Regulation of auxin homeostasis and gradients in Arabidopsis roots through the formation of the indole-3-acetic acid catabolite 2-oxindole-3-acetic acid.

The native auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), is a major regulator of plant growth and development. Its nonuniform distribution between cells and tissues underlies the spatiotemporal coordination of many developmental events and responses to environmental stimuli. The regulation of auxin gradients and the formation of auxin maxima/minima most likely involve the regulation of both metabolic and transport processes. In this article, we have demonstrated that 2-oxindole-3-acetic acid (oxIAA) is a major primary IAA catabolite formed in Arabidopsis thaliana root tissues. OxIAA had little biological activity and was formed rapidly and irreversibly in response to increases in auxin levels. We further showed that there is cell type-specific regulation of oxIAA levels in the Arabidopsis root apex. We propose that oxIAA is an important element in the regulation of output from auxin gradients and, therefore, in the regulation of auxin homeostasis and response mechanisms.

Sequential induction of auxin efflux and influx carriers regulates lateral root emergence.

In Arabidopsis, lateral roots originate from pericycle cells deep within the primary root. New lateral root primordia (LRP) have to emerge through several overlaying tissues. Here, we report that auxin produced in new LRP is transported towards the outer tissues where it triggers cell separation by inducing both the auxin influx carrier LAX3 and cell-wall enzymes. LAX3 is expressed in just two cell files overlaying new LRP. To understand how this striking pattern of LAX3 expression is regulated, we developed a mathematical model that captures the network regulating its expression and auxin transport within realistic three-dimensional cell and tissue geometries. Our model revealed that, for the LAX3 spatial expression to be robust to natural variations in root tissue geometry, an efflux carrier is required--later identified to be PIN3. To prevent LAX3 from being transiently expressed in multiple cell files, PIN3 and LAX3 must be induced consecutively, which we later demonstrated to be the case. Our study exemplifies how mathematical models can be used to direct experiments to elucidate complex developmental processes.

The Arabidopsis LRR-RLK, PXC1, is a regulator of secondary wall formation correlated with the TDIF-PXY/TDR-WOX4 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Although a number of leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase-encoding genes (LRR-RLKs) have been identified in plants, a functional role has been determined for only a few. Recent studies have demonstrated that an LRR-RLK, PXY/TDR, is important for the process of secondary vascular development. Other studies have indicated that PXY/TDR is unlikely to be the sole LRR-RLK involved in this complex process. RESULTS: In this study, in silico analyses led to the identification of three Arabidopsis LRR-RLK genes (PXY-correlated; PXC1, 2, 3) with transcript accumulation profiles that correlated strongly with several key regulators of vascular development, including PXY/TDR, HB-8, REV, and CLE41. Expression profiling using qPCR and promoter:reporter lines indicated that all three PXC genes are associated with the vasculature. One in particular, PXC1 (At2g36570), had a strong correlation with PXY/TDR. Shifting pxc1 mutants from long-days to short-days showed that loss of the gene led to a dramatic reduction in secondary wall formation in xylem fibers. Transcript analysis of mutants for a variety of secondary cell wall-associated genes, including PXY/TDR indicated that the pathways mediated by PXC1 connect with those mediated by the TDIF-PXY/TDR-WOX4 system. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that the LRR-RLK, PXC1 is involved in secondary cell wall formation in xylem fibers. Whereas further study is needed to identify the ligands and mode of action of the PXC1 protein, it is clear from this work that similarly to the shoot apical meristem (SAM), secondary vascular development requires contributions from a number of LRR-RLKs.

Soluble carbohydrates regulate auxin biosynthesis via PIF proteins in Arabidopsis.

