Mechanisms Underlying the Environmentally Induced Plasticity of Leaf Morphology

The primary function of leaves is to provide an interface between plants and their environment for gas exchange, light exposure and thermoregulation. Leaves have, therefore a central contribution to plant fitness by allowing an efficient absorption of sunlight energy through photosynthesis to ensure an optimal growth. Their final geometry will result from a balance between the need to maximize energy uptake while minimizing the damage caused by environmental stresses. This intimate relationship between leaf and its surroundings has led to an enormous diversification in leaf forms. Leaf shape varies between species, populations, individuals or even within identical genotypes when those are subjected to different environmental conditions. For instance, the extent of leaf margin dissection has, for long, been found to inversely correlate with the mean annual temperature, such that Paleobotanists have used models based on leaf shape to predict the paleoclimate from fossil flora. Leaf growth is not only dependent on temperature but is also regulated by many other environmental factors such as light quality and intensity or ambient humidity. This raises the question of how the different signals can be integrated at the molecular level and converted into clear developmental decisions. Several recent studies have started to shed the light on the molecular mechanisms that connect the environmental sensing with organ-growth and patterning. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the influence of different environmental signals on leaf size and shape, their integration as well as their importance for plant adaptation

Expression pattern of resynthesized allotetraploid Capsella is determined by hybridization, not whole-genome duplication

Polyploidization, the process leading to the increase in chromosome sets, is a major evolutionary transition in plants. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) within the same species gives rise to autopolyploids, whereas allopolyploids result from a compound process with two distinct components: WGD and interspecific hybridization. To dissect the instant effects of WGD and hybridization on gene expression and phenotype, we created a series of synthetic hybrid and polyploid Capsella plants, including diploid hybrids, autotetraploids of both parental species, and two kinds of resynthesized allotetraploids with different orders of WGD and hybridization. Hybridization played a major role in shaping the relative expression pattern of the neo-allopolyploids, whereas WGD had almost no immediate effect on relative gene expression pattern but, nonetheless, still affected phenotypes. No transposable element-mediated genomic shock scenario was observed in either neo-hybrids or neo-polyploids. Finally, WGD and hybridization interacted and the distorting effects of WGD were less strong in hybrids. Whole-genome duplication may even improve hybrid fertility. In summary, while the initial relative gene expression pattern in neo-allotetraploids was almost entirely determined by hybridization, WGD only had trivial effects on relative expression patterns, both processes interacted and had a strong impact on physical attributes and meiotic behaviors

Mise en évidence de transporteurs de la résistance pléiotropique dans la muqueuse olfactive et leur implication dans la réponse aux odorants chez les rongeurs

La résistance pléiotropique (MDR) est une propriété de certaines cellules relative à la capacité de rejeter ou d évacuer une très large variété de substances potentiellement toxiques. Les pompes à l origine de ce rejet sont des protéines membranaires appartenant à la superfamille ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette). Deux membres de cette famille ABC confèrent la propriété de résistance pléiotropique, P-gp (P-glycoprotein) et MRP1 (Multidrug Resistance-associated Protein). Nous avons mené une étude fonctionnelle sur l activité de ces deux transporteurs dans la muqueuse olfactive à la fois chez le rat et la souris. Nous avons employé le test fluorométrique à la calcéine-AM sur des tranches coronales de la muqueuse olfactive incubées en présence d inhibiteurs spécifiques des transporteurs de la résistance pléiotropique, vérapamil et cyclosporine A comme inhibiteurs de Pgp ainsi que probénécide et MK571 comme inhibiteurs de MRP1. Chacun de ces quatre inhibiteurs provoque une augmentation significative de l intensité de la fluorescence.Afin de savoir si les transporteurs de la résistance pléiotropique peuvent être impliqués dans la réponse olfactive nous avons examiné les réponses évoquées par des odorants seuls ou mélangés à l aide d enregistrements d électro-olfactogrammes (EOG). En présence des deux inhibiteurs de MRP1, l amplitude maximale des EOG est significativement réduite pour chaque stimulus odorant testé, tandis que les inhibiteurs de Pgp n ont qu un effet modéré ou nul. L expression des gènes codant pour Pgp et MRP1 dans l épithélium olfactif ont ensuite été confirmées par RT-PCR. L ensemble de ces résultats suggère que les transporteurs MRP1 et Pgp sont présents et fonctionnels dans l épithélium olfactif principal des rongeurs et sont impliqués dans la réponse aux odorants. Leur fonction précise dans l olfaction reste à éluciderMultidrug resistance (MDR) is a property of various cells associated with the capacity to reject or efflux a wide range of potentially harmful substances out of the cell. Pumps that effect such efflux are membrane proteins and belong to the ATP- binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. Among the members of the ABC family two are conferring MDR, P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and the multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP1). In this study we investigated the functional activity of MDR transporters in olfactory mucosa of two species, rat and mouse. We used the fluorometric calcein-AM uptake assay on olfactory mucosal slices incubated with specific inhibitors of the MDR-transporters, verapamil and cyclosporin A as Pgp-inhibitors, and probenecid and MK571 as MRP-inhibitors. All four inhibitors caused significant increases in fluorescence intensities. To test if MDR transporters may be involved in the olfactory response we examined odorant evoked responses to single and mixed odorants by means of electro-olfactograms recordings (EOG). In the presence of the two MRP inhibitors, maximum EOG amplitudes were significantly reduced for all odorants tested, while Pgp inhibitors had only a moderate or no effect. Expression of Pgp and MRP1 encoding genes in the olfactory epithelium was further confirmed by RT-PCR. The results together suggest that MRP and Pgp transporters are present and functional in the main olfactory epithelium of rodents and are implicated in the olfactory response. The precise functional role in olfaction remains to be elucidated.DIJON-BU Doc.électronique (212319901) / SudocSudocFranceF

