The plant tryptophan (Trp) biosynthetic pathway produces many secondary metabolites with diverse functions. Indole- 3-acetic acid (IAA), proposed as a derivative from Trp or its precursors, plays an essential role in plant growth and development. Although the Trp-dependant and Trp-independent IAA biosynthetic pathways have been proposed, the enzymes, reactions and regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. In Arabidopsis, indole-3-glycerol phosphate (IGP) is suggested to serve as a branchpoint component in the Trp-independent IAA biosynthesis. To address whether other enzymes in addition to Trp synthase α (TSA1) catalyze IGP cleavage, we identified and characterized an indole synthase (INS) gene, a homolog of TSA1 in Arabidopsis. INS exhibits different subcellular localization from TSA1 owing to the lack of chloroplast transit peptide (cTP). In silico data show that the expression levels of INS and TSA1 in all examined organs are quite different. Histochemical staining of INS promoter-GUS transgenic lines indicates that INS is expressed in vascular tissue of cotyledons, hypocotyls, roots and rosette leaves as well as in flowers and siliques. INS is capable of complementing the Trp auxotrophy of Escherichia coli trpA strain, which is defective in Trp synthesis due to the deletion of TSA. This implies that INS catalyzes the conversion of IGP to indole and may be involved in the biosynthesis of Trp-independent IAA or other secondary metabolites in Arabidopsis.
Carotenoids, a class of natural pigments found in all photosynthetic organisms, are involved in a variety of physiologi-cal processes, including coloration, photoprotection, biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA) and chloroplast biogenesis.Although carotenoid biosynthesis has been well studied biochemically, the genetic basis of the pathway is not wellunderstood. Here, we report the characterization of two allelic Arabidopsis mutants, spontaneous cell death 1-1 (spcl-1)and spcl-2. The weak allele spcl-1 mutant showed characteristics of bleached leaves, accumulation of superoxide andmosaic cell death. The strong mutant allele spcl-2 caused a complete arrest of plant growth and development shortlyafter germination, leading to a seedling-lethal phenotype. Genetic and molecular analyses indicated that SPC1 encodesa putative ζ-carotene desaturase (ZDS) in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. Analysis of carotenoids revealed thatseveral major carotenoid compounds downstream of SPC1/ZDS were substantially reduced in spcl-1, suggesting thatSPC1 is a functional ZDS. Consistent with the downregulated expression of CAO and PORB, the chlorophyll contentwas decreased in spcl-1 plants. In addition, expression of Lhcb1.1, Lhcb1.4 and RbcS was absent in spcl-2, suggestingthe possible involvement of carotenoids in the plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signaling. The spcl-1 mutant also displaysan ABA-deficient phenotype that can be partially rescued by the externally supplied phytohormone. These results suggestthat SPC1/ZDS is essential for biosynthesis of carotenoids and plays a crucial role in plant growth and development.
The KNAT1 gene is a member of the Class I KNOX homeobox gene family and is thought to play an important role i...
Xiao-Qun Wang,Wei-Hui Xu,Li-Geng Ma,Zhi-Ming Fu,Xing-Wang Deng,Jia-Yang Li and Yong-Hong Wang State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research,Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology,the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China Peking-Yale Joint Center of Plant Molecular Genetics and Agrobiotechnology,College of Life Sciences,Peking University,Beijing 100871,China National Institute of Biological Sciences,Zhongguancun Biological Science Park,Beijing 102206,China
RAV1 is a novel DNA-binding protein with two distinct DNA-binding domains unique in higher plants,but its role in plant growth and development remains unknown. Using cDNA array,we found that transcription of RAV1 is downregulated by epibrassinolide (epiBL) in Arabidopsis suspension cells. RNA gel blot analysis revealed that epiBL-regulated RAV1 transcription involves neither protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation nor newly synthesized protein,and does not require the functional BRI1,suggesting that this regulation might be through a new BR signaling pathway.Overexpressing RAV1 in Arabidopsis results in a retardation of lateral root and rosette leaf development,and the underexpression causes an earlier flowering phenotype,implying that RAV1 may function as a negative regulatory component of growth and development.
