Overexpression Of Phytochrome Research Articles

Ectopic expression of Arabidopsis phytochrome B in Troyer citrange affects photosynthesis and plant morphology

Phytochromes are photoreceptors that regulate signal transduction of metabolic pathways and plant development in response to changes in environmental light quality and levels. Studies have shown that mutant plants deficient in phytochromes and transgenic plants overexpressing phytochrome genes exhibit altered canopy growth characteristics. Troyer citrange was transformed with a binary vector system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) and Arabidopsis thaliana phytochrome B (PHYB) gene. Three transgenic lines were used to investigate the influence of overexpression of phytochrome B on fruit tree plant development through morphological and physiological analyses in addition to gene expression analyses. All the regenerated transgenic plants showed altered physiological and architectural canopy development compared with wild-type plants. In particular PHYB1 transgenic clone was further characterized under particular growing conditions and molecular analysis was used to study the effect of the transgene on gene expression during photosynthesis. The expression of chloroplast and nuclear genes that are directly involved in the light and dark phases of photosynthesis was found to be particularly enhanced in the transgenic plant.

Erratum to: Overexpression of phytochrome A and its hyperactive mutant improves shade tolerance and turf quality in creeping bentgrass and zoysiagrass

Erratum to: Overexpression of phytochrome A and its hyperactive mutant improves shade tolerance and turf quality in creeping bentgrass and zoysiagrass

Overexpression of phytochrome A and its hyperactive mutant improves shade tolerance and turf quality in creeping bentgrass and zoysiagrass

Phytochrome A (phyA) in higher plants is known to function as a far-red/shade light-sensing photoreceptor in suppressing shade avoidance responses (SARs) to shade stress. In this paper, the Avena PHYA gene was introduced into creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) and zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) to improve turf quality by suppressing the SARs. In addition to wild-type PHYA, a hyperactive mutant gene (S599A-PHYA), in which a phosphorylation site involved in light-signal attenuation was removed, was also transformed into the turfgrasses. Phenotypic traits of the transgenic plants were compared to assess the suppression of SARs under a simulated shade condition and outdoor field conditions after three growth seasons. Under the shade condition, the S599A-PhyA transgenic creeping bentgrass plants showed shade avoidance-suppressing phenotypes with a 45% shorter leaf lengths, 24% shorter internode lengths, and twofold increases in chlorophyll concentrations when compared with control plants. Transgenic zoysiagrass plants overexpressing S599A-PHYA also showed shade-tolerant phenotypes under the shade condition with reductions in leaf length (15%), internode length (30%), leaf length/width ratio (19%) and leaf area (22%), as well as increases in chlorophyll contents (19%) and runner lengths (30%) compared to control plants. The phenotypes of transgenic zoysiagrass were also investigated in dense field habitats, and the transgenic turfgrass exhibited shade-tolerant phenotypes similar to those observed under laboratory shade conditions. Therefore, the present study suggests that the hyperactive phyA is effective for the development of shade-tolerant plants, and that the shade tolerance nature is sustained under field conditions.

Modifications in Aster response to long-day conditions caused by overexpression of phytochrome A or B

We studied the role of phytochromes A and B in the regulation of critical day length, night-break signal and the quantitative effects of sunlight on inflorescence development, a long-day induced process, in Aster. We used transgenic plants overexpressing either PHY A or PHY B, different natural daylight conditions, and day extension and night break treatments by low-fluence-rate fluorescent or incandescent lighting with a red to far-red ratio of 7.3 and 0.6, respectively. Wild-type plants had a higher sensitivity to day extension with fluorescent than incandescent lighting and a quantitative response to natural daylight conditions. Their response to a day extension with either incandescent or fluorescent lighting and to a night break with incandescent, but not fluorescent, lighting was subject to the quantitative effect of daylight conditions during the natural short day. Overexpression of PHY A shortened the critical day length for inflorescence development from 14 to 8 h. Overexpression of PHY B shortened the length of the night break needed to induce inflorescence development from 2 h to 15 min. Overexpression of either PHY A or B reduced the quantitative effect of natural daylight. For Aster plants grown under commercial conditions, from autumn through spring, the overexpression of either PHYA or PHYB substantially increased the yield of flowering shoots.

