Regulation of shoot branching in arabidopsis by trehalose 6-phosphate.

Trehalose 6-phosphate (Tre6P) is a sucrose signalling metabolite that has been implicated in regulation of shoot branching, but its precise role is not understood. We expressed tagged forms of TREHALOSE-6-PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE1 (TPS1) to determine where Tre6P is synthesized in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and investigated the impact of localized changes in Tre6P levels, in axillary buds or vascular tissues, on shoot branching in wild-type and branching mutant backgrounds. TPS1 is expressed in axillary buds and the subtending vasculature, as well as in the leaf and stem vasculature. Expression of a heterologous Tre6P phosphatase (TPP) to lower Tre6P in axillary buds strongly delayed bud outgrowth in long days and inhibited branching in short days. TPP expression in the vasculature also delayed lateral bud outgrowth and decreased branching. Increased Tre6P in the vasculature enhanced branching and was accompanied by higher expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and upregulation of sucrose transporters. Increased vascular Tre6P levels enhanced branching in branched1 but not in ft mutant backgrounds. These results provide direct genetic evidence of a local role for Tre6P in regulation of axillary bud outgrowth within the buds themselves, and also connect Tre6P with systemic regulation of shoot branching via FT.

Reproductive failure in Arabidopsis thaliana under transient carbohydrate limitation: flowers and very young siliques are jettisoned and the meristem is maintained to allow successful resumption of reproductive growth.

The impact of transient carbon depletion on reproductive growth in Arabidopsis was investigated by transferring long-photoperiod-grown plants to continuous darkness and returning them to a light-dark cycle. After 2 days of darkness, carbon reserves were depleted in reproductive sinks, and RNA in situ hybridization of marker transcripts showed that carbon starvation responses had been initiated in the meristem, anthers and ovules. Dark treatments of 2 or more days resulted in a bare-segment phenotype on the floral stem, with 23-27 aborted siliques. These resulted from impaired growth of immature siliques and abortion of mature and immature flowers. Depolarization of PIN1 protein and increased DII-VENUS expression pointed to rapid collapse of auxin gradients in the meristem and inhibition of primordia initiation. After transfer back to a light-dark cycle, flowers appeared and formed viable siliques and seeds. A similar phenotype was seen after transfer to sub-compensation point irradiance or CO2 . It also appeared in a milder form after a moderate decrease in irradiance and developed spontaneously in short photoperiods. We conclude that Arabidopsis inhibits primordia initiation and aborts flowers and very young siliques in C-limited conditions. This curtails demand, safeguarding meristem function and allowing renewal of reproductive growth when carbon becomes available again.