Stimulation of Root Growth Induced by Aluminum in <i>Quercus serrata</i>Thunb. Is Related to Activity of Nitrate Reductase and Maintenance of IAA Concentration in Roots

Aluminum (Al) is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. Excess Al3+ released by soil acidification in soil solution is thought to be a growth limiting factor to many cultivated plant species, but it has been reported to stimulate plant growth in some crop and tree species in certain concentration of Al3+. Previously, we had reported that Al treatment enhanced root development, uptake from growth media and in vivo nitrate reductase (NR) activity of roots. NR is one of the key enzymes in nitrogen metabolism and acts at the first step of nitrate assimilation in plants. In this study, we investigated the process of Al-induced root development in an early stage, focusing on the change in in vitro NR activity, and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and cytokinins concentration in roots of Quercus serrata seedlings, which were treated for 1 h with Al or Ca. In Al-treated roots, NR activity increased and IAA concentration was maintained at the same level as pretreatment, and indole-3-acetyl-L-aspartic acid (IA-Asp), which is a metabolic intermediate of IAA degradation, was not detected in roots. In Ca-treated roots, NR activity increased, but IAA concentration decreased as IA-Asp concentration increased. Thus, the maintenance of IAA concentration in Al-treated roots seems to result from suppression in the process of IAA decomposition. Al treatment increased the length and number of second lateral roots but Ca treatment did not. We concluded that root development induced by Al in the early stage was related to NR activity and maintenance of IAA concentration.

Metabolomic Screening Applied to Rice FOX Arabidopsis Lines Leads to the Identification of a Gene-Changing Nitrogen Metabolism

Plant metabolomics developed as a powerful tool to examine gene functions and to gain deeper insight into the physiology of the plant cell. In this study, we screened Arabidopsis lines overexpressing rice full-length （FL） cDNAs （rice FOX Arabidopsis lines） using a gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry （GC-TOF/MS）-based technique to identify rice genes that caused metabolic changes. This screening system allows fast and reliable identification of candi- date lines showing altered metabolite profiles. We performed metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of a rice FOX Ara- bidopsis line that harbored the FL cDNA of the rice ortholog of the Lateral Organ Boundaries （LOB） Domain （LBD）/ Asymmetric Leaves2-1ike （ASL） gene of Arabidopsis, At-LBD37/ASL39. The investigated rice FOX Arabidopsis line showed prominent changes in the levels of metabolites related to nitrogen metabolism. The transcriptomic data as well as the results from the metabolite analysis of the Arabidopsis At-LBD37/ASL39-overexpressor plants were consistent with these findings. Furthermore, the metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of the Os-LBD37/ASL39-overexpressing rice plants indicated that Os-LBD37/ASL39 is associated with processes related to nitrogen metabolism in rice. Thus, the combination of a metabolomics-based screening method and a gain-of-function approach is useful for rapid characterization of novel genes in both Arabidopsis and rice.

Metabolism and Long-distance Translocationof Cytokinins

During plant development, distantly-located organs must communicate in order to adapt morphological and physiological features in response to environmental inputs. Among the recognized signaling molecules, a class of phytohormones known as the cytokinins functions as both local and long-distance regulatory signals for the coordination of plant development. This cytokinin-dependent communication system consists of orchestrated regulation of the metabolism, translocation, and signal transduction of this phytohormone class. Here, to gain insight into this elaborate signaling system, we summarize current models of biosynthesis, transmembrane transport, and long-distance translocation of cytokinins in higher plants.

Overexpression of INCREASED CAMBIAL ACTIVITY, a putative methyltransferase, increases cambial activity and plant growth

Cambial activity is a prerequisite for secondary growth in plants; however, regulatory factors controlling the activity of the secondary meristem in radial growth remain elusive. Here, we identified INCREASED CAMBIAL ACTIVITY （ICA）, a gene encoding a putative pectin methyltransferase, which could function as a modulator for the meristematic activity of fascicular and interfascicular cambium in Arabidopsis. An overexpressing transgenic line, 35S：＇1CA, showed accelerated stern elongation and radial thickening, resulting in increased accumulation of biomass, and increased levels of cytokinins （CKs） and gibberellins （GAs）. Expression of genes encoding pectin methylesterases involved in pectin modification together with pectin methyltransferases was highly induced in 355：：ICA, which might contribute to an increase of methanol emission as a byproduct in 35S：ICA. Methanol treatment induced the expression of GA- or CK-responsive genes and stimulated plant growth. Overall, we propose that ectopic expression of ICA increases cambial activity by regulating CK and GA homeostasis, and methanol emission, eventually leading to stem elongation and radial growth in the inflorescence stem.