摘要
Ethylene signaling is a complex pathway that has been intensively analyzed partly due to its importance to the manifestation of horticultural phenomena, including fruit ripening and tissue senescence. In order to further our un- derstanding of how this pathway is regulated, a screen for Arabidopsis mutants with increased ethylene response was conducted. From this, a mutant was identified as having a dark-grown hypocotyl that is indistinguishable from Col-0 wt in the presence of the ethylene perception inhibitor AgNO3, yet has extreme responsiveness to even low levels of ethylene. Map-based cloning of the mutation revealed a T-DNA insertion in the coding sequence of the receptor-like kinase FERONIA, which is required for normal pollen tube reception and cell elongation in a currently unknown capacity. In contrast to a previous report, analysis of our feronia knockout mutant shows it also has altered responsiveness to brassinosteroids, with etiolated fer-2 seedlings being partially brassinosteroid insensitive with regard to promotion of hypocotyl elonga- tion. Our results indicate that FERONIA-dependent brassinosteroid response serves to antagonize the effect of ethylene on hypocotyl growth of etiolated seedlings, with loss of proper brassinosteroid signaling disrupting this balance and leading to a greater impact of ethylene on hypocotyl shortening.
Ethylene signaling is a complex pathway that has been intensively analyzed partly due to its importance to the manifestation of horticultural phenomena, including fruit ripening and tissue senescence. In order to further our un- derstanding of how this pathway is regulated, a screen for Arabidopsis mutants with increased ethylene response was conducted. From this, a mutant was identified as having a dark-grown hypocotyl that is indistinguishable from Col-0 wt in the presence of the ethylene perception inhibitor AgNO3, yet has extreme responsiveness to even low levels of ethylene. Map-based cloning of the mutation revealed a T-DNA insertion in the coding sequence of the receptor-like kinase FERONIA, which is required for normal pollen tube reception and cell elongation in a currently unknown capacity. In contrast to a previous report, analysis of our feronia knockout mutant shows it also has altered responsiveness to brassinosteroids, with etiolated fer-2 seedlings being partially brassinosteroid insensitive with regard to promotion of hypocotyl elonga- tion. Our results indicate that FERONIA-dependent brassinosteroid response serves to antagonize the effect of ethylene on hypocotyl growth of etiolated seedlings, with loss of proper brassinosteroid signaling disrupting this balance and leading to a greater impact of ethylene on hypocotyl shortening.
