Regulation of the ABA-responsive Em promoter by ABI3 in the moss Physcomitrella patens

Abstract

The plant-specific transcription factor ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3) or the maize ortholog VIVIPAROUS1 (VP1) is known to regulate seed maturation and germination in concert with the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) but is also evolutionarily conserved among land plants including non-seed plants. An ABI3/VP1 ortholog (PpABI3A) from the moss Physcomitrella patens can activate ABA-responsive gene promoters in the moss and angiosperms; however, it failed to fully complement the phenotypes of the Arabidopsis abi3-6 mutant, suggesting that some aspects of ABI3/VP1 functions have diverged during the evolution of land plants. To gain insights into the evolution of ABI3/VP1 function, we performed a comparative analysis of the regulatory elements required for ABI3 activation in Physcomitrella using a wheat Em gene promoter, which is induced by ABA and ABI3/VP1 both in Physcomitrella and in angiosperms. Elimination of either the ACGT core motif in the ABA response element (ABRE) or the RY element, to which ABI3/VP1 binds directly, resulted in a drastic reduction of the ABA response in Physcomitrella. Arabidopsis ABI3 could effectively activate the Em promoter either in an ABRE- or RY-dependent manner, as observed in angiosperms. On the other hand, PpABI3A failed to activate an Em promoter lacking the RY element but not the ABRE. These results suggest that RY-mediated transcriptional regulation of ABI3/VP1 is evolutionarily conserved between the moss and angiosperms, whereas angiosperm ABI3/VP1 has evolved to activate ABA-inducible promoters via the ABRE sequence independently from the RY element.