Daylength and spatial expression of a gibberellin 20-oxidase isolated from hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. x P. tremuloides Michx.).

Physiologically active gibberellins (GAs) are key regulators of shoot growth in trees. To investigate this mechanism of GA-controlled growth in hybrid aspen, we cloned cDNAs encoding gibberellin 20-oxidase (GA 20-oxidase), a key, highly regulated enzyme in the biosynthesis of GAs. Clones were isolated from leaf and cambium cDNA libraries using probes generated by polymerase chain reaction, based on conserved domains of GA 20-oxidases. Upon expression in Escherichia coli, the GST-fusion protein was shown to oxidise GA12 as well as oxidising the 13-hydroxylated substrate GA53, successively to GA9 and GA20, respectively. The gene PttGA20ox1 was expressed in meristematic cells and growing tissues such as expanding internodes, leaves and roots. The expression was negatively regulated by both GA4 and overexpression of phytochrome A. RNA analysis also showed that the expression was down-regulated in late-expanding leaf tissue in response to short days (SDs). Actively growing tissues such as early elongating internodes, petioles and leaf blades had the highest levels of C19-GAs. Upon transfer to SDs an accumulation of GA19 was observed in early elongating internodes and leaf blades. The levels of C19-GAs were also to some extent changed upon transfer to SDs. The levels of GA20 were down-regulated in internodes, and those of GA1 were significantly reduced in early expanding leaf blades. In roots the metabolites GA19 and GA8 decreased upon shifts to SDs, while GA20 accumulated slightly. The down-regulation of GA 20-oxidase activity in response to SDs was further indicated by studies of [14C]GA12 metabolism in shoots, demonstrating that the substrate for GA 20-oxidase, [14C]GA53, accumulates in SDs.

Two Photobiological Pathways of Phytochrome A Activity, Only One of Which Shows Dominant Negative Suppression by Phytochrome B

The plant receptor phytochrome A (phyA) mediates responses like hypocotyl growth inhibition and cotyledon unfolding that require continuous far-red (FR) light for maximum expression (high-irradiance responses, HIR), and responses like seed germination that can be induced by a single pulse of FR (very-low-fluence responses, VLFR). It is not known whether this duality results from either phyA interaction with different end-point processes or from the intrinsic properties of phyA activity. Etiolated seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana were exposed to pulses of FR (3 min) separated by dark intervals of different duration. Hypocotyl-growth inhibition and cotyledon unfolding showed two phases. The first phase (VLFR) between 0.17 and 0.5 pulses.h-1, a plateau between 0.5 and 2 pulses.h-1 and a second phase (HIR) at higher frequencies. Reciprocity between fluence rate and duration of FR was observed within phases, not between phases. The fluence rate for half the maximum effect was 0.1 and 3 mumol.m-2.s-1 for hourly pulses of FR (VLFR) and continuous FR (HIR), respectively. Overexpression of phytochrome B caused dominant negative suppression under continuous but not under hourly FR. We conclude that phyA is intrinsically able to initiate two discrete photoresponses even when a single end-point process is considered.

Overexpression of phytochrome A enhances the light-induced formation of adventitious shoots on horseradish hairy roots

A full-length cDNA of the gene for phytochrome A from Arabidopsis thaliana was fused with the 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV35S-PHYA) and introduced into horseradish (Armoracia rusticana Gaert., Mey. et Scherb.) hairy roots. The phytochrome level in hairy roots transformed with CaMV35SPHYA was about three times greater than that in normal hairy roots and the rate of light-induced formation of adventitious shoots was also higher in the hairy roots transformed with CaMV35SPHYA. These results indicate that the light-induced formation of adventitious shoots on horseradish hairy roots is closely related to the phytochrome level.

