A Molecular Signal Integration Network Underpinning Arabidopsis Seed Germination
Autor: | Ourania Lantzouni, Rene Benjamins, Claus Schwechheimer, Tonko Bruggink, Katherine J. Denby, Hao Xu, Frank Lanfermeijer, George W. Bassel |
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Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Arabidopsis seed germination embryo Germination Biology Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology 03 medical and health sciences Expansin 0302 clinical medicine nitric oxide Gene Expression Regulation Plant Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors Promoter Regions Genetic Gene Transcription factor Plant Proteins Arabidopsis Proteins QH QK Seed dormancy Plant Dormancy biology.organism_classification Phenotype Gibberellins ddc Cell biology 030104 developmental biology network Seeds Ectopic expression Phytochrome DELLA General Agricultural and Biological Sciences signal integration cell expansion gibberellic acid 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Abscisic Acid Transcription Factors |
Zdroj: | Current Biology |
ISSN: | 0960-9822 |
Popis: | Summary Seed dormancy is an adaptive trait defining where and when plants are established. Diverse signals from the environment are used to decide when to initiate seed germination, a process driven by the expansion of cells within the embryo. How these signals are integrated and transduced into the biomechanical changes that drive embryo growth remains poorly understood. Using Arabidopsis seeds, we demonstrate that cell-wall-loosening EXPANSIN (EXPA) genes promote gibberellic acid (GA)-mediated germination, identifying EXPAs as downstream molecular targets of this developmental phase transition. Molecular interaction screening identified transcription factors (TFs) that bind to both EXPA promoter fragments and DELLA GA-response regulators. A subset of these TFs is targeted each by nitric oxide (NO) and the phytochrome-interacting TF PIL5. This molecular interaction network therefore directly links the perception of an external environmental signal (light) and internal hormonal signals (GA and NO) with downstream germination-driving EXPA gene expression. Experimental validation of this network established that many of these TFs mediate GA-regulated germination, including TCP14/15, RAP2.2/2.3/2.12, and ZML1. The reduced germination phenotype of the tcp14 tcp15 mutant seed was partially rescued through ectopic expression of their direct target EXPA9. The GA-mediated control of germination by TCP14/15 is regulated through EXPA-mediated control of cell wall loosening, providing a mechanistic explanation for this phenotype and a previously undescribed role for TCPs in the control of cell expansion. This network reveals the paths of signal integration that culminate in seed germination and provides a resource to uncover links between the genetic and biomechanical bases of plant growth. Highlights • The network linking integration of environmental signals to seed growth is mapped • EXPANSIN gene expression is redundantly regulated and promotes GA-mediated germination • The TCP14 transcription factor directly regulates EXPANSIN9 expression • The tcp14/15 germination phenotype is complemented by EXPANSIN9 expression Seeds use a range of environmental cues to decide when to commence germination. Xu et al. report the molecular interaction network used to integrate inputs into growth-promoting EXPANSIN gene expression. Functional validation defines EXPANSINs as downstream factors driving germination and TCP14/15 as transcription factors mediating their expression. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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