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Endogenous phytohormones auxin (indole-3-acetic acid [IAA]), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA 3 ), and brassinosteroid (BR) play a role in responses to drought stress in higher plants. Tea plant is one of the major economic corps worldwide. The tender shoots of tea plants are the main source for tea production. The effects of drought stress on endogenous IAA, ABA, GA 3 , and BR metabolisms in tender shoots of tea plants need to be illustrated. In this study, a total of 17 IAA-related genes, 17 ABA-related genes, 18 GA 3 -related genes, and 8 BR-related genes were identified under drought stress in tender shoots of tea plants, respectively. By using a combination of phytohormone determination, phylogenetic tree construction and sequence analysis, gene expression profiles, functional classification, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment, and distribution of genes analysis, we have demonstrated that IAA, ABA, GA 3 , and BR metabolisms might participate in the regulation of the response to drought stress in tender shoots of tea plants. The expression level of CsLYCE negatively correlated with ABA accumulation under drought stress. Our findings could shed new light on the effects of drought stress on the IAA, ABA, GA 3 , and BR metabolisms in tender shoots of tea plants.

The breeding of cereals with altered gibberellin (GA) signaling propelled the 'Green Revolution' by generating semidwarf plants with increased tiller number. The mechanism by which GAs promote shoot height has been studied extensively, but it is not known what causes the inverse relationship between plant height and tiller number. Here we show that rice tiller number regulator MONOCULM 1 (MOC1) is protected from degradation by binding to the DELLA protein SLENDER RICE 1 (SLR1). GAs trigger the degradation of SLR1, leading to stem elongation and also to the degradation of MOC1, and hence a decrease in tiller number. This discovery provides a molecular explanation for the coordinated control of plant height and tiller number in rice by GAs, SLR1 and MOC1.

The HAP3 subfamily gene RcLEC1-B, was isolated from protocorm-like body (PLB) of Rosa canina, encodes 213 amino acid residues. It was shown that RcLEC1-B was specifically expressed in PLB of R. canina and its subcellular localization is in the nucleus. Overexpression of RcLEC1-B in Arabidopsis resulted in a decrease in endogenous ABA level, an increase in GA, IAA and CTK contents, and an increased number of branches. RcLEC1-B promotes the formation of spontaneous embryoids, suggesting that it may be a homolog of the Arabidopsis LEC1 gene. RcLEC1-B-OE changed the number and morphology of flower organs and resulted in open carpels and exposed ovules, along with a reduced percentage of fertile fruit. This is the first observation that overexpression of a homolog of LEC1 in Arabidopsis can lead to morphological changes in floral organs, cuticle defects, and adhesions between organs; this may result from the increased level of gibberellin in the transgenic plants., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gibberellins (GAs) are phytohormones that regulate various developmental processes in plants. The initial GA signalling events involve the binding of a GA to the soluble GA receptor protein GID1, followed by the binding of the complex to the negative transcriptional regulator of GA signaling, the DELLA protein. Although X-ray structures for certain Arabidopsis GID1/GA/DELLA protein complexes have previously been determined, examination of these complexes did not fully clarify how a DELLA protein recognizes and binds to a GID1/GA complex. Herein, we present a study aimed at physically defining, via a combination of gel chromatography, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), small-angle X-ray scattering experiments (SAXS), NMR spectroscopy and mutagenesis, how the rice DELLA protein (SLR1) binds to the rice GID1/GA complex. We have identified the shortest SLR1 sequence (M28-A112) that binds the rice GID/GA complex tightly. The binding constant for the ternary complex that includes SLR1(M28-A112) is 2.9 × 10 7  M -1 ; the binding is enthalpically driven and does not depend on the chemical nature of the bound GA. Furthermore, the results of SAXS, ITC, and gel filtration experiments indicate that when free in solution, SLR1(M28-A112) is a natively unfolded protein. The NMR experiments expand this observation to show that the unfolded mutant also contains a small amount of marginally stable secondary structure. Conversely, the protein has a highly ordered structure when bound one-to-one to GID1/GA.

Parthenocarpy, or pollination-independent fruit set, is an attractive trait for fruit production and can be induced by increased responses to the phytohormone gibberellin (GA), which regulates diverse aspects of plant development. GA signaling in plants is negatively regulated by DELLA proteins. A loss-of-function mutant of tomato DELLA (SlDELLA), procera (pro) thus exhibits enhanced GA-response phenotypes including parthenocarpy, although the pro mutation also confers some disadvantages for practical breeding. This study identified a new milder hypomorphic allele of SlDELLA, procera-2 (pro-2), which showed weaker GA-response phenotypes than pro. The pro-2 mutant contains a single nucleotide substitution, corresponding to a single amino acid substitution in the SAW subdomain of the SlDELLA. Accumulation of the mutated SlDELLA transcripts in wild-type (WT) resulted in parthenocarpy, while introduction of intact SlDELLA into pro-2 rescued mutant phenotypes. Yeast two-hybrid assays revealed that SlDELLA interacted with three tomato homologues of GID1 GA receptors with increasing affinity upon GA treatment, while their interactions were reduced by the pro and pro-2 mutations. Both pro and pro-2 mutants produced higher fruit yields under high temperature conditions, which were resulted from higher fruit set efficiency, demonstrating the potential for genetic parthenocarpy to improve yield under adverse environmental conditions.

Most plants do poorly when flooded. Certain rice varieties, known as deepwater rice, survive periodic flooding and consequent oxygen deficiency by activating internode growth of stems to keep above the water. Here, we identify the gibberellin biosynthesis gene, SD1 ( SEMIDWARF1 ), whose loss-of-function allele catapulted the rice Green Revolution, as being responsible for submergence-induced internode elongation. When submerged, plants carrying the deepwater rice-specific SD1 haplotype amplify a signaling relay in which the SD1 gene is transcriptionally activated by an ethylene-responsive transcription factor, OsEIL1a. The SD1 protein directs increased synthesis of gibberellins, largely GA 4 , which promote internode elongation. Evolutionary analysis shows that the deepwater rice-specific haplotype was derived from standing variation in wild rice and selected for deepwater rice cultivation in Bangladesh., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Coconuts (Cocos nucifera L.) are divided by the height into tall and dwarf types. In many plants the short phenotype was emerged by mutation of the GA20ox gene encoding the enzyme involved in gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. Two CnGA20ox genes, CnGA20ox1 and CnGA20ox2, were cloned from tall and dwarf types coconut. The sequences, gene structures and expressions were compared. The structure of each gene comprised three exons and two introns. The CnGA20ox1 and CnGA20ox2 genes consisted of the coding region of 1110 and 1131 bp, encoding proteins of 369 and 376 amino acids, respectively. Their amino acid sequences are highly homologous to GA20ox1 and GA20ox2 genes of Elaeis guineensis, but only 57% homologous to each other. However, the characteristic amino acids two histidines and one aspartic acid which are the two iron (Fe 2+ ) binding residues, and arginine and serine which are the substrate binding residues of the dioxygenase enzyme in the 20G-FeII_Oxy domain involved in GA biosynthesis, were found in the active site of both enzymes. The evolutionary relationship of their proteins revealed three clusters in vascular plants, with two subgroups in dicots and three subgroups in monocots. This result confirmed that CnGA20ox was present as multi-copy genes, and at least two groups CnGA20ox1 and CnGA20ox2 were found in coconut. The nucleotide sequences of CnGA20ox1 gene in both coconut types were identical but its expression was about three folds higher in the leaves of tall coconut than in those of dwarf type which was in good agreement with their height. In contrast, the nucleotide sequences of CnGA20ox2 gene in the two coconut types were different, but the expression of CnGA20ox2 gene could not be detected in either coconut type. The promoter region of CnGA20ox1 gene was cloned, and the core promoter sequences and various cis-elements were found. The CnGA20ox1 gene should be responsible for the height in coconut, which is different from other plants because no mutation was present in CnGA20ox1 gene of dwarf type coconut.

