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Increased Expression of a myo-Inositol Methyl Transferase in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Is Part of a Stress Response Distinct from Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Induction.

The facultative halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum responds to osmotic stress by switching from C(3) photosynthesis to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). This shift to CAM involves the stress-initiated up-regulation of mRNAs encoding CAM enzymes. The capability of the plants to induce a key CAM enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, is influenced by plant age, and it has been suggested that adaptation to salinity in M. crystallinum may be modulated by a developmental program that controls molecular responses to stress. We have compared the effects of plant age on the expression of two salinity-induced genes: Gpdl, which encodes the photosynthesis-related enzyme glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and Imtl, which encodes a methyl transferase involved in the biosynthesis of a putative osmoprotectant, pinitol. Imtl mRNA accumulation and the accompanying increase in pinitol in stressed Mesembryanthemum exhibit a pattern of induction distinct from that observed for CAM-related genes. We conclude that the molecular mechanisms that trigger Imtl and pinitol accumulation in response to salt stress in M. crystallinum differ in some respects from those that lead to CAM induction. There may be multiple signals or pathways that regulate inducible components of salinity tolerance in this facultative halophyte.

Journal Article↗

AtATM is essential for meiosis and the somatic response to DNA damage in plants.

In contrast to yeast or mammalian cells, little is known about the signaling responses to DNA damage in plants. We previously characterized AtATM, an Arabidopsis homolog of the human ATM gene, which is mutated in ataxia telangiectasia, a chromosome instability disorder. The Atm protein is a protein kinase whose activity is induced by DNA damage, particularly DNA double-strand breaks. The phosphorylation targets of Atm include proteins involved in DNA repair, cell cycle control, and apoptosis. Here, we describe the isolation and functional characterization of two Arabidopsis mutants carrying a T-DNA insertion in AtATM. Arabidopsis atm mutants are hypersensitive to gamma-radiation and methylmethane sulfonate but not to UV-B light. In correlation with the radiation sensitivity, atm mutants failed to induce the transcription of genes involved in the repair and/or detection of DNA breaks upon irradiation. In addition, atm mutants are partially sterile, and we show that this effect is attributable to abundant chromosomal fragmentation during meiosis. Interestingly, the transcription of DNA recombination genes during meiosis was not dependent on AtATM, and meiotic recombination occurred at the same rate as in wild-type plants, raising questions about the function of AtAtm during meiosis in plants. Our results demonstrate that AtATM plays a central role in the response to both stress-induced and developmentally programmed DNA damage.

Apoptosis↗

Involvement of an ABC transporter in a developmental pathway regulating hypocotyl cell elongation in the light

In the dark, plant seedlings follow the skotomorphogenetic developmental program, which results in hypocotyl cell elongation. When the seedlings are exposed to light, a switch to photomorphogenetic development occurs, and hypocotyl cell elongation is inhibited. We have manipulated the expression of the AtPGP1 (for Arabidopsis thaliana P glycoprotein1) gene in transgenic Arabidopsis plants by using sense and antisense constructs. We show that within a certain light fluence rate window, overexpression of the AtPGP1 gene under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter causes plants to develop longer hypocotyls, whereas expression of the gene in antisense orientation results in hypocotyls shorter than those occurring in the wild type. In the dark, hypocotyls of transgenic and wild-type plants are indistinguishable. Because the AtPGP1 gene encodes a member of the superfamily of ATP binding cassette-containing (ABC) transporters, these results imply that a transport process is involved in a hypocotyl cell elongation pathway active in the light. The AtPGP1 transporter is localized in the plasmalemma, as indicated by immunohistochemical techniques and biochemical membrane separation methods. Analysis of the AtPGP1 expression pattern by using reporter gene constructs and in situ hybridization shows that in wild-type seedlings, AtPGP1 is expressed in both the root and shoot apices.

Journal Article↗

Mechanisms of derived unitegmy among Impatiens species.

