The APETALA-2-like transcription factor OsAP2-39 controls key interactions between abscisic acid and gibberellin in rice

PLoS Genet. 2010 Sep 9;6(9):e1001098. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001098.

Abstract

The interaction between phytohormones is an important mechanism which controls growth and developmental processes in plants. Deciphering these interactions is a crucial step in helping to develop crops with enhanced yield and resistance to environmental stresses. Controlling the expression level of OsAP2-39 which includes an APETALA 2 (AP2) domain leads to phenotypic changes in rice. Overexpression of OsAP2-39 leads to a reduction in yield by decreasing the biomass and the number of seeds in the transgenic rice lines. Global transcriptome analysis of the OsAP2-39 overexpression transgenic rice revealed the upregulation of a key abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic gene OsNCED-I which codes for 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase and leads to an increase in the endogenous ABA level. In addition to OsNCED-1, the gene expression analysis revealed the upregulation of a gene that codes for the Elongation of Upper most Internode (EUI) protein, an enzyme that catalyzes 16α, 17-epoxidation of non-13-hydroxylated GAs, which has been shown to deactivate gibberellins (GAs) in rice. The exogenous application of GA restores the wild-type phenotype in the transgenic line and ABA application induces the expression of EUI and suppresses the expression of OsAP2-39 in the wild-type line. These observations clarify the antagonistic relationship between ABA and GA and illustrate a mechanism that leads to homeostasis of these hormones. In vivo and in vitro analysis showed that the expression of both OsNCED-1 and EUI are directly controlled by OsAP2-39. Together, these results reveal a novel mechanism for the control of the ABA/GA balance in rice which is regulated by OsAP2-39 that in turn regulates plant growth and seed production.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abscisic Acid / metabolism*
  • Abscisic Acid / pharmacology
  • Adaptation, Physiological / drug effects
  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Droughts
  • Flowers / drug effects
  • Flowers / genetics
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / drug effects
  • Genes, Plant / genetics
  • Gibberellins / metabolism*
  • Gibberellins / pharmacology
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics
  • Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Oryza / drug effects
  • Oryza / genetics
  • Oryza / metabolism*
  • Phenotype
  • Phylogeny
  • Plant Leaves / drug effects
  • Plant Leaves / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Plant Roots / anatomy & histology
  • Plant Roots / drug effects
  • Plant Roots / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • APETALA2 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Gibberellins
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Abscisic Acid