Semidwarfing genes have improved crop yield by reducing height, improving lodging resistance, and allowing plants to allocate more assimilates to grain growth. In wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), the Rht18 semidwarfing gene was identified and deployed in durum wheat before it was transferred into bread wheat, where it was shown to have agronomic potential. Rht18 , a dominant and gibberellin (GA) responsive mutant, is genetically and functionally distinct from the widely used GA-insensitive semidwarfing genes Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b In this study, the Rht18 gene was identified by mutagenizing the semidwarf durum cultivar Icaro ( Rht18 ) and generating mutants with a range of tall phenotypes. Isolating and sequencing chromosome 6A of these "overgrowth" mutants showed that they contained independent mutations in the coding region of GA2oxA9 GA2oxA9 is predicted to encode a GA 2-oxidase that metabolizes GA biosynthetic intermediates into inactive products, effectively reducing the amount of bioactive GA (GA 1 ). Functional analysis of the GA2oxA9 protein demonstrated that GA2oxA9 converts the intermediate GA 12 to the inactive metabolite GA 110 Furthermore, Rht18 showed higher expression of GA2oxA9 and lower GA content compared with its tall parent. These data indicate that the increased expression of GA2oxA9 in Rht18 results in a reduction of both bioactive GA content and plant height. This study describes a height-reducing mechanism that can generate new genetic diversity for semidwarfism in wheat by combining increased expression with mutations of specific amino acid residues in GA2oxA9 ., (© 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.)

Gibberellins (GAs) are natural complex biomolecules initially identified as secondary metabolites in the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi with strong implications in plant physiology. GAs have been identified in different fungal and bacterial species, in some cases related to virulence, but the full understanding of the role of these metabolites in the different organisms would need additional investigation. In this review, we summarize the current evidence regarding a common pathway for GA synthesis in fungi, bacteria and plant from the genes depicted as part of the GA production cluster to the enzymes responsible for the catalytic transformations and the biosynthetical routes involved. Moreover, we present the relationship between these observations and the biotechnological applications of GAs in plants, which has shown an enormous commercial impact., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Gibberellins (GAs) participate in controlling various aspects of basic plant growth responses. With the exception of bryophytes, GA signalling in land plants, such as lycophytes, ferns and angiosperms, is mediated via GIBBERELLIN-INSENSITIVE DWARF1 (GID1) and DELLA proteins. To explore whether this GID1-DELLA mechanism is present in pines, we cloned an orthologue (PtGID1) of Arabidopsis AtGID1a and two putative DELLA proteins (PtDPL; PtRGA) from Pinus tabuliformis, a widespread indigenous conifer species in China, and studied their recombinant proteins. PtGID1 shares with AtGID1a the conserved HSL motifs for GA binding and an N-terminal feature that are essential for interaction with DELLA proteins. Indeed, A. thaliana 35S:PtGID1 overexpressors showed a strong GA-hypersensitive phenotype compared to the wild type. Interactions between PtGID1 and PtDELLAs, but also interactions between the conifer-angiosperm counterparts (i.e. between AtGID1 and PtDELLAs and between PtGID1 and AtDELLA), were detected in vivo. This demonstrates that pine has functional GID1-DELLA components. The Δ17-domains within PtDPL and PtRGA were identified as potential interaction sites within PtDELLAs. Our results show that PtGID1 has the ability to interact with DELLA and functions as a GA receptor. Thus, a GA-GID1-DELLA signalling module also operates in evolutionarily ancient conifers.