Morphological transitions associated with ovule diversification provide unique opportunities for studies of developmental evolution. Here, we investigate the underlying mechanisms of one such transition, reduction in integument number, which has occurred several times among diverse angiosperms. In particular, reduction in integument number occurred early in the history of the asterids, a large clade comprising approximately one-third of all flowering plants. Unlike the vast majority of other eudicots, nearly all asterids have a single integument, with the only exceptions in the Ericales, a sister group to the other asterids. Impatiens, a genus of the Ericales, includes species with one integument, two integuments, or an apparently intermediate bifid integument. A comparison of the development of representative Impatiens species and analysis of the expression patterns of putative orthologs of the Arabidopsis thaliana ovule development gene INNER NO OUTER (INO) has enabled us to propose a mechanism responsible for morphological transitions between integument types in this group. We attribute transitions between each of the three integument morphologies to congenital fusion via a combination of variation in the location of subdermal growth beneath primordia and the merging of primordia. Evidence of multiple transitions in integument morphology among Impatiens species suggests that control of underlying developmental programs is relatively plastic and that changes in a small number of genes may have been responsible for the transitions. Our expression data also indicate that the role of INO in the outgrowth and abaxial-adaxial polarity of the outer integument has been conserved between two divergent angiosperms, the rosid Arabidopsis and the asterid Impatiens.

Arabidopsis↗

Alteration of enod40 expression modifies medicago truncatula root nodule development induced by sinorhizobium meliloti

Molecular mechanisms involved in the control of root nodule organogenesis in the plant host are poorly understood. One of the nodulin genes associated with the earliest phases of this developmental program is enod40. We show here that transgenic Medicago truncatula plants overexpressing enod40 exhibit accelerated nodulation induced by Sinorhizobium meliloti. This resulted from increased initiation of primordia, which was accompanied by a proliferation response of the region close to the root tip and enhanced root length. The root cortex of the enod40-transformed plants showed increased sensitivity to nodulation signals. T(1) and T(2) descendants of two transgenic lines with reduced amounts of enod40 transcripts (probably from cosuppression) formed only a few and modified nodulelike structures. Our results suggest that induction of enod40 is a limiting step in primordium formation, and its function is required for appropriate nodule development.

Journal Article↗

Developmental and environmental regulation of a bean chalcone synthase promoter in transgenic tobacco.

Regulatory properties of a 1.4-kilobase promoter fragment of the bean chalcone synthase CHS8 gene were examined by analysis of glucuronidase (GUS) activity in transgenic tobacco containing a CHS8-GUS gene fusion. The promoter was highly active in the root apical meristem and in petals, exclusively in those cells of the inner epidermis that accumulate anthocyanins. The gene fusion was only weakly expressed in other floral organs, mature leaves, and stems. The early stages of seedling development were characterized by an apparent wound induction of the promoter in the endosperm and strong expression in the immature root, which became localized to the apical meristem and perivascular tissue at the root-hypocotyl junction. The promoter became active during lateral root formation in both the new root and damaged tissue of the main root. The gene fusion was also expressed in greening cotyledons and primary leaves but not in the shoot apical meristem. Light modulated expression in the cotyledons and root-shoot junction but had no effect on other aspects of the developmental program. Wounding or fungal elicitor treatment of mature leaves activated the promoter in a well-defined zone adjacent to the stress site. Stress induction occurred in mesophyll and vascular tissues as well as in the epidermis. We conclude that the CHS8 promoter contains cis-elements required to establish temporal and spatial control of flavonoid biosynthesis during development and in response to diverse environmental stimuli.

Acyltransferases↗

Expression dynamics of the tomato rbcS gene family during development.

The tomato rbcS gene family is composed of five genes (rbcS1, 2, 3A, 3B, and 3C) that are differentially expressed during tomato development. Nuclear run-on transcription assays and RNA analysis were used to determine the contribution of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation to the accumulation of mRNA from the five rbcS genes in tomato seedlings, leaves, and fruit. We found that the qualitative pattern of mRNA accumulation is regulated at the transcriptional level and that, in general, there is a correlation of rates of rbcS transcription with overall rbcS mRNA abundance in fruit and leaves. Although transcriptional control is a primary determinant for rbcS gene expression in tomato, examination of relative transcription rates and mRNA accumulation of each rbcS gene demonstrated that there is also significant post-transcriptional control of rbcS gene expression during organ development. Individual rbcS mRNAs, which have highly conserved coding sequences and differ only in their 5' and 3' untranslated sequences, have different stabilities. We showed that both transcription and stability of individual rbcS mRNAs are altered in different organs and by the developmental program within these organs as well as by exposure to light. Together, the results provide a comprehensive analysis of the extent of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control that operates within the rbcS gene family during plant development.

Base Sequence↗

Developmental Regulation Is Altered in the Calyx during in Vitro Ovary Culture of Tomato.

