This weeks Arabidopsis Research Roundup begins with a study from SLCU that investigates the interaction between nitrate and cytokinin signaling in the shoot meristem. Next is research from Sheffield that studies changes to the macromolecular composition of the photosynthetic apparatus following the transition from dark to light. Third are three papers that include University of Edinburgh faculty members as co-authors; Gary Loake is involved in a global study on NO signaling, Karen Halliday is included on a study into the relationship between clock components and the PIF-mediated hypocotyl elongation and Naomi Nakayama contributes to the development of a model that explains PIN protein localisation. Cyril Zipfel (TSL) is a co-author on the fifth paper, which introduces a new signaling component in the defence response and whilst the penultimate paper includes Denis Murphy (University of South Wales) and investigates the effect of dioxins on seed development. The final paper documents research from Manchester and Nottingham that uses a cress endosperm as a model to test the elastic properties of thin biological membranes.
Landrein B, Formosa-Jordan P, Malivert A,, Schuster C, Melnyk CW,, Yang W, Turnbull C, Meyerowitz EM, Locke JCW,, Jönsson H (2018) Nitrate modulates stem cell dynamics in Arabidopsis shoot meristems through cytokinins. PNAS doi: 10.1073/pnas.1718670115.
Open Access
Henrik Jonsson and James Locke (SLCU) are corresponding authors on this investigation into the relationship between nitrate and cytokinin signalling in the Arabidopsis shoot meristem (SAM). They show that nitrate availability determines the size of the SAM, which is controlled by the transport of cytokinin precursors from the root to the shoot. A discussion about this paper with lead author Benoit Landrien and Professor Jonsson is available on the GARNet YouTube and iTunes channels.
Wood WHJ, MacGregor-Chatwin C, Barnett SFH, Mayneord GE, Huang X, Hobbs JK, Hunter CN, Johnson MP (2018) Dynamic thylakoid stacking regulates the balance between linear and cyclic photosynthetic electron transfer. Nature Plants. doi: 10.1038/s41477-017-0092-7
Open with this link
This research in this manuscript has come from the University of Sheffield with Matthew Johnson as the corresponding author. They have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate how the transition from dark to light affects the macromolecular architecture of the photosynthetic apparatus within the thylakoid membrane. This transition does not alter the antenna size of either photosystem yet increases the number of thylakoid grana. Overall these changes serve to regulate the balance between light harvesting, CO2 fixation and enabling the protection of PSII activity from the destructive effects of non-photochemical quenching.
Imran QM, Hussain A, Lee SU, Mun BG, Falak N, Loake GJ, Yun BW (2018) Transcriptome profile of NO-induced Arabidopsis transcription factor genes suggests their putative regulatory role in multiple biological processes. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18850-5.
Open Access
Gary Loake (University of Edinburgh) is a contributor to this Korean-led manuscript that has performed expression analysis on plants treated with S-nitrosocysteine (CySNO). They have identified many novel NO-responsive transcription factors and were able to confirm the role of three random TFs in this response following analysis of loss of function mutants. This paper provides new insights into the molecular components that contribute to NO signalling during plant defence and immunity.
Martín G, Rovira A, Veciana N, Soy J, Toledo-Ortiz G, Gommers CMM, Boix M, Henriques R, Minguet EG, Alabadí D, Halliday KJ, Leivar P, Monte E Circadian Waves of Transcriptional Repression Shape PIF-Regulated Photoperiod-Responsive Growth in Arabidopsis. Curr Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.021
Karen Halliday (University of Ediburgh) is a co-author on this Spanish-led study that investigates how the expression of PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) genes is controlled. The activity of PIFs are responsible for determining the rate of hypocotyl elongation in different light conditions and this paper demonstrates that PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATORS PRR9/7/5 proteins act antagonistically to the PIFs by interacting at the promotor of the CDF5 transcription factor. This provides a mechanism to explain the circadian-controlled regulation of hypocotyl cell elongation.
Hernandez V, Barrio RA, Benítez M, Nakayama N, Romero-Arias JR, Villarreal Lujan C (2018) A physico-genetic module for the polarisation of auxin efflux carriers PIN-FORMED (PIN). Phys Biol. doi: 10.1088/1478-3975/aaac99
Naomi Nakayama (University of Edinburgh) is a co-author on this Mexican-led study that proposes a physico-genetic model that explains the localization of PIN auxin transporter proteins to the Arabidopsis plasma membrane. This model confirms experimental observations and allows the prediction that mechanical forces can predominate over molecular components.
Wang J, Grubb LE, Wang J, Liang X, Li L, Gao C, Ma M, Feng F, Li M, Li L, Zhang X, Yu F, Xie Q, Chen S, Zipfel C, Monaghan J, Zhou JM (2018) A Regulatory Module Controlling Homeostasis of a Plant Immune Kinase. Mol Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2017.12.026
This Chinese-led paper includes Cyril Zipfel (TSL) as a co-author and identifies the U-box proteins PUB25 and PUB26 as E3 ligases for the cytoplasmic kinase BIK1, which is a key rate limiting component of the plant defence response. This multi-protein regulatory module provides another level of complexity to our understanding of the molecular factors involved in plant immunity.
Hanano A, Almousally I, Shaban M, Murphy DJ (2018) Exposure of Arabidopsis Plants to Dioxin Results in a Wrinkled Seed Phenotype that is likely due to 20S Proteasomal Degradation of WRI1. J Exp Bot. doi: 10.1093/jxb/ery027
Denis Murphy (University of South Wales) is a co-author on this Syrian-led study that uses Arabidopsis seeds to test the negative effects of dioxins. Seeds treated with dioxins have a wrinked phenotype that corresponds to changes in the expression of genes related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Overall this study reveals a novel set of genetic changes effects caused by dioxins that explain the profound effects on seed development.
S. P. Pearce, J. R. King, T. Steinbrecher, G. Leubner-Metzger, N. M. Everitt, M. J. Holdsworth (2018) Finite indentation of highly curved elastic shells Proceedings of the Royal Society A doi: 10.1098/rspa.2017.0482
Open Access
Plant scientist Mike Holdsworth (University of Nottingham) is a co-author on this paper that has used the endosperm from garden cress (Lepidium sativum) as the experimental model to define the elastic properties of a thin biological surface. Indentation experiments have been classically used to measure these properties and then develop mathematically models that explain their characteristics. These models rely on an assumed flat surface whereas in reality any surface will often be curved. By obtaining measurements from identations studies on the cress endosperm they are able to better refine the models that explain the properties of the membrane in this context.
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