The plant-specific DDR factor SOG1 increases chromatin mobility in response to DNA damage

Homologous recombination (HR) is a conservative DNA repair pathway in which intact homologous sequences are used as a template for repair. How the homology search happens in the crowded space of the cell nucleus is, however, still poorly understood. Here, we measure chromosome and double-strand break (DSB) site mobility in Arabidopsis thaliana, using lacO/LacI lines and two GFP-tagged HR reporters. We observe an increase in chromatin mobility upon the induction of DNA damage, specifically at the S/G2 phases of the cell cycle. This increase in mobility is lost in the sog1-1 mutant, a central transcription factor of the DNA damage response in plants. Also, DSB sites show particularly high mobility levels and their enhanced mobility requires the HR factor RAD54. Our data suggest that repair mechanisms promote chromatin mobility upon DNA damage, implying a role of this process in the early steps of the DNA damage response

Testing the effect of individual scent compounds on pollinator attraction in nature using quasi-isogenic Capsella lines

Premise Floral scent, usually consisting of multiple compounds, is a complex trait, and its role in pollinator attraction has received increasing attention. However, disentangling the effect of individual floral scent compounds is difficult due to the complexity of isolating the effect of single compounds by traditional methods. Methods Using available quasi-isogenic lines (qILs) that were generated as part of the original mapping of the floral scent volatile-related loci CNL1 (benzaldehyde) and TPS2 (β-ocimene) in Capsella, we generated four genotypes that should only differ in these two compounds. Plants of the four genotypes were introduced into a common garden outside the natural range of C. rubella or C. grandiflora, with individuals of a self-compatible C. grandiflora line as pollen donors, whose different genetic background facilitates the detection of outcrossing events. Visitors to flowers of all five genotypes were compared, and the seeds set during the common-garden period were collected for high-throughput amplicon-based sequencing to estimate their outcrossing rates. Results Benzaldehyde and β-ocimene emissions were detected in the floral scent of corresponding genotypes. While some pollinator groups showed specific visitation preferences depending on scent compounds, the outcrossing rates in seeds did not vary among the four scent-manipulated genotypes. Conclusions The scent-manipulated Capsella materials constructed using qILs provide a powerful system to study the ecological effects of individual floral scent compounds under largely natural environments. In Capsella, individual benzaldehyde and β-ocimene emission may act as attractants for different types of pollinators

Retracing the molecular basis and evolutionary history of the loss of benzaldehyde emission in the genus Capsella

The transition from pollinator‐mediated outbreeding to selfing has occurred many times in angiosperms. This is generally accompanied by a reduction in traits attracting pollinators, including reduced emission of floral scent. In Capsella, emission of benzaldehyde as a main component of floral scent has been lost in selfing C. rubella by mutation of cinnamate‐CoA ligase CNL1. However, the biochemical basis and evolutionary history of this loss remain unknown, as does the reason for the absence of benzaldehyde emission in the independently derived selfer Capsella orientalis. We used plant transformation, in vitro enzyme assays, population genetics and quantitative genetics to address these questions. CNL1 has been inactivated twice independently by point mutations in C. rubella, causing a loss of enzymatic activity. Both inactive haplotypes are found within and outside of Greece, the centre of origin of C. rubella, indicating that they arose before its geographical spread. By contrast, the loss of benzaldehyde emission in C. orientalis is not due to an inactivating mutation in CNL1. CNL1 represents a hotspot for mutations that eliminate benzaldehyde emission, potentially reflecting the limited pleiotropy and large effect of its inactivation. Nevertheless, even closely related species have followed different evolutionary routes in reducing floral scent