Although previous results showed that exogenous hydrogen (H 2 ) alleviated aluminum (Al) toxicity, the detailed mechanism remains unclear. Here, we reported that the exposure of germinating rice seeds to Al triggered H 2 production, followed by a decrease of GA/ABA ratio and seed germination inhibition. Compared to inert gas (argon), H 2 pretreatment not only strengthened H 2 production and alleviated Al-induced germination inhibition, but also partially reestablished the balance between GA and ABA. By contrast, a GA biosynthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol (PAC) could block the H 2 -alleviated germination inhibition. The expression of GA biosynthesis genes (GA20ox1 and GA20ox2) and ABA catabolism genes (ABA8ox1 and ABA8ox2), was also induced by H 2 . Above results indicated that GA/ABA might be partially involved in H 2 responses. Subsequent results revealed that compared with Al alone, transcripts of miR398a and miR159a were decreased by H 2 , and expression levels of their target genes OsSOD2 and OsGAMYB were up-regulated. Whereas, miR528 and miR160a transcripts were increased differentially, and contrasting tendencies were observed in the changes of their target genes (OsAO and OsARF10). The transcripts of Al-tolerant gene OsSTAR1/OsSTAR2 and OsFRDL4 were up-regulated. Above results were consistent with the anti-oxidant defense, decreased Al accumulation, and enhanced citrate efflux. Together, our results provided insight into the mechanism underlying H 2 -triggered Al tolerance in plants., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Glandular trichome is specialized multicellular structures that have capability to synthesize and secrete secondary metabolites and protect plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. Our previous results revealed that the C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factors (GIS) acts upstream of GL3/EGL3-GL1-TTG1transcriptional activator complex to regulate trichome initiation through GA signal in Arabidopsis. In the present study, we are reporting that ectopic expression of AtGIS could regulate glandular trichome development through GA signaling in tobacco. X-gluc staining of various organs from transgenic plants showed that AtGIS expressed mainly in the glandular trichomes. Statistical analysis demonstrated that over expression of GIS increased significantly glandular trichome production on the leaf, stem, branch, and sepal in tobacco. After PAC treatment, reduction of glandular trichome production in transgenic plants was more severe with compared to wild type plants. Furthermore, GA treatment could induce expression of AtGIS. More importantly, our results also demonstrated that overexpressed AtGIS significantly affect the main components of trichome exudates, such as significantly increase the content of nicotine, Cembratriene-4, 6-diol. Taken together, these results suggest that ectopic expression of AtGIS regulates glandular trichome development and may play a key role in compounds secretion in tobacco., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bioactive gibberellins (GAs) are essential phytohormones involved in the regulation of many aspects of plant development. GA receptors are crucial in GA signal transduction in plants. The GA receptor GoGID1 promotes plant elongation and improves biomass production when ectopically expressed in tobacco. Here, we discovered that GoGID1 can interact with the DELLA proteins of Arabidopsis in the presence of gibberellic acid. GoGID1 partially or completely functionally rescued the phenotypes of the Arabidopsis double-mutants atgid1a/atgid1c and atgid1a/atgid1b. The overexpression of GoGID1 led to increases in plant height and biomass production in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. The GoGID1 gene enhanced GA sensitivity of the transgenic plants. More importantly, transgenic alfalfa plants overexpressing GoGID1 exhibited increased growth rates, heights and biomass and produced larger leaves when compared with the control plants. Thus, GoGID1 functions as a GA receptor, playing multiple roles in plant growth and development. The GoGID1 gene has the potential to be used in the genetic engineering of forage crops for biomass improvement., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) is an important phytohormone, a member of gibberellins family, which acts as a promoter and regulator of plant growth. This study aimed to evaluate GA 3 production by Fusarium moniliforme LPB03 and Gibberella fujikuroi LPB06 using different techniques of fermentation, solid state fermentation (SSF), submerged fermentation (SmF), and semisolid state fermentation (SSSF), and different types of bioreactors. In all techniques, citric pulp (CP), a subproduct obtained from the extraction of orange juice, was employed as the substrate/support. GA 3 production by SSF reached 7.60 g kg -1 and 7.34 g kg -1 in Erlenmeyer flasks and column bioreactors, respectively. For SmF, the highest concentration of GA 3 obtained was 236.00 mg L -1 in Erlenmeyer flasks, 273.00 mg L -1 in a 10 L stirred tank reactor (STR), and 203.00 mg L -1 in a 1.5 L bubble column reactor (BCR). SSSF was conducted with a CP suspension. In this case, GA 3 concentration reached 331.00 mg L -1 in Erlenmeyer flasks and 208 mg L -1 in a BCR. The choice of the fermentation technique is undoubtedly linked to the characteristics and productivity of each process. The methods studied are inexpensive and were found to produce good proportions of GA 3 , making them suitable for several applications.

Internal browning (IB), a physiological disorder (PD) that causes severe losses in harvested pineapple, can be induced by exogenous gibberellins (GAs). Over the years, studies have focused on roles of Gibberellin 2-oxidase (GA2oxs), the major GAs catabolic enzyme in plants, in the regulation of changes in morphology or biomass. However, whether GA2oxs could regulate PD has not been reported. Here, a full-length AcGA2ox cDNA was isolated from pineapple, with the putative protein sharing 23.59% to 72.92% identity with GA2oxs from five other plants. Pineapples stored at 5 °C stayed intact, while those stored at 20 °C showed severe IB. Storage at 5 °C enhanced AcGA2ox expression and decreased levels of a GAs (GA 4 ) 'compared with storage at 20 °C. However, at 20 °C, exogenous application of abscisic acid (ABA) significantly suppressed IB. ABA simultaneously upregulated AcGA2ox and reduced GA 4 . Ectopic expression of AcGA2ox in Arabidopsis resulted in reduced GA 4 , lower seed germination, and shorter hypocotyls and roots, all of which were restored by exogenous GA 4/7 . Moreover, in pineapple, GA 4/7 upregulated polyphenol oxidase, while storage at 5 °C and ABA downregulated it. These results strongly suggest the involvement of AcGA2ox in regulation of GAs levels and a role of AcGA2ox in regulating IB.

Leifsonia xyli SE134 is a potential plant growth-promoting bacterium isolated from a soil in Daegu, Republic of Korea, which produces large amounts of gibberellin (GA) and indole acetic acid (IAA). In this study, we sequenced the complete genome of L. xyli SE134 by the Pacific Biosciences RSII (PacBio) Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing technology. The genome of L. xyli SE134 contains a single chromosome that is 3,596,761bp in length, with 70.2% G+C content. The genome contains 3466 protein-coding genes (CDSs) and 51 rRNA- and 46 tRNA-coding genes. By genomic analysis, we identified genes that are potentially involved in plant growth promotion such as genes participating in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis, siderophore, and trehalose production. L. xyli SE134 also harbours genes for central carbohydrate metabolism, indicating that it can utilise the root exudates with other organic materials as an energy source. Furthermore, the SE134 genome is equipped with various kinds of genes for adaptation to plant surfaces, e.g. defence against desiccation, nutrient deficiencies, and oxidative stress, and a large proportion of genes related to secretion mechanisms and signalling. The genetic information provided here may help to expand this bacterium's biotechnological potential and to further improve its plant growth-promoting characteristics., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gibberellins (GAs) are hormones that control many aspects of plant development, including flowering. It is well known that stamen is the source of GAs that regulate male and bisexual flower development. However, little is known about the role of GAs in female flower development. In cucumber, high levels of GA precursors are present in ovaries and high levels of bioactive GA 4 are identified in sepals/petals, reflecting the expression of GA 20-oxidase and 3-oxidase in these organs, respectively. Here, we show that the biologically inactive precursor GA 9 moves from ovaries to sepal/petal tissues where it is converted to the bioactive GA 4 necessary for female flower development. Transient expression of a catabolic GA 2-oxidase from pumpkin in cucumber ovaries decreases GA 9 and GA 4 levels and arrests the development of female flowers, and this can be restored by application of GA 9 to petals thus confirming its function. Given that bioactive GAs can promote sex reversion of female flowers, movement of biologically inactive precursors, instead of the hormone itself, might help to maintain floral organ identity, ensuring fruit and seed production., (© 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Effects of salicylic acid (SA) on gibberellin (GA) homeostasis, C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element binding factor (CBF) pathway, and antioxidant enzyme systems linked to chilling- and oxidative-stress tolerance in tomato fruit were investigated. Mature green tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Moneymaker) were treated with 0, 0.5, and 1 mM SA solution for 15 min before storage at 4 °C for 28 days. In comparison to 0 or 0.5 mM SA, 1 mM SA significantly decreased the chilling injury (CI) index in tomato fruit. In the SA-treated fruit, the upregulation of GA biosynthetic gene (GA3ox1) expression was followed by gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) surge and DELLA protein degradation. CBF1 participated in the SA-modulated tolerance and stimulated the expression of GA catabolic gene (GA2ox1). Furthermore, 1 mM SA enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes and, thus, reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation. Our findings suggest that SA might protect tomato fruit from CI and oxidative damage through regulating GA metabolism, CBF1 gene expression, and antioxidant enzyme activities.