Plants are necessarily highly competitive and have finely tuned mechanisms to adjust growth and development in accordance with opportunities and limitations in their environment. Sugars from photosynthesis form an integral part of this growth control process, acting as both an energy source and as signaling molecules in areas targeted for growth. The plant hormone auxin similarly functions as a signaling molecule and a driver of growth and developmental processes. Here, we show that not only do the two act in concert but that auxin metabolism is itself regulated by the availability of free sugars. The regulation of the biosynthesis and degradation of the main auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), by sugars requires changes in the expression of multiple genes and metabolites linked to several IAA biosynthetic pathways. The induction also involves members of the recently described central regulator PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR transcription factor family. Linking these three known regulators of growth provides a model for the dynamic coordination of responses to a changing environment.

Reduced expression of the SHORT-ROOT gene increases the rates of growth and development in hybrid poplar and Arabidopsis.

SHORT-ROOT (SHR) is a well characterized regulator of cell division and cell fate determination in the Arabidopsis primary root. However, much less is known about the functions of SHR in the aerial parts of the plant. In this work, we cloned SHR gene from Populus trichocarpa (PtSHR1) as an AtSHR ortholog and down-regulated its expression in hybrid poplar (Populus tremula×P. tremuloides Michx-clone T89) in order to determine its physiological functions in shoot development. Sharing a 90% similarity to AtSHR at amino acid level, PtSHR1 was able to complement the Arabidopsis shr mutant. Down regulation of PtSHR1 led to a strong enhancement of primary (height) and secondary (girth) growth rates in the transgenic poplars. A similar approach in Arabidopsis showed a comparable accelerated growth and development phenotype. Our results suggest that the response to SHR could be dose-dependent and that a partial down-regulation of SHR could lead to enhanced meristem activity and a coordinated acceleration of plant growth in woody species. Therefore, SHR functions in plant growth and development as a regulator of cell division and meristem activity not only in the roots but also in the shoots. Reducing SHR expression in transgenic poplar was shown to lead to significant increases in primary and secondary growth rates. Given the current interest in bioenergy crops, SHR has a broader role as a key regulator of whole plant growth and development and SHR suppression has considerable potential for accelerating biomass accumulation in a variety of species.

Short-Root regulates primary, lateral, and adventitious root development in Arabidopsis.

Short-Root (SHR) is a well-characterized regulator of radial patterning and indeterminacy of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) primary root. However, its role during the elaboration of root system architecture remains unclear. We report that the indeterminate wild-type Arabidopsis root system was transformed into a determinate root system in the shr mutant when growing in soil or agar. The root growth behavior of the shr mutant results from its primary root apical meristem failing to initiate cell division following germination. The inability of shr to reactivate mitotic activity in the root apical meristem is associated with the progressive reduction in the abundance of auxin efflux carriers, PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1), PIN2, PIN3, PIN4, and PIN7. The loss of primary root growth in shr is compensated by the activation of anchor root primordia, whose tissues are radially patterned like the wild type. However, SHR function is not restricted to the primary root but is also required for the initiation and patterning of lateral root primordia. In addition, SHR is necessary to maintain the indeterminate growth of lateral and anchor roots. We conclude that SHR regulates a wide array of Arabidopsis root-related developmental processes.

Cytokinin regulation of auxin synthesis in Arabidopsis involves a homeostatic feedback loop regulated via auxin and cytokinin signal transduction.

Together, auxin and cytokinin regulate many of the processes that are critical to plant growth, development, and environmental responsiveness. We have previously shown that exogenous auxin regulates cytokinin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this work, we show that, conversely, the application or induced ectopic biosynthesis of cytokinin leads to a rapid increase in auxin biosynthesis in young, developing root and shoot tissues. We also show that reducing endogenous cytokinin levels, either through the induction of CYTOKININ OXIDASE expression or the mutation of one or more of the cytokinin biosynthetic ISOPENTENYLTRANSFERASE genes leads to a reduction in auxin biosynthesis. Cytokinin modifies the abundance of transcripts for several putative auxin biosynthetic genes, suggesting a direct induction of auxin biosynthesis by cytokinin. Our data indicate that cytokinin is essential, not only to maintain basal levels of auxin biosynthesis in developing root and shoot tissues but also for the dynamic regulation of auxin biosynthesis in response to changing developmental or environmental conditions. In combination with our previous work, the data suggest that a homeostatic feedback regulatory loop involving both auxin and cytokinin signaling acts to maintain appropriate auxin and cytokinin concentrations in developing root and shoot tissues.

