tips identifies a region on chromosome 2 as contributing to root skewing on tilted surfaces, potentially by modulating cell wall composition.