High-irradiance responses induced by far-red light in grass seedlings of the wild type or overexpressing phytochrome A

The occurrence of phytochrome-mediated highirradiance responses (HIR), previously characterised largely in dicotyledonous plants, was investigated in Triticum aestivum L., Zea mays L., Lolium multiflorum Lam. and in both wild-type Oryza sativa L. and in transgenic plants overexpressing oat phytochrome A under the control of a 35S promoter. Coleoptile growth was promoted (maize, ryegrass) or inhibited (wild-type rice) by continuous far-red light (FRc). However, at equal fluences, hourly pulses of far-red light (FRp) were equally effective, indicating that the growth responses to FRc were not true HIR. In contrast, in maize and rice, FRc increased anthocyanin content in the coleoptile in a fluence-rate dependent manner. This response was a true HIR as FRp had reduced effects. In maize, anthocyanin levels were significantly higher under FRc than under continuous red light. In rice, overexpression of phytochrome A increased the inhibition of coleoptile growth and the levels of anthocyanin under FRc but not under FRp or under continuous red light. The effect of FRc was fluence-rate dependent. In light-grown rice, overexpression of phytochrome A reduced leaf-sheath length, impaired the response to supplementary far-red light, but did not affect the response to canopy shade-light. In grasses, typical HIR, i.e. fluence-rate dependent responses showing reciprocity failure, can be induced by FRc. Under FRc, overexpressed phytochrome A operates through this action mode in transgenic rice.

Mutational analysis of phytochrome B identifies a small COOH-terminal-domain region critical for regulatory activity.

Overexpression of phytochrome B (phyB) in transgenic Arabidopsis results in enhanced deetiolation in red light. To define domains of phyB functionally important for its regulatory activity, we performed chemical mutagenesis of a phyB-overexpressing line and screened for phenotypic revertants in red light. Four phyB-transgene-linked revertants that retain parental levels of full-length, dimeric, and spectrally normal overexpressed phyB were identified among 101 red-light-specific revertants. All carry single amino acid substitutions in the transgene-encoded phyB that reduce activity by 40- to 1000-fold compared to the nonmutagenized parent. The data indicate that the mutant molecules are fully active in photosignal perception but defective in the regulatory activity responsible for signal transfer to downstream components. All four mutations fall within a 62-residue region in the COOH-terminal domain of phyB, with two independent mutations occurring in a single amino acid, Gly-767. Accumulating evidence indicates that the identified region is a critical determinant in the regulatory function of both phyB and phyA.

An amino-terminal deletion of rice phytochrome A results in a dominant negative suppression of tobacco phytochrome A activity in transgenic tobacco seedlings.

Overexpression of phytochrome A results in an increased inhibition of hypocotyl elongation under red and far-red light. We used this approach to assay for the function of N-terminal mutations of rice (Oryza sativa L.) phytochrome A. Transgenic tobacco seedlings that express the wild-type rice phytochrome A (RW), a rice phytochrome A lacking the first 80 amino acids (NTD) or a rice phytochrome A with a conversion of the first 10 serines into alanine residues (S/A) were compared with untransformed wild-type tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Xanthi) seedlings. Experiments under different fluence rates showed that RW and, even more strongly, S/A increased the response under both red and far-red light, whereas NTD decreased the response under far-red light but hardly altered the response under red light. These results indicate that NTD not only lacks residues essential for an increased response under red light but also distorts the wild-type response under far-red light. Wild-type rice phytochrome A and, even more so, S/A mediate an enhanced phytochrome A as well as phytochrome B function, whereas NTD interferes with the function of endogenous tobacco phytochrome A as well as that of rice phytochrome A when co-expressed in a single host. Experiments with seedlings of different ages and various times of irradiation under far-red light demonstrated that the effect of NTD is dependent on the stage of development. Our results suggest that the lack of the first 80 amino acids still allows a rice phytochrome A to interact with the phytochrome transduction pathway, albeit non-productively in tobacco seedlings.

