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Hillel Fromm

Publications and source records attributed to Hillel Fromm.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Rapid transcriptome changes induced by cytosolic Ca2+ transients reveal ABRE-related sequences as Ca2+-responsive cis elements in Arabidopsis.

The regulation of gene expression by cellular calcium is crucial for plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the number of genes known to respond to specific transient calcium signals is limited, and as yet there is no definition of a calcium-responsive cis element in plants. Here, we generated specific cytosolic calcium transients in intact Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and linked them to early transcriptome changes, followed by bioinformatic analysis of the responsive genes. A cytosolic calcium transient induced by calmodulin antagonists and blocked by lanthanides was characterized using aequorin-based luminometry and photon imaging. Analysis of transcriptome changes revealed 230 calcium-responsive genes, of which 162 were upregulated and 68 were downregulated. These include known early stress-responsive genes as well as genes of unknown function. Analysis of their upstream regions revealed, exclusively in the upregulated genes, a highly significant occurrence of a consensus sequence (P < 10(-13)) comprising two abscisic acid-specific cis elements: the abscisic acid-responsive element (ABRE; CACGTG[T/C/G]) and its coupling element ([C/A]ACGCG[T/C/G]) [corrected] Finally, we show that a tetramer of the ABRE cis element is sufficient to confer transcriptional activation in response to cytosolic Ca(2+) transients. Thus, at least for some specific Ca(2+) transients and motif combinations, ABREs function as Ca(2+)-responsive cis elements.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2006

C-terminal residues of plant glutamate decarboxylase are required for oligomerization of a high-molecular weight complex and for activation by calcium/calmodulin.

Bacterial glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is a homohexameric enzyme of about 330 kDa. Plant GAD differs from the bacterial enzyme in having a C-terminal extension of 33 amino acids within which resides a calmodulin (CaM)-binding domain. In order to assess the role of the C-terminal extension in the formation of GAD complexes and in activation by Ca2+/CaM, we examined complexes formed with the purified full-length recombinant petunia GAD expressed in E. coli, and with a 9 amino acid C-terminal deletion mutant (GADDeltaC9). Size exclusion chromatography revealed that the full-length GAD formed complexes of about 580 kDa and 300 kDa in the absence of Ca2+/CaM, whereas in the presence of Ca2+/CaM all complexes shifted to approximately 680 kDa. With deletion of 9 amino acids from the C-terminus (KKKKTNRVC(500)), the ability to bind CaM in the presence of Ca2+, and to purify it by CaM-affinity chromatography was retained, but the formation of GAD complexes larger than 340 kDa and enzyme activation by Ca2+/CaM were completely abolished. Hence, responsiveness to Ca2+/CaM is associated with the formation of protein complexes of 680 kDa, and requires some or all of the nine C-terminal amino acid residues. We suggest that evolution of plant GAD from a bacterial ancestral enzyme involved the formation of higher molecular weight complexes required for activation by Ca2+/CaM.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

GABA shunt deficiencies and accumulation of reactive oxygen intermediates: insight from Arabidopsis mutants.

In plants, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH)-deficiency results in the accumulation of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), necrotic lesions, dwarfism, and hypersensitivity to environmental stresses. We report that Arabidopsis ssadh knockout mutants contain five times the normal level of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which in SSADH-deficient mammals accounts for phenotypic abnormalities. Moreover, the level of GHB in Arabidopsis is light dependent. Treatment with gamma-vinyl-gamma-aminobutyrate, a specific gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA)-transaminase inhibitor, prevents the accumulation of ROI and GHB in ssadh mutants, inhibits cell death, and improves growth. These results provide novel evidence for the relationship between the GABA shunt and ROI, which may, in part, explain the phenotype of SSADH-deficient plants and animals.

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗
PubMed2005

Plant-specific calmodulin-binding proteins.

Calmodulin CaM is the most prominent Ca2+ transducer in eukaryotic cells, regulating the activity of numerous proteins with diverse cellular functions. Many features of CaM and its downstream targets are similar in plants and other eukaryotes. However, plants possess a unique set of CaM-related proteins, and several unique CaM target proteins. This review discusses recent progress in identifying plant-specific CaM-binding proteins and their roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses and development. The review also addresses aspects emerging from recent structural studies of CaM interactions with target proteins relevant to plants.

Calcium↗
PubMed2004

The root-specific glutamate decarboxylase (GAD1) is essential for sustaining GABA levels in Arabidopsis.

In plants, as in most eukaryotes, glutamate decarboxylase catalyses the synthesis of GABA. The Arabidopsis genome contains five glutamate decarboxylase genes and one of these genes (glutamate decarboxylase1; i.e. GAD1 ) is expressed specifically in roots. By isolating and analyzing three gad1 T-DNA insertion alleles, derived from two ecotypes, we investigated the potential role of GAD1 in GABA production. We also analyzed a promoter region of the GAD1 gene and show that it confers root-specific expression when fused to reporter genes. Phenotypic analysis of the gad1 insertion mutants revealed that GABA levels in roots were drastically reduced compared with those in the wild type. The roots of the wild type contained about sevenfold more GABA than roots of the mutants. Disruption of the GAD1 gene also prevented the accumulation of GABA in roots in response to heat stress. Our results show that the root-specific calcium/calmodulin-regulated GAD1 plays a major role in GABA synthesis in plants under normal growth conditions and in response to stress.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2003

Mitochondrial succinic-semialdehyde dehydrogenase of the gamma-aminobutyrate shunt is required to restrict levels of reactive oxygen intermediates in plants.

The gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) shunt is a metabolic pathway that bypasses two steps of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and it is present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In plants the pathway is composed of the calcium/calmodulin-regulated cytosolic enzyme glutamate decarboxylase and the mitochondrial enzymes GABA transaminase and succinic-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH). The activity of the GABA shunt in plants is rapidly enhanced in response to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However the physiological role of this pathway remains obscure. To elucidate its role in plants, we analyzed Arabidopsis T-DNA knockout mutants of SSADH, the ultimate enzyme of the pathway. Four alleles of the ssadh mutation were isolated, and these exhibited a similar phenotype. When exposed to white light (100 micromol of photons per m2 per s), they appear dwarfed with necrotic lesions. Detailed spectrum analysis revealed that UV-B has the most adverse effect on the mutant phenotype, whereas photosynthetic active range light has a very little effect. The ssadh mutants are also sensitive to heat, as they develop necrosis when submitted to such stress. Moreover, both UV and heat cause a rapid increase in the levels of hydrogen peroxide in the ssadh mutants, which is associated with enhanced cell death. Surprisingly, our study also shows that trichomes are hypersensitive to stresses in ssadh mutants. Our work establishes a role for the GABA shunt in preventing the accumulation of reactive oxygen intermediates and cell death, which appears to be essential for plant defense against environmental stress.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2003

GABA signaling: a conserved and ubiquitous mechanism.

In plants, research on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has focused on its role as a metabolite, mainly in the context of responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. By contrast, studies of GABA in vertebrates have concentrated mainly on its role as a neurotransmitter and signaling molecule. Here, we discuss recent findings that point towards a possible role for GABA as a signaling molecule in plants.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2003

Arabidopsis inositol polyphosphate 6-/3-kinase is a nuclear protein that complements a yeast mutant lacking a functional ArgR-Mcm1 transcription complex.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase, and more generally inositol polyphosphate kinases (Ipk), play important roles in signal transduction in animal cells; however, their functions in plant cells remain to be elucidated. Here, we report the molecular cloning of a cDNA (AtIpk2beta) from a higher plant, Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis AtIpk2beta is a 33-kD protein that exhibits weak homology ( approximately 25% identical amino acids) with Ipk proteins from animals and yeast and lacks a calmodulin binding site, as revealed by sequence analysis and calmodulin binding assays. However, recombinant AtIpk2beta phosphorylates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate and also converts it to inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P(5)]. AtIpk2beta also phosphorylates inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate to Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P(5). Thus, the enzyme is a D3/D6 dual-specificity inositol phosphate kinase. AtIpk2beta complements a yeast ARG82/IPK2 mutant lacking a functional ArgR-Mcm1 transcription complex. This complex is involved in regulating Arg metabolism-related gene expression and requires inositol polyphosphate kinase activity to function. AtIpk2beta was found to be located predominantly in the nucleus of plant cells, as demonstrated by immunolocalization and fusion to green fluorescent protein. RNA gel blot analysis and promoter-beta-glucuronidase reporter gene studies demonstrated AtIpk2beta gene expression in various organs tested. These data suggest a role for AtIpk2beta as a transcriptional control mediator in plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

A novel family of calmodulin-binding transcription activators in multicellular organisms.

Screening of cDNA expression libraries derived from plants exposed to stress, with 35S-labeled recombinant calmodulin as a probe, revealed a new family of proteins containing a transcription activation domain and two types of DNA-binding domains designated the CG-1 domain and the transcription factor immunoglobulin domain, ankyrin repeats, and a varying number of IQ calmodulin-binding motifs. Based on domain organization and amino acid sequence comparisons, similar proteins, with the same domain organization, were identified in the genomes of other multicellular organisms including human, Drosophila, and Caenorhabditis, whereas none were found in the complete genomes of single cell eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This family of proteins was designated calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs). Arabidopsis thaliana contains six CAMTA genes (AtCAMTA1-AtCAMTA6). The transcription activation domain of AtCAMTA1 was mapped by testing a series of protein fusions with the DNA-binding domain of the bacterial LexA transcription factor and two reporter genes fused to LexA recognition sequences in yeast cells. Two human proteins designated HsCAMTA1 and HsCAMTA2 were also shown to activate transcription in yeast using the same reporter system. Subcellular fractionation of Arabidopsis tissues revealed the presence of CAMTAs predominantly in the nucleus. Calmodulin binding assays identified a region of 25 amino acids capable of binding calmodulin with high affinity (K(d) = 1.2 nm) in the presence of calcium. We suggest that CAMTAs comprise a conserved family of transcription factors in a wide range of multicellular eukaryotes, which possibly respond to calcium signaling by direct binding of calmodulin.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2002

Electrophysiological analysis of cloned cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels.

Electrophysiological studies were conducted on the cloned plant cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels AtCNGC2 and AtCNGC1 from Arabidopsis, and NtCBP4 from tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum). The nucleotide coding sequences for these proteins were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes or HEK 293 cells. Channel characteristics were evaluated using voltage clamp analysis of currents in the presence of cAMP. AtCNGC2 was demonstrated to conduct K(+) and other monovalent cations, but exclude Na(+); this conductivity profile is unique for any ion channel not possessing the amino acid sequence found in the selectivity filter of K(+)-selective ion channels. Application of cAMP evoked currents in membrane patches of oocytes injected with AtCNGC2 cRNA. Direct activation of the channel by cyclic nucleotide, demonstrated by application of cyclic nucleotide to patches of membranes expressing such channels, is a hallmark characteristic of this ion channel family. Voltage clamp studies (two-electrode configuration) demonstrated that AtCNGC1 and NtCBP4 are also cyclic nucleotide-gated channels. Addition of a lipophilic analog of cAMP to the perfusion bath of oocytes injected with NtCBP4 and AtCNGC1 cRNAs induced inward rectified, noninactivating K(+) currents.

Amino Acid Sequence↗