Epipremnum aureum is an extremely popular houseplant belonging to the Araceae family of angiosperms, but it does not flower either in the wild or under cultivation. We uncovered the potential causes of its shy-flowering nature by building the transcriptome using next-generation sequencing and identifying floral-related genes that are differentially expressed between vertical growth (VG, adult) and horizontal growth (HG, juvenile) plants. Transcripts of the gibberellin (GA) biosynthetic gene EaGA3ox1 and GA-responsive floral meristem identity gene EaLFY were absent in both VG and HG plants, suggesting that a deficiency of bioactive GAs may be responsible for its shy-flowering nature. This hypothesis is supported by undetectable or low levels of three bioactive GAs, and exogenous GA3 triggered flowering in both plants. Our study resolves the mystery why E. aureum fails to flower, and reveals the positive role of GAs in floral transition in perennials.

The genus Penicillium is one of the most versatile "mycofactories", comprising some species able to produce gibberellins, bioactive compounds that can modulate plant growth and development. Although plants have the ability to synthesize gibberellins, their levels are lower when plants are under salinity stress. It has been recognized that detrimental abiotic conditions, such as saline stress, have negative effects on plants, being the availability of bioactive gibberellins a critical factor for their growth under this conditions. This review summarizes the interplay existing between endophytic Penicillium strains and plant host interactions, with focus on bioactive gibberellins production as a fungal response that allows plants to overcome salinity stress., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Cuticular layers and seeds are prominent plant adaptations to terrestrial life that appeared early and late during plant evolution, respectively. The cuticle is a waterproof film covering plant aerial organs preventing excessive water loss and protecting against biotic and abiotic stresses. Cutin, consisting of crosslinked fatty acid monomers, is the most abundant and studied cuticular component. Seeds are dry, metabolically inert structures promoting plant dispersal by keeping the plant embryo in an arrested protected state. In Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, the embryo is surrounded by a single cell endosperm layer itself surrounded by a seed coat layer, the testa. Whole genome analyses lead us to identify cutin biosynthesis genes as regulatory targets of the phytohormones gibberellins (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways that control seed germination. Cutin-containing layers are present in seed coats of numerous species, including Arabidopsis, where they regulate permeability to outer compounds. However, the role of cutin in mature seed physiology and germination remains poorly understood. Here we identify in mature seeds a thick cuticular film covering the entire outer surface of the endosperm. This seed cuticle is defective in cutin-deficient bodyguard1 seeds, which is associated with alterations in endospermic permeability. Furthermore, mutants affected in cutin biosynthesis display low seed dormancy and viability levels, which correlates with higher levels of seed lipid oxidative stress. Upon seed imbibition cutin biosynthesis genes are essential to prevent endosperm cellular expansion and testa rupture in response to low GA synthesis. Taken together, our findings suggest that in the course of land plant evolution cuticular structures were co-opted to achieve key physiological seed properties.

Gibberellins affect various plant development processes including germination, cell division and elongation, and flowering. A large number of studies have been carried out to address the molecular mechanisms that mediate gibberellin signalling effects on plant growth. However, such studies have been limited to DELLA protein degradation; the regulatory mechanisms controlling how the stability and function of SLEEPY1 (SLY1), a protein that interacts with target DELLA proteins as components of the Skp, Cullin, F-box (SCF)(SLY1) complex, are modulated at the post-translational level have not been addressed. In the present study, we show that the E3 SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) ligase AtSIZ1 regulates gibberellic acid signalling in Arabidopsis species by sumoylating SLY1. SLY1 was less abundant in siz1-2 mutants than in wild-type plants, but the DELLA protein repressor of ga1-3 (RGA) was more abundant in siz1-2 mutants than in wild-type plants. SLY1 also accumulated to a high level in the SUMO protease mutant esd4. Transgenic sly1-13 mutants over-expressing SLY1 were phenotypically similar to wild-type plants; however, sly1-13 plants over-expressing a mutated mSLY1 protein (K122R, a mutation at the sumoylation site) retained the mutant dwarfing phenotype. Over-expression of SLY1 in sly1-13 mutants resulted in a return of RGA levels to wild-type levels, but RGA accumulated to high levels in mutants over-expressing mSLY1. RGA was clearly detected in Arabidopsis co-expressing AtSIZ1 and mSLY1, but not in plants co-expressing AtSIZ1 and SLY1. In addition, sumoylated SLY1 interacted with RGA and SLY1 sumoylation was significantly increased by GA. Taken together, our results indicate that, in Arabidopsis, AtSIZ1 positively controls GA signalling through SLY1 sumoylation., (© 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited.)

Although abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs) play pivotal roles in many physiological processes in plants, their interaction in the control of leaf growth remains elusive. In this study, genetic analyses of ABA and GA interplay in leaf growth were performed in Arabidopsis thaliana. The results indicate that for the ABA and GA interaction, leaf growth of both the aba2/ga20ox1 and aba2/GA20ox1 plants, which were derived from the crosses of aba2×ga20ox1 and aba2×GA20ox1 overexpressor, respectively, exhibits partially additive effects but is similar to the aba2 mutant. Consistently, the transcriptome analysis suggests that a substantial proportion (45-65%) of the gene expression profile of aba2/ga20ox1 and aba2/GA20ox1 plants overlap and share a pattern similar to the aba2 mutant. Thus, these data suggest that ABA deficiency dominates leaf growth regardless of GA levels. Moreover, the gene ontology (GO) analysis indicates gene enrichment in the categories of hormone response, developmental and metabolic processes, and cell wall organization in these three genotypes. Leaf developmental genes are also involved in the ABA-GA interaction. Collectively, these data support that the genetic relationship of ABA and GA interaction involves multiple coordinated pathways rather than a simple linear pathway for the regulation of leaf growth., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Key Message: By comparing series full-length cDNA libraries stressed and control, the dynamic process of salt stress response in Upland cotton was studied, and reactive oxygen species and gibberellins signaling pathways were proposed. The Upland cotton is the most important fiber plant with highly salt tolerance. However, the molecular mechanism underlying salt tolerance in domesticated cotton was unclear. Here, seven full-length cDNA libraries were constructed for seedling roots of Upland cotton 'Zhong G 5' at 0, 3, 12 and 48 h after the treatment of control or 150 mM NaCl stress. About 3300 colonies in each library were selected robotically for 5'-end pyrosequencing, resulting in 20,358 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) totally. And 8516 uniESTs were then assembled, including 2914 contigs and 5602 singletons, and explored for Gene Ontology (GO) function. GO comparison between serial stress libraries and control reflected the growth regulation, stimulus response, signal transduction and biology regulation processes were conducted dynamically in response to salt stress. MYB, MYB-related, WRKY, bHLH, GRAS and ERF families of transcription factors were significantly enriched in the early response. 65 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), mainly associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, gibberellins (GAs) metabolism, signal transduction, transcription regulation, stress response and transmembrane transport, were identified and confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Overexpression of selected DEGs increased tolerance against salt stress in transgenic yeast. Results in this study supported that a ROS-GAs interacting signaling pathway of salt stress response was activated in Upland cotton. Our results provided valuable gene resources for further investigation of the molecular mechanism of salinity tolerance.

