Involvement of aba in flower induction of Pharbitis nil

Flowering of plants is controlled by hormones among which both stimulators and inhibitors are present. The role of abscisic acid (ABA) in flower induction of the short day plant Pharbitis nil was shown in our experiments through exogenous applications and endogenous level determination of the hormone in cotyledons of seedlings grown under special light conditions. The application of ABA to cotyledons or shoot apices during the first half of a 24-h long inductive night inhibits flowering. The same compound applied towards the end of or after a 14-h long subinductive night increases the number of flower buds produced by these plants. Exposing P. nil seedlings at the beginning of a 24-h long inductive night to far red light (FR) decreases the level of endogenous abscisic acid in cotyledons and leads to flower inhibition. However, a pulse of red light (R) reversing the inhibitory effect of far red light on the flowering of P. nil increases the ABA content. The results obtained confirm previous observations that ABA may play a dual and an important role in the regulation of floral bud formation in P. nil. The flowering occurs when the level of endogenous abscisic acid is low at the beginning and is high toward the end of the inductive night

Wounding stimulates ALLENE OXIDE SYNTHASE gene and increases the level of jasmonic acid in Ipomoea nil cotyledons

Allene oxide synthase (AOS) encodes the first enzyme in the lipoxygenase pathway, which is responsible for jasmonic acid (JA) formation. In this study we report the molecular cloning and characterization of InAOS from Ipomoea nil. The full-length gene is composed of 1662 bp and encodes for 519 amino acids. The predicted InAOS contains PLN02648 motif, which is evolutionarily conserved and characteristic for functional enzymatic proteins. We have shown that wounding led to a strong stimulation of the examined gene activity in cotyledons and an increase in JA level, which suggest that this compound may be a modulator of stress responses in I. nil

The role of gibberellins in the regulation of flowering in plants

Wyniki badań z zastosowaniem egzogennych giberelin wykazały, że hormony te wpływają w różny sposób na kwitnienie roślin dnia długiego i roślin dnia krótkiego. U Arabidopsis, jak i u innych roślin dnia długiego, gibereliny pełnią rolę stymulatorów kwitnienia. U roślin rozetowych oraz niektórych roślin dnia długiego egzogenne gibereliny są nawet w stanie zastąpić długi, indukcyjny fotoperiod. U wielu roślin dnia krótkiego, uprawianych w nieindukcyjnych warunkach krótkiej nocy, aplikacja gibereliny opóźnia bądź hamuje kwitnienie. Jednakże u Pharbitis nil (modelowej rośliny dnia krótkiego) uprawianej w warunkach podindukcyjnych, gibereliny stymulują tworzenie pąków kwiatowych. Zatem obserwowane efekty aplikacji giberelin u roślin krótkodniowych nie są jednoznaczne, zależą od gatunku rośliny oraz czasu i miejsca aplikacji hormonów. Ponieważ u niektórych roślin dnia długiego, jak np. u Lolium temulentum, indukcja fotoperiodyczna wpływając na geny 20-oksydazy giberelinowej, prowadzi do wzrostu poziomu giberelin w liściach, a następnie ich transportu do wierzchołka wzrostu pędu, gdzie następuje ewokacja i morfogeneza kwiatu, w pewnym momencie historii badań nad tym procesem gibereliny były uważane za sygnał kwitnieniowy u LDP. Zasadniczy postęp w zrozumieniu roli giberelin w regulacji rozwoju generatywnego przyniosły jednak badania molekularne. U A. thaliana gibereliny uruchamiają jeden z czterech szlaków indukcji kwitnienia. Szlak giberelinowy aktywuje ekspresję genów związanych z tworzeniem kwiatów na drodze bezpośredniej poprzez aktywację genu LFY i FT lub pośrednio poprzez pozytywną regulację genu SOC1. Wydaje się, że efekty te leżą u podstaw stymulującego wpływu giberelin na kwitnienie u roślin dnia długiego, a być może także u niektórych roślin dnia krótkiego. Prawidłowo funkcjonujący szlak przekazywania sygnału giberelinowego warunkuje jednocześnie wzrost elongacyjny pędu, który poprzedza kwitnienie u roślin rozetowych. Gibereliny biorą także udział w morfogenezie i dyferencjacji płci tworzących się kwiatów.The results of studies with exogenous gibberellins application showed that the hormones influence on flowering of long-day plants and short-day plants in different manner. In Arabidopsis, as well as other long-day plants, gibberellins stimulate flowering. In rose plants, and also some long-day plants, exogenous gibberellins are even able to replace long inductive photoperiod. In many short-day plants cultivated under non-inductive conditions of short night, gibberellin application delays or inhibit flowering. However, in Pharbitis nil (a model short-day plant) cultivated under sub-inductive conditions, gibberellins stimulate flower bud formation. Thus, the effects observed after gibberellins application in short-day plants are not unequivocal and depend on plant specious as well as time and place of hormones application. Because in some long-day plants, e. g. Lolium temulentum, photoperiodic induction, influencing on genes encoding gibberellic 20-oxidase, leads to the increase of gibberellins level in leaves, and next their transport to the apex where the evocation and flower morphogenesis take place, gibberellins were even historically considered as the flowering signal in LDP. Nevertheless, the most essential progress in understanding of gibberellins role in the regulation of generative development comes from molecular studies. In A. thaliana gibberellins trigger one of four flower induction pathways. The gibberellic pathway activates the expression of genes involved in flower formation both directly, through the activation of LFY and FT genes, and indirectly, through the positive regulation of SOC1 gene. It seems that the effects underlie the stimulating influence of gibberellins on flowering in long-day plants, and perhaps in some short-day plants, as well. In rose plants, correctly functioning gibberellin signal transduction pathway determine simultaneously stem elongation which is followed by flowering. Gibberellins are also involved in morphogenesis and sex differentiation of emerging flowers

