The Calcineurin B-Like Calcium Sensors CBL1 and CBL9 Together with Their Interacting Protein Kinase ClPK26 Regulate the Arabidopsis NADPH Oxidase RBOHF

Stimulus-specific accumulation of second messengers like reactive oxygen species （ROS） and Ca^＋ are central to many signaling and regulation processes in plants. However, mechanisms that govern the reciprocal interrelation of Ca^＋ and ROS signaling are only beginning to emerge. NADPH oxidases of the respiratory burst oxidase homolog （RBOH） family are critical components contributing to the generation of ROS while Calcineurin B-like （CBL） Ca^＋ sensor proteins together with their interacting kinases （CIPKs） have been shown to function in many Ca^＋- signaling processes. In this study, we identify direct functional interactions between both signaling systems. We report that the CBL-interacting pro- tein kinase ClPK26 specifically interacts with the N-terminal domain of RBOHF in yeast two-hybrid analyses and with the full-length RBOHF protein in plant cells. In addition, CIPK26 phosphorylates RBOHF in vitro and co-expression of either CBL1 or CBL9 with CIPK26 strongly enhances ROS production by RBOHF in HEK293T cells. Together, these findings identify a direct interconnection between CBL-ClPK-mediated Ca^＋ signaling and ROS signaling in plants and provide evidence for a synergistic activation of the NADPH oxidase RBOHF by direct Ca^＋-binding to its EF-hands and Ca2＋-induced phospho-rylation by CBL1/9-ClPK26 complexes.

The Calcineurin B-Like Ca2＋ Sensors CBL1 and CBL9 Function in Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Growth in Arabidopsis

Ca2＋ has been established as an important second messenger regulating pollen germination and tube growth. However, to date, only a few signaling components have been identified to decode and relay Ca2＋ signals in growing pollen tubes. Here, we report a function for the calcineurin B-like （CBL） Ca2＋ sensor proteins CBL1 and CBL9 from Arabidopsis in pollen germination and tube growth. Both proteins are expressed in mature pollen and pollen tubes and impair pollen tube growth and morphology if transiently overexpressed in tobacco pollen. The induction of these phenotypes requires efficient plasma membrane targeting of CBL1 and is independent of Ca2＋ binding to the fourth EF-hand of CBL1. Overexpression of CBL1 or its closest homolog CBL9 in Arabidopsis renders pollen germination and tube growth hypersensitive towards high external K＋ concentrations while disruption of CBL1 and CBL9 reduces pollen tube growth under low K~ conditions. Together, our data identify a crucial function for CBL1 and CBL9 in pollen germination and tube growth and suggest a model in which both proteins act at the plasma membrane through regulation of K＋ homeostasis.

A New β-Estradiol-lnducible Vector Set that Facilitates Easy Construction and Efficient Expression of Transgenes Reveals CBL3-Dependent Cytoplasm to Tonoplast Translocation of CIPK5

Transient and stable expression of transgenes is central to many investigations in plant biology research. Chemical regulation of expression can circumvent problems of plant lethality caused by constitutive overexpression or allow inducible knock （out/down） approaches. Several chemically inducible or repressible systems have been described and successfully applied. However, cloning and application-specific modification of most available inducible expression systems have been limited and remained complicated due to restricted cloning options. Here we describe a new set of 57 vectors that enable transgene expression in transiently or stably transformed cells. All vectors harbor a synthetically optimized XVE expression cassette, allowing I^-estradiol mediated protein expression. Plasmids are equipped with the reporter genes GUS, GFP, mCherry, or with HA and Strepll epitope tags and harbor an optimized multiple cloning site for flexible and simple clon- ing strategies. Moreover, the vector design allows simple substitution of the driving promoter to achieve tissue-specificity or to modulate expression ranges of inducible transgene expression. We report details of the kinetics and dose-dependence of expression induction in Arabidopsis leaf mesophyll protoplasts, transiently transformed Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, and stably transformed Arabidopsis plants. Using these vectors, we investigated the influence of CBL （Calcineurin B-like） protein expression on the subcellular localization of CIPKs （Calcineurin B-like interacting protein kinases）. These analyses uncovered that induced co-expression of CBL3 is fully sufficient for dynamic translocation of CIPK5 from the cytoplasm to the tonoplast. Thus, the vector system presented here facilitates a broad range of research applications.

Dual-Targeting of Arabidopsis 6-Phosphogluconolactonase 3 （PGL3）to Chloroplasts and Peroxisomes Involves Interaction with Trx m2 in the Cytosol

The oxidative pentose-phosphate pathway （OPPP） represents a central branch of cellular metabolism emanating from glucose-6-phosphate （G6P） to provide reductive power （NADPH） and sugar phosphates for anabolic biosyntheses. In plant cells, the oxidative OPPP branch is found in the cytosol and in plastids, consisting of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase （G6PD）, 6-phosphogluconolactonase （PGL）, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase （6PGD）. These enzymes are encoded by small gene families in the nuclear genome, which, in Arabidopsis, comprise six G6PD, five 6-PGL, and three 6-PGD isoforms （Kruger and von Schaewen, 2003）. Specific targeting motifs at the C-terminus of 6-PGL and 6-PGD isoforms suggested that the OPPP may also occur in peroxisomes （Reumann et al., 2004）.

Association of Varroa destructor females in multiply infested cells of the honeybee Apis mellifera

The genetic diversity of Varroa destructor (Anderson &Trueman)is limited outside its natural range due to population bottlenecks and its propensity to inbreed.In light of the arms race between V.destructor and its honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)host, any mechanism enhancing population admixture of the mite may be favored.One way that admixture can occur is when two genetically dissimilar mites coinvade a brood cell, with the progeny of the foundresses admixing.We determined the relatedness of 393 pairs of V.destructor foundresses,each pair collected from a single bee brood cell (n =five colonies).We used six microsatellites to identify the genotypes of mites coinvading a cell and calculated the frequency of pairs with different or the same genotypes.We found no deviation from random coinvasion,but the frequency of cells infested by mites with different genotypes was high.This rate of recombination,coupled with a high transmission rate of mites,homogenized the allelic pool of mites within the apiary.