Characterization of Arabidopsis ABCG11/WBC11, an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter that is required for cuticular lipid secretion

Plant J. 2007 Nov;52(3):485-98. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2007.03252.x. Epub 2007 Aug 28.

Abstract

ABCG11/WBC11, an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter from Arabidopsis thaliana, is a key component of the export pathway for cuticular lipids. Arabidopsis wbc11 T-DNA insertional knock-out mutants exhibited lipidic inclusions inside epidermal cells similar to the previously characterized wax transporter mutant cer5, with a similar strong reduction in the alkanes of surface waxes. Moreover, the wbc11 knock-out mutants also showed defects not present in cer5, including post-genital organ fusions, stunted growth and a reduction in cutin load on the plant surface. A mutant line previously isolated in a forward genetics screen, called permeable leaves 1 (pel1), was identified as an allele of ABCG11/WBC11. The double knock-out wbc11 cer5 exhibited the same morphological and biochemical phenotypes as the wbc11 knock-out. A YFP-WBC11 fusion protein rescued a T-DNA knock-out mutant and was localized to the plasma membrane. These results show that WBC11 functions in secretion of surface waxes, possibly by interacting with CER5. However, unlike ABCG12/CER5, ABCG11/WBC11 is important to the normal process of cutin formation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / genetics
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / metabolism*
  • Alleles
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis / ultrastructure
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Biological Transport
  • Fatty Acids / metabolism
  • Membrane Lipids / metabolism*
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Mutation
  • Plant Epidermis / ultrastructure
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Waxes / metabolism

Substances

  • ABCG11 protein, Arabidopsis
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Fatty Acids
  • Membrane Lipids
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Waxes
  • cutin