Wounding stimulates ALLENE OXIDE SYNTHASE gene and increases the level of jasmonic acid in Ipomoea nil cotyledons

Allene oxide synthase (AOS) encodes the first enzyme in the lipoxygenase pathway, which is responsible for jasmonic acid (JA) formation. In this study we report the molecular cloning and characterization of InAOS from Ipomoea nil. The full-length gene is composed of 1662 bp and encodes for 519 amino acids. The predicted InAOS contains PLN02648 motif, which is evolutionarily conserved and characteristic for functional enzymatic proteins. We have shown that wounding led to a strong stimulation of the examined gene activity in cotyledons and an increase in JA level, which suggest that this compound may be a modulator of stress responses in I. nil

The role of jasmonates in the regulation of generative development in plants

Jasmoniany są fitohormonami warunkującymi prawidłowy przebieg poszczególnych faz rozwojowych rośliny. Prekursorem jasmonianów jest kwas α-linolenowy, a ich biosynteza zachodzi w trzech strukturach subkomórkowych: chloroplastach, peroksysomach i cytozolu. Niniejsza praca podsumowuje najnowsze osiągnięcia dotyczące udziału jasmonianów w reprodukcji roślin. U większości gatunków roślin jasmoniany hamują kwitnienie. Jednakże, badania prowadzone na rzepaku wskazują, że rola tych związków w indukcji generatywnej nie jest jednoznaczna, gdyż, w pewnych warunkach, mogą one także przyspieszać tworzenie kwiatów. Jasmoniany pełnią również istotną rolę w prawidłowym formowaniu płonnych i płodnych części kwiatu, a także w otwieraniu pąków kwiatowych. Ponadto, kwas jasmonowy (JA) powstający w nitce pręcika synchronizuje dojrzewanie ziaren pyłku z otwieraniem pylników i kwiatów. Na podstawie analizy wzorca ekspresji genu DAD1, kodującego enzym zaangażowany w powstawanie jasmonianów, utworzono model regulacji transportu wody do pręcików i płatków korony przez JA. Dodatkowo, zaobserwowano, że jedna z bioaktywnych form kwasu jasmonowego, koniugat z aminokwasem izoleucyną ( JA-Ile), pełni rolę cząsteczki pośredniczącej w regulowanej przez światło sekrecji nektaru. JA-Ile wzmaga wydzielanie nektaru u roślin uprawianych na świetle i nie powoduje jej obniżenia u roślin uprawianych w ciemności. Z ahamowanie biosyntezy JA- Ile na świetle zmniejsza sekrecję nektaru, a efekt ten można odwrócić przez aplikację JA-Ile.Jasmonates are phytohormones conditioning proper functioning of separate plant development stages. Jasmonates precursor is α-linolenic acid. Their biosynthesis occurs in three subcellular structures: chloroplasts, peroxisomes and cytosol. This paper summarizes the most recent achievements on participation of jasmonates in the field of reproduction of plants. Jasmonates hinder florescence among the most species of plants. However, researches carried out over rape indicate that the role of these compounds in generative induction is not explicit, i.e. they may speed up the growth of flowers in certain circumstances. Jasmonates are also very important in a process of proper formation of sterile and fertile parts of flower, as well as in opening flower buds. Furthermore, jasmonic acid (JA) nascent in a thread rod synchronizes maturation of pollen grains with the process of opening anthers and flowers. On the basis of gene expression pattern DAD1 analysis (the one that encodes an enzyme involved in the first stage of jasmonates formation), there was created a model of water transport regulation by JA to the stamens and petals of the crown. In addition, it was observed that one of the bioactive forms of jasmonic acid (JA-Ile) acts as an intermediary molecule in the secretion of nectar, regulated by the light. JA-Ile increases in the secretion of nectar in plants cultivated in the light and does not cause its decrease in plants cultivated in the dark. Inhibition of the JA-Ile biosynthesis in the light reduces the secretion of nectar. This result can be inverted by the application of JA-Ile