Flowering Responses to Altered Expression of Phytochrome in Mutants and Transgenic Lines of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh

The long-day plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. flowers early in response to brief end-of-day (EOD) exposures to far-red light (FR) following a fluorescent short day of 8 h. FR promotion of flowering was nullified by subsequent brief red light (R) EOD exposure, indicating phytochrome involvement. The EOD response to R or FR is a robust measure of phytochrome action. Along with their wild-type (WT) parents, mutants deficient in either phytochrome A or B responded similarly to the EOD treatments. Thus, neither phytochrome A nor B exclusively regulated flowering, although phytochrome B controlled hypocotyl elongation. Perhaps a third phytochrome species is important for the EOD responses of the mutants and/or their flowering is regulated by the amount of the FR-absorbing form of phytochrome, irrespective of the phytochrome species. Overexpression of phytochrome A or phytochrome B resulted in differing photoperiod and EOD responses among the genotypes. The day-neutral overexpressor of phytochrome A had an EOD response similar to all of the mutants and WTs, whereas R EOD exposure promoted flowering in the overexpressor of phytochrome B and FR EOD exposure inhibited this promotion. The comparisons between relative flowering times and leaf numbers at flowering of the over-expressors and their WTs were not consistent across photoperiods and light treatments, although both phytochromes A and B contributed to regulating flowering of the transgenic plants.

Overexpression of oat phytochrome A gene differentially affects stem growth responses to red/far‐red ratio signals characteristic of sparse or dense canopies

ABSTRACTThe effects of overexpression of oat phytochrome A on neighbour detection and on stem‐growth responses to changes in red light (R), far‐red light (FR) and blue light (B) simulating neighbours were investigated in transgenic tobacco seedlings grown under natural radiation. In wild‐type (WT) seedlings, stem extension growth was promoted: (1) by lowering the R:FR by means of daytime supplementary FR, end‐of‐day FR, neighbours reflecting FR, or selective light filters placed around the base of the shoot to reduce R without affecting FR; and (2) by lowering phytochrome‐absorbable radiation (R+FR) reaching the stem. Transgenic seedlings only responded to reductions in R:FR involving no significant changes in FR irra‐diance, i.e. end‐of‐day FR and filters placed around the stem to reduce R. Neither daytime supplementary R nor selective filters placed around the stem to reduce B affected stem growth in any genotype. In growing canopies, WT seedlings responded to the reduction of R:FR caused by FR reflected in neighbour plants. Transgenic seedlings responded to plant density about a week later, when mutual plant shading reduced R and (to a lesser extent) FR below sunlight levels. Overexpression of phytochrome A impaired early neighbour detection.

Overexpression of Phytochrome B Induces a Short Hypocotyl Phenotype in Transgenic Arabidopsis.

The photoreceptor phytochrome is encoded by a small multigene family in higher plants. phyA encodes the well-characterized etiolated-tissue phytochrome. The product of the phyB gene, which has properties resembling those of "green tissue" phytochrome, is as yet poorly characterized. We have developed a phytochrome B overexpression system for analysis of the structure and function of this protein. Using newly generated polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies that are selective for phytochrome B, we have demonstrated high levels of expression of full-length rice and Arabidopsis phytochrome B under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis. The overexpressed phytochrome is spectrally active, undergoes red/far-red-light-dependent conformational changes, is synthesized in its inactive red light-absorbing form, and is stable in the light. Overexpression of phytochrome B is tightly correlated with a short hypocotyl phenotype in transgenic seedlings. This phenotype is strictly light dependent, thus providing direct evidence that phytochrome B is a biologically functional photoreceptor. Based on similarities to phenotypes obtained by overexpression of phytochrome A, it appears that phytochromes A and B can control similar responses in the plant.