To develop a system with which to study fruit ripening, in vitro ovary cultures were initiated from tomato flowers. As reported previously [Nitsch, J.P. (1951). Am. J. Bot. 38, 566-577], tomato fruit ripened after 6 to 7 weeks, but calyces swelled unexpectedly, lost their green color, and gradually became red and succulent. Investigations were conducted, therefore, to verify the occurrence of the ripening process in the calyx. Ethylene production increased in both ripening fruit and red calyx, as did tissue contents of its immediate precursor, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. In addition, an increase in the mRNA of polygalacturonase [poly(1,4-[alpha]-D-galacturonide) glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.15], an enzyme that in tomato is present in large amounts only in ripening fruit, was established in both ripe fruit and red calyx by RNA gel blot analysis. Ultrastructural studies showed that the disruption of cell walls in red calyx was indistinguishable from that occurring in ripe tomato fruit. Thus, the developmental program of the calyx changed in several aspects to resemble that of tomato fruit.

Journal Article↗

The tomato 66.3-kD polyphenoloxidase gene: molecular identification and developmental expression.

A gene coding for a polypeptide abundant in tomato floral meristems was isolated and shown to represent a tomato 66.3-kD polyphenoloxidase. Analysis of cDNA clones and a corresponding intronless genomic clone indicated that the plastid-bound 587-residue-long polypeptide, designated P2, contains two conserved copper-binding domains, similar to those found in fungal and mammalian tyrosinases. P2 transcripts and polypeptides are accumulated in the arrested floral primordia of the anantha mutant inflorescences and are equally abundant in primordia of wild-type flowers; the gene continues to be expressed at high levels in developing floral organs. In young expanding leaves, P2 protein is concentrated in palisade cells and in epidermal trichomes. Expression patterns of P2 in plant meristems permit molecular distinction between floral and vegetative primordia, and, in a companion study, comparison with dUTPase suggests that the two genes mark two alternative complementary developmental programs in the floral and vegetative meristems of the tomato plants.

Base Sequence↗

Overexpression of Arabidopsis COP1 results in partial suppression of light-mediated development: evidence for a light-inactivable repressor of photomorphogenesis.

Arabidopsis seedlings are genetically endowed with the capability to follow two distinct developmental programs: photomorphogenesis in the light and skotomorphogenesis in darkness. The regulatory protein CONSTITUTIVE PHOTO-MORPHOGENIC1 (COP1) has been postulated to act as a repressor of photomorphogenesis in the dark because loss-of-function mutations of COP1 result in dark-grown seedlings phenocopying the light-grown wild-type seedlings. In this study, we tested this working model by overexpressing COP1 in the plant and examining its inhibitory effects on photomorphogenic development. Stable transgenic Arabidopsis lines overexpressing COP1 were generated through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Overexpression was achieved using either the strong cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA promoter or additional copies of the wild-type gene. Analysis of these transgenic lines demonstrated that higher levels of COP1 can inhibit aspects of photomorphogenic seedling development mediated by either phytochromes or a blue light receptor, and the extent of inhibition correlated quantitatively with the vivo COP1 levels. This result provides direct evidence that COP1 acts as a molecular repressor of photomorphogenic development and that multiple photoreceptors can independently mediate the light inactivation of COP1. It also suggests that a controlled inactivation of COP1 may provide a basis for the ability of plants to respond quantitatively to changing light signals, such as fluence rate and photoperiod.

Arabidopsis↗

fusca3: A Heterochronic Mutation Affecting Late Embryo Development in Arabidopsis.

Molecular studies of late embryogenesis and seed development have emphasized differential gene expression as a means of identifying discrete stages of embryogenesis. Little has been done to identify factors that regulate the length of a given developmental stage or the degree of overlap between adjacent developmental programs. We designed a genetic screen to identify mutations that disrupt late embryo development in Arabidopsis without loss of hormonal responses. One such mutation, fusca3 (fus3), alters late embryo functions, such as the establishment of dormancy and desiccation tolerance, and reduces storage protein levels. fus3 cotyledons bear trichomes, and their ultrastructure is similar to that of leaf primordia. Immature fus3 embryos enter germinative development, and the shoot apical meristems develop leaf primordia before seed desiccation begins. The cotyledons resemble leaf primordia, yet retain some cotyledon characteristics; thus, cotyledon- and leaf-specific functions are expressed simultaneously. Together, these observations are consistent with a heterochronic interpretation of the fus3 mutation.