The influence of abscisic acid on the ethylene biosynthesis pathway in the functioning of the flower abscission zone in Lupinus luteus

Flower abscission is a highly regulated developmental process activated in response to exogenous (e.g. changing environmental conditions) and endogenous stimuli (e.g. phytohormones). Ethylene (ET) and abscisic acid (ABA) are very effective stimulators of flower abortion in Lupinus luteus, which is a widely cultivated species in Poland, Australia and Mediterranean countries. In this paper, we show that artificial activation of abscission by flower removal caused an accumulation of ABA in the abscission zone (AZ). Moreover, the blocking of that phytohormone's biosynthesis by NDGA (nordihydroguaiaretic acid) decreased the number of abscised flowers. However, the application of NBD – an inhibitor of ET action – reversed the stimulatory effect of ABA on flower abscission, indicating that ABA itself is not sufficient to turn on the organ separation. Our analysis revealed that exogenous ABA significantly accelerated the transcriptional activity of the ET biosynthesis genes ACC synthase (LlACS) and oxidase (LlACO), and moreover, strongly increased the level of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) – ET precursor, which was specifically localized within AZ cells. We cannot exclude the possibility that ABA mediates flower abscission processes by enhancing the ET biosynthesis rate. The findings of our study will contribute to the overall basic knowledge on the phytohormone-regulated generative organs abscission in L. luteus.This work was funded by Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 222/2015 and funds provided by Nicolaus Copernicus University (Toruń, Poland) for the Chair of Plant Physiology and Biotechnology research program. A. Kućko thanks the eidA3-ceiA3 consortium for funding throughout the program for Ph.D. co-supervision for foreign students.Peer Reviewe

Ethylene-dependent effects on generative organ abscission of Lupinus luteus

Te abscission of certain organs from the plant is part of the fulfilment of its developmental programs. Te separation process occurs in a specialized abscission zone usually formed at the base of detached organ. Te changing level of phytohormones, particularly ethylene, is the element responsible for coordinating anatomical and physiological transformation that accompanies organ abscission. Te application of ethylene (ET) on Lupinus luteus stimulates flower abortion. However, the treatment with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) - direct ET precursor - does not cause such a strong physiological response. In turn, when applied on the pedicels both ET biosynthesis (2-aminoethoxyvinylglycine; AVG) and action (norbornadiene; NBD) inhibitors reversed the stimulatory effect of ET on generative organ separation. In order to determine ET role in the flower abscission process in L. luteus, we identified the sequences coding for synthase (LlACS) and oxidase (LlACO) of ACC and measured their expression levels. Abscission zone activation is accompanied by a considerable increase both in LlACS and LlACO cDNAs and also ACC content, which is specifically localized in the dividing cells at the base of the flower being detached. Obtained results suggest that ET is a strong stimulator of flower abortion in L. luteus.This project was supported by the funds provided by Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development grants Nos. 149/2011, 222/2016 and funds provided by Nicolaus Copernicus University (Toruń, Poland) for the research program of the Chair of Plant Physiology and Biotechnology. AK thanks the eidA3-ceiA3 consortium for funding throughout the program for PhD cosupervision for foreign students.Peer Reviewe