An auxin gradient and maximum in the Arabidopsis root apex shown by high-resolution cell-specific analysis of IAA distribution and synthesis.

Local concentration gradients of the plant growth regulator auxin (indole-3-acetic acid [IAA]) are thought to instruct the positioning of organ primordia and stem cell niches and to direct cell division, expansion, and differentiation. High-resolution measurements of endogenous IAA concentrations in support of the gradient hypothesis are required to substantiate this hypothesis. Here, we introduce fluorescence-activated cell sorting of green fluorescent protein-marked cell types combined with highly sensitive mass spectrometry methods as a novel means for analyses of IAA distribution and metabolism at cellular resolution. Our results reveal the presence of IAA concentration gradients within the Arabidopsis thaliana root tip with a distinct maximum in the organizing quiescent center of the root apex. We also demonstrate that the root apex provides an important source of IAA and that cells of all types display a high synthesis capacity, suggesting a substantial contribution of local biosynthesis to auxin homeostasis in the root tip. Our results indicate that local biosynthesis and polar transport combine to produce auxin gradients and maxima in the root tip.

The Populus Genome Integrative Explorer (PopGenIE): a new resource for exploring the Populus genome.

Populus has become an important model plant system. However, utilization of the increasingly extensive collection of genetics and genomics data created by the community is currently hindered by the lack of a central resource, such as a model organism database (MOD). Such MODs offer a single entry point to the collection of resources available within a model system, typically including tools for exploring and querying those resources. As a starting point to overcoming the lack of such an MOD for Populus, we present the Populus Genome Integrative Explorer (PopGenIE), an integrated set of tools for exploring the Populus genome and transcriptome. The resource includes genome, synteny and quantitative trait locus (QTL) browsers for exploring genetic data. Expression tools include an electronic fluorescent pictograph (eFP) browser, expression profile plots, co-regulation within collated transcriptomics data sets, and identification of over-represented functional categories and genomic hotspot locations. A number of collated transcriptomics data sets are made available in the eFP browser to facilitate functional exploration of gene function. Additional homology and data extraction tools are provided. PopGenIE significantly increases accessibility to Populus genomics resources and allows exploration of transcriptomics data without the need to learn or understand complex statistical analysis methods. PopGenIE is available at www.popgenie.org or via www.populusgenome.info.

The auxin influx carrier LAX3 promotes lateral root emergence.

Lateral roots originate deep within the parental root from a small number of founder cells at the periphery of vascular tissues and must emerge through intervening layers of tissues. We describe how the hormone auxin, which originates from the developing lateral root, acts as a local inductive signal which re-programmes adjacent cells. Auxin induces the expression of a previously uncharacterized auxin influx carrier LAX3 in cortical and epidermal cells directly overlaying new primordia. Increased LAX3 activity reinforces the auxin-dependent induction of a selection of cell-wall-remodelling enzymes, which are likely to promote cell separation in advance of developing lateral root primordia.

Rapid synthesis of auxin via a new tryptophan-dependent pathway is required for shade avoidance in plants.

Plants grown at high densities perceive a decrease in the red to far-red (R:FR) ratio of incoming light, resulting from absorption of red light by canopy leaves and reflection of far-red light from neighboring plants. These changes in light quality trigger a series of responses known collectively as the shade avoidance syndrome. During shade avoidance, stems elongate at the expense of leaf and storage organ expansion, branching is inhibited, and flowering is accelerated. We identified several loci in Arabidopsis, mutations in which lead to plants defective in multiple shade avoidance responses. Here we describe TAA1, an aminotransferase, and show that TAA1 catalyzes the formation of indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPA) from L-tryptophan (L-Trp), the first step in a previously proposed, but uncharacterized, auxin biosynthetic pathway. This pathway is rapidly deployed to synthesize auxin at the high levels required to initiate the multiple changes in body plan associated with shade avoidance.