Journal Article↗

CUE1: A Mesophyll Cell-Specific Positive Regulator of Light-Controlled Gene Expression in Arabidopsis.

Light plays a key role in the development and physiology of plants. One of the most profound effects of light on plant development is the derepression of expression of an array of light-responsive genes, including the genes encoding the chlorophyll a/b binding proteins (CAB) of photosystem II. To understand the mechanism by which light signals nuclear gene expression, we developed a genetic selection to identify mutants with reduced CAB transcription. Here, we describe a new Arabidopsis locus, CUE1 (for CAB underexpressed). Mutations at this locus result in defects in expression of several light-regulated genes, specifically in mesophyll but not in bundle-associated or epidermis cells. Reduced accumulation of CAB and other photosynthesis-related mRNAs in the mesophyll was correlated with defects in chloroplast development in these cells, resulting in a reticulate pattern with veins greener than the interveinal regions of leaves. Moreover, chalcone synthase mRNA, although known to be regulated by both phytochrome and a blue light receptor, accumulated normally in the leaf epidermis. Dark basal levels of CAB expression were unaffected in etiolated cue1 seedlings; however, induction of CAB transcription by pulses of red and blue light was reduced, suggesting that CUE1 acts downstream from both phytochrome and blue light photoreceptors. CUE1 appears to play a role in the primary derepression of mesophyll-specific gene expression in response to light, because cue1 mutants are severely deficient at establishing photoautotrophic growth. Based on this characterization, we propose that CUE1 is a cell-specific positive regulator linking light and intrinsic developmental programs in Arabidopsis leaf mesophyll cells.

Journal Article↗

Phloem-Specific Expression of Tyrosine/Dopa Decarboxylase Genes and the Biosynthesis of Isoquinoline Alkaloids in Opium Poppy.

Tyrosine/dopa decarboxylase (TYDC) catalyzes the formation of tyramine and dopamine and represents the first steps in the biosynthesis of the large and diverse group of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids. Opium poppy accumulates morphine in aerial organs and roots, whereas sanguinarine, which is derived from a distinct branch pathway, accumulates only in roots. Expression of the TYDC gene family in opium poppy was investigated in relation to the organ-specific biosynthesis of these different types of alkaloids. Members of the TYDC gene family are classified into two groups (represented by TYDC1 and TYDC2) and are differentially expressed. In the mature plant, TYDC2-like transcripts are predominant in stems and are also present in roots, whereas TYDC1-like transcripts are abundant only in roots. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that the expression of TYDC genes is developmentally regulated. TYDC transcripts are associated with vascular tissue in mature roots and stems but are also expressed in cortical tissues at earlier stages of development. Expression of TYDC genes is restricted to metaphloem and to protoxylem in the vascular bundles of mature aerial organs. Localization of TYDC transcripts in the phloem is consistent with the expected developmental origin of laticifers, which are specialized internal secretory cells that accompany vascular tissues in all organs of select species and that contain the alkaloid-rich latex in aerial organs. The differential expression of TYDC genes and the organ-dependent accumulation of different alkaloids suggest a coordinated regulation of specific alkaloid biosynthetic genes that are ultimately controlled by specific developmental programs.

Journal Article↗

det1, cop1, and cop9 mutations cause inappropriate expression of several gene sets.

Genetic studies using Arabidopsis offer a promising approach to investigate the mechanisms of light signal transduction during seedling development. Several mutants, called det/cop, have been isolated based on their deetiolated/constitutive photomorphogenic phenotypes in the dark. This study examines the specificity of the det/cop mutations with respect to their effects on genes regulated by other signal transduction pathways. Steady state mRNA levels of a number of differently regulated gene sets were compared between mutants and the wild type. We found that det2, cop2, cop3, and cop4 mutants displayed a gene expression pattern similar to that of the wild type. By contrast, det1, cop1, and cop9 mutations exhibited pleiotropic effects. In addition to light-responsive genes, genes normally inducible by plant pathogens, hypoxia, and developmental programs were inappropriately expressed in these mutants. Our data provide evidence that DET1, COP1, and COP9 most likely act as negative regulators of several sets of genes, not just those involved in light-regulated seedling development.

Arabidopsis↗

Quality dimensions for school psychology services.