Some ferns possess the ability to control their sex ratio to maintain genetic variation in their colony with the aid of antheridiogen pheromones, antheridium (male organ)-inducing compounds that are related to gibberellin. We determined that ferns have evolved an antheridiogen-mediated communication system to produce males by modifying the gibberellin biosynthetic pathway, which is split between two individuals of different developmental stages in the colony. Antheridiogen acts as a bridge between them because it is more readily taken up by prothalli than bioactive gibberellin. The pathway initiates in early-maturing prothalli (gametophytes) within a colony, which produce antheridiogens and secrete them into the environment. After the secreted antheridiogen is absorbed by neighboring late-maturing prothalli, it is modified in to bioactive gibberellin to trigger male organ formation., (Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

Gibberellic acid (GA) regulates a diversity of processes associated with plant growth and development. The DELLA proteins act as repressors of GA signaling, and are destabilized by GA. Although it is known that GA signaling integrates various endogenous and environmental signals, the molecular basis of their modulation of plant growth and development is only now beginning to be understood. The current suggestion is that the DELLA proteins act as one possible quantitative modulator of plant growth, achieved by integrating multiple environmental and hormonal signals via protein-protein interactions. This review discusses recent elaborations of the de-repression model proposed to describe the GA response, and focuses on integrative networks thought to regulate plant growth, development and the adaptation to a fluctuating environment., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The growth regulator mepiquat chloride (MC) is globally used in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) canopy manipulation to avoid excess growth and yield loss. However, little information is available as to whether the modification of plant architecture by MC is related to alterations in gibberellic acid (GA) metabolism and signaling. Here, the role of GA metabolism and signaling was investigated in cotton seedlings treated with MC. The MC significantly decreased endogenous GA3 and GA4 levels in the elongating internode, which inhibited cell elongation by downregulating GhEXP and GhXTH2, and then reducing plant height. Biosynthetic and metabolic genes of GA were markedly suppressed within 2-10d of MC treatment, which also downregulated the expression of DELLA-like genes. A remarkable feedback regulation was observed at the early stage of MC treatment when GA biosynthetic and metabolic genes expression was evidently upregulated. Mepiquat chloride action was controlled by temporal translocation and spatial accumulation which regulated GA biosynthesis and signal expression for maintaining GA homeostasis. The results suggested that MC application could reduce endogenous GA levels in cotton through controlled GA biosynthetic and metabolic genes expression, which might inhibit cell elongation, thereby shortening the internode and reducing plant height., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We have isolated a severe dwarf mutant derived from a Ds (Dissociation) insertion mutant rice (Oryza sativa var. japonica c.v. Dongjin). This severe dwarf phenotype, has short and dark green leaves, reduced shoot growth early in the seedling stage, and later severe dwarfism with failure to initiate flowering. When treated with bioactive GA3 , mutants are restored to the normal wild-type phenotype. Reverse transcription PCR analyses of 22 candidate genes related to the gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis pathway revealed that among 22 candidate genes tested, a dwarf mutant transcript was not expressed only in one OsKS2 gene. Genetic analysis revealed that the severe dwarf phenotype was controlled by recessive mutation of a single nuclear gene. The putative OsKS2 gene was a chromosome 4-located ent-kaurene synthase (KS), encoding the enzyme that catalyses an early step of the GA biosynthesis pathway. Sequence analysis revealed that osks2 carried a 1-bp deletion in the ORF region of OsKS2, which led to a loss-of-function mutation. The expression pattern of OsKS2 in wild-type cv Dongjin, showed that it is expressed in all organs, most prominently in the stem and floral organs. Morphological characteristics of the dwarf mutant showed dramatic modifications in internal structure and external morphology. We propose that dwarfism in this mutant is caused by a point mutation in OsKS2, which plays a significant role in growth and development of higher plants. Further investigation on OsKS2 and other OsKS-like proteins is underway and may yield better understanding of the putative role of OsKS in severe dwarf mutants., (© 2013 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.)

In this study, a cDNA, GhMADS14, encoding a typical MADS-box protein with 223 amino acids was isolated from a cotton cDNA library. Fluorescent microscopy indicated that the GhMADS14 protein was localized in the cell nucleus. GhMADS14 was specifically expressed in the elongating fibers, and its expression was gradually enhanced at early stages of fiber elongation and reached its peak in 9-10 DPA fibers. Overexpression of GhMADS14 in Arabidopsis hindered plant growth. Measurement and statistical analysis revealed that hypocotyl length of GhMADS14 transgenic seedlings was significantly reduced, and the height of the mature transgenic plants was remarkably less than that of the wild type. Furthermore, expression of GA 20-oxidase (AtGA20ox1 and AtGA20ox2) and GA 3-oxidase (AtGA3ox1 and AtGA3ox2) genes was remarkably reduced, whereas AtGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox8 were dramatically up-regulated in the transgenic plants, compared with the wild type. These results suggested that overexpression of GhMADS14 in Arabidopsis may alter expression levels of the genes related to GA biosynthetic and metabolic pathways, resulting in the reduction of endogenous GA amounts in cells. As a result, the transgenic plants grew slowly and display a GA-deficient phenotype., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: GSL1 and GSL2, Gibberellin Stimulated-Like proteins (also known as Snakin-1 and Snakin-2), are cysteine-rich peptides from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) with antimicrobial properties. Similar peptides in other species have been implicated in diverse biological processes and are hypothesised to play a role in several aspects of plant development, plant responses to biotic or abiotic stress through their participation in hormone crosstalk, and redox homeostasis. To help resolve the biological roles of GSL1 and GSL2 peptides we have undertaken an in depth analysis of the structure and expression of these genes in potato., Results: We have characterised the full length genes for both GSL1 (chromosome 4) and GSL2 (chromosome 1) from diploid and tetraploid potato using the reference genome sequence of potato, coupled with further next generation sequencing of four highly heterozygous tetraploid cultivars. The frequency of SNPs in GSL1 and GSL2 were very low with only one SNP every 67 and 53 nucleotides in exon regions of GSL1 and GSL2, respectively. Analysis of comprehensive RNA-seq data substantiated the role of specific promoter motifs in transcriptional control of gene expression. Expression analysis based on the frequency of next generation sequence reads established that GSL2 was expressed at a higher level than GSL1 in 30 out of 32 tissue and treatment libraries. Furthermore, both the GSL1 and GSL2 genes exhibited constitutive expression that was not up regulated in response to biotic or abiotic stresses, hormone treatments or wounding. Potato transformation with antisense knock-down expression cassettes failed to recover viable plants., Conclusions: The potato GSL1 and GSL2 genes are very highly conserved suggesting they contribute to an important biological function. The known antimicrobial activity of the GSL proteins, coupled with the FPKM analysis from RNA-seq data, implies that both genes contribute to the constitutive defence barriers in potatoes. The lethality of antisense knock-down expression of GSL1 and GSL2, coupled with the rare incidence of SNPs in these genes, suggests an essential role for this gene family. These features are consistent with the GSL protein family playing a role in several aspects of plant development in addition to plant defence against biotic stresses.