Dissecting the molecular basis of the regulation of wood formation by auxin in hybrid aspen.

Indole acetic acid (auxin) is a key regulator of wood formation, and an observed overlap between auxin concentration gradient and developing secondary xylem cells has led to the hypothesis that auxin regulates wood formation by acting as a morphogen. We dissected the role of auxin in wood formation by identifying the auxin-responsive transcriptome in wood-forming tissues and investigating alterations in wood formation in transgenic hybrid aspen plants (Populus tremula x Populus tremuloides) with perturbed auxin signaling. We showed that auxin-responsive genes in wood-forming tissues respond dynamically to changes in cellular auxin levels. However, the expression patterns of most of the auxin-responsive genes displayed limited correlation with the auxin concentration across this developmental zone. Perturbing auxin signaling by reducing auxin responsiveness reduced the cambial cell division activity, caused spatial deregulation of cell division of the cambial initials, and led to reductions in not only radial but also axial dimensions of fibers and vessels. We propose that, instead of acting as a morphogen, changes in auxin concentration in developing secondary xylem cells may provide important regulatory cues that modulate the expression of a few key regulators; these, in turn, may control the global gene expression patterns that are essential for normal secondary xylem development.

Disruptions in AUX1-dependent auxin influx alter hypocotyl phototropism in Arabidopsis.

Phototropism represents a differential growth response by which plant organs can respond adaptively to changes in the direction of incident light to optimize leaf/stem positioning for photosynthetic light capture and root growth orientation for water/nutrient acquisition. Studies over the past few years have identified a number of components in the signaling pathway(s) leading to development of phototropic curvatures in hypocotyls. These include the phototropin photoreceptors (phot1 and phot2) that perceive directional blue-light (BL) cues and then stimulate signaling, leading to relocalization of the plant hormone auxin, as well as the auxin response factor NPH4/ARF7 that responds to changes in local auxin concentrations to directly mediate expression of genes likely encoding proteins necessary for development of phototropic curvatures. While null mutations in NPH4/ARF7 condition an aphototropic response to unidirectional BL, seedlings carrying the same mutations recover BL-dependent phototropic responsiveness if co-irradiated with red light (RL) or pre-treated with either ethylene. In the present study, we identify second-site enhancer mutations in the nph4 background that abrogate these recovery responses. One of these mutations--map1 (modifier of arf7 phenotypes 1)--was found to represent a missense allele of AUX1--a gene encoding a high-affinity auxin influx carrier previously associated with a number of root responses. Pharmacological studies and analyses of additional aux1 mutants confirmed that AUX1 functions as a modulator of hypocotyl phototropism. Moreover, we have found that the strength of dependence of hypocotyl phototropism on AUX1-mediated auxin influx is directly related to the auxin responsiveness of the seedling in question.

Ethylene upregulates auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seedlings to enhance inhibition of root cell elongation.

Ethylene represents an important regulatory signal for root development. Genetic studies in Arabidopsis thaliana have demonstrated that ethylene inhibition of root growth involves another hormone signal, auxin. This study investigated why auxin was required by ethylene to regulate root growth. We initially observed that ethylene positively controls auxin biosynthesis in the root apex. We subsequently demonstrated that ethylene-regulated root growth is dependent on (1) the transport of auxin from the root apex via the lateral root cap and (2) auxin responses occurring in multiple elongation zone tissues. Detailed growth studies revealed that the ability of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid to inhibit root cell elongation was significantly enhanced in the presence of auxin. We conclude that by upregulating auxin biosynthesis, ethylene facilitates its ability to inhibit root cell expansion.

Ubiquitin lysine 63 chain forming ligases regulate apical dominance in Arabidopsis.