Varying standards and quality among Norwegian school psychology services (SPS) have resulted in national SPS support and developmental programs. The present study aimed to reveal SPS quality dimensions to suggest a basis for development of service standards. Teachers (333) and administrators (136) responsible for corresponding cases referred to the SPS responded to a questionnaire including indices of case service quality and collaboration between schools and SPS. The statistical analyses included factor analyses and a multiple regression analysis. The data and results from an earlier study of parents' quality dimensions were included in an items analyses. The result suggests five central SPS quality dimensions: availability, participation, consideration, effectiveness and security. While effectiveness has the strongest effect on the evaluation of case service quality both for parents and school personnel, the dimensions have different significance for different consumer groups. Relations to general service quality dimensions and consequences of the findings are discussed.

Adult↗

Quantitative proteomics of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and its application to studies of development and inhibition.

The ability to measure accurately comparative levels of protein expression after drug challenge, metabolic stress, developmental programming or other perturbation represents one of the most important goals in post-genomics malaria research. We describe here a simple and robust quantitative methodology that is ideally suited to in vitro experiments designed to study changes in the proteome of the most important of the human parasites, the lethal species Plasmodium falciparum. The metabolic labelling technique we have developed uses parasite uptake of heavy isotope-containing isoleucine during normal growth followed by two-dimensional separation of individual proteins and mass spectrometry. The method is applicable to essentially each of the approximately 5300 proteins of P. falciparum predicted from the completed genome sequence, permitting facile identification and accurate comparative quantification of labelled peptides from any of these proteins synthesized by in vitro cultures subjected to different stimuli. We demonstrate its application to the study of cell cycle changes, where we observe divergent patterns of protein and reported transcript levels indicative of modulation at the translational level. Our data also provide evidence for significant levels of post-translational modification in the parasite, and we measure differences among variants of phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase and actin-I across the cell cycle. We have also monitored parasite responses to equipotent doses of the clinical antimalarial inhibitors pyrimethamine and tetracycline and observed differential effects for a number of proteins unrelated to likely targets of these drugs.

Actins↗

Phosphatases modulate the bistable sporulation gene expression pattern in Bacillus subtilis.

Summary Spore formation in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is a last resort adaptive response to starvation. To initiate sporulation, the key regulator in this process, Spo0A, needs to be activated by the so-called phosphorelay. Within a sporulating culture of B. subtilis, some cells initiate this developmental program, while other cells do not. Therefore, initiation of sporulation appears to be a regulatory process with a bistable outcome. Using a single cell analytical approach, we show that the autostimulatory loop of spo0A is responsible for generating a bistable response resulting in phenotypic variation within the sporulating culture. It is demonstrated that the main function of RapA, a phosphorelay phosphatase, is to maintain the bistable sporulation gene expression. As rapA expression is quorum regulated, it follows that quorum sensing influences sporulation bistability. Deletion of spo0E, a phosphatase directly acting on Spo0A approximately P, resulted in abolishment of the bistable expression pattern. Artificial induction of a heterologous Rap phosphatase restored heterogeneity in a rapA or spo0E mutant. These results demonstrate that with external phosphatases, B. subtilis can use the phosphorelay as a tuner to modulate the bistable outcome of the sporulating culture. This shows that B. subtilis employs multiple pathways to maintain the bistable nature of a sporulating culture, stressing the physiological importance of this phenomenon.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Functionality of resistance gene Hero, which controls plant root-infecting potato cyst nematodes, in leaves of tomato.

The expression of host genomes is modified locally by root endoparasitic nematode secretions to induce the development of complex cellular structures referred as feeding sites. In compatible interactions, the feeding sites provide the environment and nutrients for the completion of the nematode's life cycle, whereas in an incompatible (resistant) interaction, the host immune system triggers a plant cell death programme, often in the form of a hypersensitive reaction, which restricts nematode reproduction. These processes have been studied in great detail in organ tissues normally infected by these nematodes: the roots. Here we show that host leaves can support a similar set of programmed developmental events in the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis life cycle that are typical of the root-invading nematodes. We also show that a gene-for-gene type specific disease resistance that is effective against potato cyst nematodes (PCN) in roots also operates in leaves: the expression of the resistance (R) gene Hero and members of its gene family in leaves correlates with the elicitation of a hypersensitive response only during the incompatible interaction. These findings, and the ability to isolate RNA from relevant parasitic stages of the nematode, may have significant implications for the identification of nematode factors involved in incompatible interactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