Plant hormones are small molecules that regulate plant growth and development, as well as responses to changing environmental conditions. By modifying the production, distribution or signal transduction of these hormones, plants are able to regulate and coordinate both growth and/or stress tolerance to promote survival or escape from environmental stress. A central role for the gibberellin (GA) class of growth hormones in the response to abiotic stress is becoming increasingly evident. Reduction of GA levels and signalling has been shown to contribute to plant growth restriction on exposure to several stresses, including cold, salt and osmotic stress. Conversely, increased GA biosynthesis and signalling promote growth in plant escape responses to shading and submergence. In several cases, GA signalling has also been linked to stress tolerance. The transcriptional regulation of GA metabolism appears to be a major point of regulation of the GA pathway, while emerging evidence for interaction of the GA-signalling molecule DELLA with components of the signalling pathway for the stress hormone jasmonic acid suggests additional mechanisms by which GA signalling may integrate multiple hormone signalling pathways in the response to stress. Here, we review the evidence for the role of GA in these processes, and the regulation of the GA signalling pathway on exposure to abiotic stress. The potential mechanisms by which GA signalling modulates stress tolerance are also discussed.

Gibberellins (GAs) are well-known phytohormones that contribute to a wide range of plant growth and development functions including stem elongation and leaf expansion. GA receptors perceive GA and transmit signals to activate GA-regulated reactions. In this study, a GA receptor gene with homology to other leguminous plants was isolated from Galega orientalis and termed GoGID. The 1732-bp full-length GoGID gene included an open reading frame of 1035 bp encoding a peptide of 344 amino acids. Sequence analysis indicated that GoGID shares conserved HGGS motif and active amino acid sites (Ser-Asp-Val/IIe) that are essential for maintaining it GA-binding activity. GoGID mRNA expression was more abundant in leaves than in roots or stems and could be up-regulated by the exogenous hormones. Overexpression of GoGID in transgenic tobacco plants promoted plant elongation and improved biomass production. These results suggested that GoGID functions as a GA receptor to alter GA-mediated signaling. GoGID may have a role in genetic engineering for the improvement of forage crops., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

In the annual long-day plant Arabidopsis thaliana, suppressor of overexpression of constans1 (SOC1) integrates endogenous and environmental signals to promote flowering. We analyzed the function and regulation of the SOC1 homolog (Fragaria vesca [Fv] SOC1) in the perennial short-day plant woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca). We found that Fv SOC1 overexpression represses flower initiation under inductive short days, whereas its silencing causes continuous flowering in both short days and noninductive long days, similar to mutants in the floral repressor Fv terminal flower1 (Fv TFL1). Molecular analysis of these transgenic lines revealed that Fv SOC1 activates Fv TFL1 in the shoot apex, leading to the repression of flowering in strawberry. In parallel, Fv SOC1 regulates the differentiation of axillary buds to runners or axillary leaf rosettes, probably through the activation of gibberellin biosynthetic genes. We also demonstrated that Fv SOC1 is regulated by photoperiod and Fv flowering locus T1, suggesting that it plays a central role in the photoperiodic control of both generative and vegetative growth in strawberry. In conclusion, we propose that Fv SOC1 is a signaling hub that regulates yearly cycles of vegetative and generative development through separate genetic pathways.

In rice seedlings, elongation of leaf sheaths is suppressed by light stimuli. The response is mediated by two classes of photoreceptors, phytochromes and cryptochromes. However, it remains unclear how these photoreceptors interact in the process. Our recent study using phytochrome mutants and novel cryptochrome RNAi lines revealed that cryptochromes and phytochromes function cooperatively, but independently to reduce active GA contents in seedlings in visible light. Blue light captured by cryptochrome 1 (cry1a and cry1b) induces robust expression of GA 2-oxidase genes (OsGA2ox4-7). In parallel, phytochrome B with auxiliary action of phytochrome A mediates repression of GA 20-oxidase genes (OsGA20ox2 and OsGA20ox4). The independent effects cumulatively reduce active GA contents, leading to a suppression of leaf sheath elongation. These regulatory mechanisms are distinct from phytochrome B function in dicots. We discuss reasons why the distinct system appeared in rice, and advantages of the rice system in early photomorphogenesis.

The plant hormone gibberellin (GA) regulates major aspects of plant growth and development. The role of GA in determining plant stature had major impacts on agriculture in the 1960s, and the development of semi-dwarf varieties that show altered GA responses contributed to a huge increase in grain yields during the 'green revolution'. The past decade has brought great progress in understanding the molecular basis of GA action, with the cloning and characterization of GA signaling components. Here, we review the molecular basis of the GA signaling pathway, from the perception of GA to the regulation of downstream genes.

Although gibberellins (GAs) promote many developmental responses in plants, little is known about how the hormone interacts with environmental signals at the molecular level for regulating plant growth. Recently, we have demonstrated that inhibition of growth by the GA biosynthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol (PAC) at ambient [CO₂] (350 µmol CO₂ mol(-1)) is reverted by elevated [CO₂] (750 μmol CO₂ mol(-1)). Our finding points to an important role of elevated [CO₂] as a signal allowing higher growth rates of low-GA plants. GA promotes plant growth via a complex transcriptional network that integrates multiple signaling pathways. Herein, we discuss how elevated [CO₂] stimulates biomass accumulation in a GA-independent manner by regulating the expression of growth-related genes.