Lys-63-linked multiubiquitin chains play important roles in signal transduction in yeast and in mammals, but the functions for this type of chain in plants remain to be defined. The RING domain protein RGLG2 (for RING domain Ligase2) from Arabidopsis thaliana can be N-terminally myristoylated and localizes to the plasma membrane. It can form Lys-63-linked multiubiquitin chains in an in vitro reaction. RGLG2 has overlapping functions with its closest sequelog, RGLG1, and single mutants in either gene are inconspicuous. rglg1 rglg2 double mutant plants exhibit loss of apical dominance and altered phyllotaxy, two traits critically influenced by the plant hormone auxin. Auxin and cytokinin levels are changed, and the plants show a decreased response to exogenously added auxin. Changes in the abundance of PIN family auxin transport proteins and synthetic lethality with a mutation in the auxin transport regulator BIG suggest that the directional flow of auxin is modulated by RGLG activity. Modification of proteins by Lys-63-linked multiubiquitin chains is thus important for hormone-regulated, basic plant architecture.

The POLARIS peptide of Arabidopsis regulates auxin transport and root growth via effects on ethylene signaling.

The rate and plane of cell division and anisotropic cell growth are critical for plant development and are regulated by diverse mechanisms involving several hormone signaling pathways. Little is known about peptide signaling in plant growth; however, Arabidopsis thaliana POLARIS (PLS), encoding a 36-amino acid peptide, is required for correct root growth and vascular development. Mutational analysis implicates a role for the peptide in hormone responses, but the basis of PLS action is obscure. Using the Arabidopsis root as a model to study PLS action in plant development, we discovered a link between PLS, ethylene signaling, auxin homeostasis, and microtubule cytoskeleton dynamics. Mutation of PLS results in an enhanced ethylene-response phenotype, defective auxin transport and homeostasis, and altered microtubule sensitivity to inhibitors. These defects, along with the short-root phenotype, are suppressed by genetic and pharmacological inhibition of ethylene action. PLS expression is repressed by ethylene and induced by auxin. Our results suggest a mechanism whereby PLS negatively regulates ethylene responses to modulate cell division and expansion via downstream effects on microtubule cytoskeleton dynamics and auxin signaling, thereby influencing root growth and lateral root development. This mechanism involves a regulatory loop of auxin-ethylene interactions.

Roles of Arabidopsis ATP/ADP isopentenyltransferases and tRNA isopentenyltransferases in cytokinin biosynthesis.

Cytokinins, which are central regulators of cell division and differentiation in plants, are adenine derivatives carrying an isopentenyl side chain that may be hydroxylated. Plants have two classes of isopentenyltransferases (IPTs) acting on the adenine moiety: ATP/ADP isopentenyltransferases (in Arabidopsis thaliana, AtIPT1, 3, 4-8) and tRNA IPTs (in Arabidopsis, AtIPT2 and 9). ATP/ADP IPTs are likely to be responsible for the bulk of cytokinin synthesis, whereas it is thought that cis-zeatin (cZ)-type cytokinins are produced possibly by degradation of cis-hydroxy isopentenyl tRNAs, which are formed by tRNA IPTs. However, these routes are largely hypothetical because of lack of in vivo evidence, because the critical experiment necessary to verify these routes, namely the production and analysis of mutants lacking AtIPTs, has not yet been described. We isolated null mutants for all members of the ATP/ADP IPT and tRNA IPT gene families in Arabidopsis. Notably, our work demonstrates that the atipt1 3 5 7 quadruple mutant possesses severely decreased levels of isopentenyladenine and trans-zeatin (tZ), and their corresponding ribosides, ribotides, and glucosides, and is retarded in its growth. In contrast, these mutants possessed increased levels of cZ-type cytokinins. The atipt2 9 double mutant, on the other hand, lacked isopentenyl- and cis-hydroxy isopentenyl-tRNA, and cZ-type cytokinins. These results indicate that whereas ATP/ADP IPTs are responsible for the bulk of isopentenyladenine- and tZ-type cytokinin synthesis, tRNA IPTs are required for cZ-type cytokinin production. This work clarifies the long-standing questions of the biosynthetic routes for isopentenyladenine-, tZ-, and cZ-type cytokinin production.

STY1 regulates auxin homeostasis and affects apical-basal patterning of the Arabidopsis gynoecium.