Fruit shape diversity in the Brassicaceae is generated by varying patterns of anisotropy

Fruits exhibit a vast array of different 3D shapes, from simple spheres and cylinders to more complex curved forms; however, the mechanism by which growth is oriented and coordinated to generate this diversity of forms is unclear. Here, we compare the growth patterns and orientations for two very different fruit shapes in the Brassicaceae: the heart-shaped Capsella rubella silicle and the near-cylindrical Arabidopsis thaliana silique. We show, through a combination of clonal and morphological analyses, that the different shapes involve different patterns of anisotropic growth during three phases. These experimental data can be accounted for by a tissue-level model in which specified growth rates vary in space and time and are oriented by a proximodistal polarity field. The resulting tissue conflicts lead to deformation of the tissue as it grows. The model allows us to identify tissue-specific and temporally specific activities required to obtain the individual shapes. One such activity may be provided by the valve-identity gene FRUITFULL, which we show through comparative mutant analysis to modulate fruit shape during post-fertilisation growth of both species. Simple modulations of the model presented here can also broadly account for the variety of shapes in other Brassicaceae species, thus providing a simplified framework for fruit development and shape diversity

Functional Evidence of Multidrug Resistance Transporters (MDR) in Rodent Olfactory Epithelium

Background: P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP1) are membrane transporter proteins which function as efflux pumps at cell membranes and are considered to exert a protective function against the entry of xenobiotics. While evidence for Pgp and MRP transporter activity is reported for olfactory tissue, their possible interaction and participation in the olfactory response has not been investigated. Principal Findings: Functional activity of putative MDR transporters was assessed by means of the fluorometric calcein acetoxymethyl ester (calcein-AM) accumulation assay on acute rat and mouse olfactory tissue slices. Calcein-AM uptake was measured as fluorescence intensity changes in the presence of Pgp or MRP specific inhibitors. Epifluorescence microscopy measured time course analysis in the olfactory epithelium revealed significant inhibitor-dependent calcein uptake in the presence of each of the selected inhibitors. Furthermore, intracellular calcein accumulation in olfactory receptor neurons was also significantly increased in the presence of either one of the Pgp or MRP inhibitors. The presence of Pgp or MRP1 encoding genes in the olfactory mucosa of rat and mouse was confirmed by RT-PCR with appropriate pairs of speciesspecific primers. Both transporters were expressed in both newborn and adult olfactory mucosa of both species. To assess a possible involvement of MDR transporters in the olfactory response, we examined the electrophysiological response to odorants in the presence of the selected MDR inhibitors by recording electroolfactograms (EOG). In both animal species

Etude du rôle du gène Matriochka au cours du développement de la fleur et des ovules chez la tomate (un nouveau régulateur de l'activité méristématique au cours du développement floral)

Le gène MKA code pour une protéine de la famille des Mini zinc Finger", dont la fonction dans le développement était jusqu'alors inconnue. Au cours de cette étude, nous avons mis en place des stratégies permettant d'appréhender la fonction de ce gène in planta. Le gène MKA est majoritairement exprimé au niveau des organes reproducteurs (fleur et fruit). La surexpression de ce gène chez les plantes induit une diminution de la taille de tous les organes liés à une diminution des activités de division cellulaire et d'expansion cellulaire. L'altération de la fonction du gène endogène chez les plantes se traduit par la perte de l'inhibition de l'activité méristématique au niveau de la fleur et des ovules. Le gène MKA code donc un inhibiteur de la croissance des plantes nécessaire à une organogenèse correcte des organes floraux. Une étude primaire de son mécanisme d'action moléculaire, indique qu'il agirait comme un régulateur central des voies de dégradation protéique chez les plantes.MKA gene codes for a member for a Mini zinc Finger protein family, whose function in plant development was not known when this work was initiated. In this study, we have set various strategies aimed at unraveling the function of this gene in planta. MKA is mainly expressed in reproductive organs (flower and fruit). The overexpression of this gene in planta leads to the reduction of all organ size. In contrast, the MKA loss of function leads affects the inhibition of meristem activity which currently occurs during flower and ovule development. MKA thus encodes an inhibitor of plant growth that appears absolutely necessary for a correct organogenesis of reproductive organs. A preliminary studu of the MKA molecular mechanism suggests that it could act as a general regulator of proteolysis in plants.BORDEAUX2-BU Santé (330632101) / SudocSudocFranceF