Endo-dormant flower buds must pass through a period of chilling to reinitiate growth and subsequent flowering, which is a major obstacle to the forcing culture of tree peony in winter. Customized cDNA microarray (8×15 K element) was used to investigate gene expression profiling in tree peony 'Feng Dan Bai' buds during 24 d chilling treatment at 0-4°C. According to the morphological changes after the whole plants were transferred to green house, endo-dormancy was released after 18 d chilling treatment, and prolonged chilling treatment increased bud break rate. Pearson correlation hierarchical clustering of sample groups was highly consistent with the dormancy transitions revealed by morphological changes. Totally 3,174 significantly differentially-expressed genes (P<0.05) were observed through endo-dormancy release process, of which the number of up-regulated (1,611) and that of down-regulated (1,563) was almost the same. Functional annotation of differentially-expressed genes revealed that cellular process, metabolic process, response to stimulus, regulation of biological process and development process were well-represented. Hierarchical clustering indicated that activation of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism (Glycolysis, Citrate cycle and Pentose phosphate pathway), energy metabolism and cell growth. Based on the results of GO analysis, totally 51 probes presented in the microarray were associated with GA response and GA signaling pathway, and 22 of them were differently expressed. The expression profiles also revealed that the genes of GA biosynthesis, signaling and response involved in endo-dormancy release. We hypothesized that activation of GA pathway played a central role in the regulation of dormancy release in tree peony.

The role of gibberellins (GAs) during floral induction has been widely studied in the annual plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Less is known about this control in perennials. It is thought that GA is a major regulator of flowering in rose. In spring, low GA content may be necessary for floral initiation. GA inhibited flowering in once-flowering roses, whereas GA did not block blooming in continuous-flowering roses. Recently, RoKSN, a homologue of TFL1, was shown to control continuous flowering. The loss of RoKSN function led to continuous flowering behaviour. The objective of this study was to understand the molecular control of flowering by GA and the involvement of RoKSN in this inhibition. In once-flowering rose, the exogenous application of GA(3) in spring inhibited floral initiation. Application of GA(3) during a short period of 1 month, corresponding to the floral transition, was sufficient to inhibit flowering. At the molecular level, RoKSN transcripts were accumulated after GA(3) treatment. In spring, this accumulation is correlated with floral inhibition. Other floral genes such as RoFT, RoSOC1, and RoAP1 were repressed in a RoKSN-dependent pathway, whereas RoLFY and RoFD repression was RoKSN independent. The RoKSN promoter contained GA-responsive cis-elements, whose deletion suppressed the response to GA in a heterologous system. In summer, once-flowering roses did not flower even after exogenous application of a GA synthesis inhibitor that failed to repress RoKSN. A model is presented for the GA inhibition of flowering in spring mediated by the induction of RoKSN. In summer, factors other than GA may control RoKSN.

Semidwarfism has been used extensively in row crops and horticulture to promote yield, reduce lodging, and improve harvest index, and it might have similar benefits for trees for short-rotation forestry or energy plantations, reclamation, phytoremediation, or other applications. We studied the effects of the dominant semidwarfism transgenes GA Insensitive (GAI) and Repressor of GAI-Like, which affect gibberellin (GA) action, and the GA catabolic gene, GA 2-oxidase, in nursery beds and in 2-year-old high-density stands of hybrid poplar (Populus tremula × Populus alba). Twenty-nine traits were analyzed, including measures of growth, morphology, and physiology. Endogenous GA levels were modified in most transgenic events; GA(20) and GA(8), in particular, had strong inverse associations with tree height. Nearly all measured traits varied significantly among genotypes, and several traits interacted with planting density, including aboveground biomass, root-shoot ratio, root fraction, branch angle, and crown depth. Semidwarfism promoted biomass allocation to roots over shoots and substantially increased rooting efficiency with most genes tested. The increased root proportion and increased leaf chlorophyll levels were associated with changes in leaf carbon isotope discrimination, indicating altered water use efficiency. Semidwarf trees had dramatically reduced growth when in direct competition with wild-type trees, supporting the hypothesis that semidwarfism genes could be effective tools to mitigate the spread of exotic, hybrid, and transgenic plants in wild and feral populations.

Light is a critical determinant of plant shape by controlling branching patterns and bud burst in many species. To gain insight into how light induces bud burst, we investigated whether its inductive effect in rose was related to gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. In axillary buds of beheaded plants subject to light, the expression of two GA biosynthesis genes (RoGA20ox and RoGA3ox) was promptly and strongly induced, while that of a GA-catabolism genes (RoGA2ox) was reduced. By contrast, lower expression levels of these two GA biosynthesis genes were found in darkness, and correlated with a total inhibition of bud burst. This effect was dependent on both light intensity and quality. In in vitro cultured buds, the inductive effect of light on the growth of preformed leaves and SAM organogenic activity was inhibited by ancymidol and paclobutrazol, two effectors of GA biosynthesis. This effect was concentration-dependent, and negated by GA(3). However, GA(3) alone could not rescue bud burst in the dark. GA biosynthesis was also required for the expression and activity of a vacuolar invertase, and therefore for light-induced sugar metabolism within buds. These findings are evidence that GA biosynthesis contributes to the light effect on bud burst and lay the foundations of a better understanding of its exact role in plant branching., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Drought is responsible for considerable yield losses in agriculture due to its detrimental effects on growth. Drought responses have been extensively studied, but mostly on the level of complete plants or mature tissues. However, stress responses were shown to be highly tissue and developmental stage specific, and dividing tissues have developed unique mechanisms to respond to stress. Previously, we studied the effects of osmotic stress on dividing leaf cells in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and found that stress causes early mitotic exit, in which cells end their mitotic division and start endoreduplication earlier. In this study, we analyzed this phenomenon in more detail. Osmotic stress induces changes in gibberellin metabolism, resulting in the stabilization of DELLAs, which are responsible for mitotic exit and earlier onset of endoreduplication. Consequently, this response is absent in mutants with altered gibberellin levels or DELLA activity. Mitotic exit and onset of endoreduplication do not correlate with an up-regulation of known cell cycle inhibitors but are the result of reduced levels of DP-E2F-LIKE1/E2Fe and UV-B-INSENSITIVE4, both inhibitors of the developmental transition from mitosis to endoreduplication by modulating anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome activity, which are down-regulated rapidly after DELLA stabilization. This work fits into an emerging view of DELLAs as regulators of cell division by regulating the transition to endoreduplication and differentiation.