Gynoecia of the Arabidopsis mutant sty1-1 display abnormal style morphology and altered vascular patterning. These phenotypes, which are enhanced in the sty1-1 sty2-1 double mutant, suggest that auxin homeostasis or signalling might be affected by mutations in STY1 and STY2, both members of the SHI gene family. Chemical inhibition of polar auxin transport (PAT) severely affects the apical-basal patterning of the gynoecium, as do mutations in the auxin transport/signalling genes PIN1, PID and ETT. Here we show that the apical-basal patterning of sty1-1 and sty1-1 sty2-1 gynoecia is hypersensitive to reductions in PAT, and that sty1-1 enhances the PAT inhibition-like phenotypes of pin1-5, pid-8 and ett-1 gynoecia. Furthermore, we show that STY1 activates transcription of the flavin monooxygenase-encoding gene THREAD/YUCCA4, involved in auxin biosynthesis, and that changes in expression of STY1 and related genes lead to altered auxin homeostasis. Our results suggest that STY1 and related genes promote normal development of the style and affect apical-basal patterning of the gynoecium through regulation of auxin homeostasis.

Proteomic analysis of different mutant genotypes of Arabidopsis led to the identification of 11 proteins correlating with adventitious root development.

A lack of competence to form adventitious roots by cuttings or explants in vitro occurs routinely and is an obstacle for the clonal propagation and rapid fixation of elite genotypes. Adventitious rooting is known to be a quantitative genetic trait. We performed a proteomic analysis of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants affected in their ability to develop adventitious roots in order to identify associated molecular markers that could be used to select genotypes for their rooting ability and/or to get further insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling adventitious rooting. Comparison of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis protein profiles resulted in the identification of 11 proteins whose abundance could be either positively or negatively correlated with endogenous auxin content, the number of adventitious root primordia, and/or the number of mature adventitious roots. One protein was negatively correlated only to the number of root primordia and two were negatively correlated to the number of mature adventitious roots. Two putative chaperone proteins were positively correlated only to the number of primordia, and, interestingly, three auxin-inducible GH3-like proteins were positively correlated with the number of mature adventitious roots. The others were correlated with more than one parameter. The 11 proteins are predicted to be involved in different biological processes, including the regulation of auxin homeostasis and light-associated metabolic pathways. The results identify regulatory pathways associated with adventitious root formation and represent valuable markers that might be used for the future identification of genotypes with better rooting abilities.

A gradient of auxin and auxin-dependent transcription precedes tropic growth responses.

Plants, although sessile, can reorient growth axes in response to changing environmental conditions. Phototropism and gravitropism represent adaptive growth responses induced by changes in light direction and growth axis orientation relative to gravitational direction, respectively. The nearly 80-year-old Cholodny-Went theory [Went, F. W. & Thimann, K. V. (1937) Phytohormones (Macmillan, New York)] predicts that formation of a gradient of the plant morphogen auxin is central to the establishment of tropic curvature. Loss of tropic responses in seedling stems of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lacking the auxin-regulated transcriptional activator NPH4/ARF7 has further suggested that a gradient of gene expression represents an essential output from the auxin gradient. Yet the molecular identities of such output components, which are likely to encode proteins directly involved in growth control, have remained elusive. Here we report the discovery of a suite of tropic stimulus-induced genes in Brassica oleracea that are responsive to an auxin gradient and exhibit morphologically graded expression concomitant with, or before, observable curvature responses. These results provide compelling molecular support for the Cholodny-Went theory and suggest that morphologically graded transcription represents an important mechanism for interpreting tropically stimulated gradients of auxin. Intriguingly, two of the tropic stimulus-induced genes, EXPA1 and EXPA8, encode enzymes involved in cell wall extension, a response prerequisite for differential growth leading to curvatures, and are up-regulated before curvature in the flank that will elongate. This observation suggests that morphologically graded transcription likely leads to the graded expression of proteins whose activities can directly regulate the establishment and modulation of tropic curvatures.