The GAs (gibberellins) comprise a large group of diterpenoid carboxylic acids that are ubiquitous in higher plants, in which certain members function as endogenous growth regulators, promoting organ expansion and developmental changes. These compounds are also produced by some species of lower plants, fungi and bacteria, although, in contrast to higher plants, the function of GAs in these organisms has only recently been investigated and is still unclear. In higher plants, GAs are synthesized by the action of terpene cyclases, cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases localized, respectively, in plastids, the endomembrane system and the cytosol. The concentration of biologically active GAs at their sites of action is tightly regulated and is moderated by numerous developmental and environmental cues. Recent research has focused on regulatory mechanisms, acting primarily on expression of the genes that encode the dioxygenases involved in biosynthesis and deactivation. The present review discusses the current state of knowledge on GA metabolism with particular emphasis on regulation, including the complex mechanisms for the maintenance of GA homoeostasis.

We have recently isolated a rice circadian clock-related mutant carrying a null mutation in Os-GIGANTEA(GI) gene, the solo ortholog of Arabidopsis GI. Time-course global transcriptome analyses of leaves from wild-type and osgi mutant grown in the field have revealed that Os-GI affects gene expression of more than half of genes on rice 44k microarray. To better understand the biological significance of circadian clock function in growth and development of rice, we here investigated the gene expression involved in phytohormone biosynthesis. Here we found that mRNA levels of a few major genes encoding GA2-oxidase which can inactivate bioactive gibberellins (GAs) were remarkably increased in osgi-1 plants. This suggests that Os-GI functions to maintain bioactive GA level through the regulation of the GA-deactivating enzyme genes in rice. Consistently, osgi-1 plants showed semi-dwarf phenotype with reduced internode and leaf sheath elongation., (© 2011 Landes Bioscience)

Gibberellin (GA) is an essential phytohormone that controls many aspects of plant development. To enhance our understanding of GA metabolism in maize, we intensively screened and identified 27 candidate genes encoding the seven GA metabolic enzymes including ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase (CPS), ent-kaurene synthase (KS), ent-kaurene oxidase (KO), ent-kaurenoic acid oxidase (KAO), GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox), GA 3-oxidase (GA3ox), and GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox), using all available public maize databases. The results indicate that maize genome contains three CPS, four KS, two KO and one KAO genes, and most of them are arranged separately on the maize genome, which differs from that in rice. In addition, the enzymes catalyzing the later steps (ZmGA20ox, ZmGA3ox and ZmGA2ox) are also encoded by gene families in maize, but GA3ox enzyme is likely to be encoded by single gene. Expression profiling analysis exhibited that transcripts of 15 GA metabolic genes could be detected during maize seed germination, which provides further evidence for the notion that increased synthesis of active GA in the embryo is required for triggering germination events. Moreover, a variety of temporal genes expression patterns of GA metabolic genes were detected, which revealed the complexity of underlying mechanism for GA regulated seed germination., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Despite the accumulation of data on the genetic and molecular understanding of heterosis, there is little information on the regulation of heterosis at the physiological level. In this study, we performed a quantitative analysis of endogenous gibberellin (GA) content and expression profiling of the GA metabolism and signaling genes to investigate the possible relationship between GA signaling and heterosis for seedling development in rice (Oryza sativa). The materials used were an incomplete diallele set of 3 × 3 crosses and the six parents. In the growing shoots of the seedlings at 20 d after sowing, significant positive correlations between the contents of some GA species and performance and heterosis based on shoot dry mass were detected. Expression analyses of GA-related genes by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that 13 out of the 16 GA-related genes examined exhibited significant differential expression among the F1 hybrid and its parents, acting predominantly in the modes of overdominance and positive dominance. Expression levels of nine genes in the hybrids displayed significant positive correlations with the heterosis of shoot dry mass. These results imply that GAs play a positive role in the regulation of heterosis for rice seedling development. In shoots plus root axes of 4-d-old germinating seeds that had undergone the deetiolation, mimicking normal germination in soil, the axis dry mass was positively correlated with the content of GA₂₉ but negatively correlated with that of GA₁₉. Our findings provide supporting evidence for GAs playing an important regulatory role in heterosis for rice seedling development.

During the last decade plant growth and development have been investigated at the molecular level. Plant specific family GRAS-proteins plays one of the key roles in the molecular mechanisms of this process. In this report we highlight the importance of DELLA-proteins and show the model ofgibberellin signalling pathway in plants that starts from the binding of biologically active gibberellic acid with receptor and DELLA-protein. This complex stimulates ubiquitination and degradation of DELLA-proteins through the proteasome pathway. After degradation of DELLA-proteins the repression of plant growth stops that allows gibberellin response to occur. The role of DELLA-proteins as transcription factors is discussed.

Previous work suggests that gibberellins (GAs) play an important role in early seed development. To more fully understand the roles of GAs throughout seed development, tissue-specific transcription profiles of GA metabolism genes and quantitative profiles of key GAs were determined in pea (Pisum sativum) seeds during the seed-filling development period (8-20 d after anthesis [DAA]). These profiles were correlated with seed photoassimilate acquisition and storage as well as morphological development. Seed coat growth (8-12 DAA) and the subsequent dramatic expansion of branched parenchyma cells were correlated with both transcript abundance of GA biosynthesis genes and the concentration of the growth effector GA, GA(1). These results suggest GA(1) involvement in determining the rate of seed coat growth and sink strength. The endosperm's PsGA20ox transcript abundance and the concentration of GA(20) increased markedly as the endosperm reached its maximum volume (12 DAA), thus providing ample GA(20) substrate for the GA 3-oxidases present in both the embryo and seed coat. Furthermore, PsGA3ox transcript profiles and trends in GA(1) levels in embryos at 10 to 16 DAA and also in embryo axes at 18 DAA suggest localized GA(1)-induced growth in these tissues. A shift from synthesis of GA(1) to that of GA(8) occurred after 18 DAA in the embryo axis, suggesting that deactivation of GA(1) to GA(8) is a likely mechanism to limit embryo axis growth and allow embryo maturation to proceed. We hypothesize that GA biosynthesis and catabolism are tightly regulated to bring about the unique developmental events that occur during seed growth, development, and maturation.

To dissect the role of gibberellins in tomato development, we have constitutively down-regulated the gene GA 20-oxidase1 (GA20ox1). Plants co-suppressed for GA20ox1 (referred to as CO-6 plants) showed vegetative defects typical of GA deficiency such as darker and mis-shaped leaves and dwarfism. CO-6 plants flowered as the controls, although their flowers had subtle defects in the pedicel and in organ insertion. Analysis of male development revealed defects before, during and after meiosis, and a final pollen viability of 22%. The development of female organs and gametes appeared normal. Pollination experiments indicated that the pollen produced by CO-6 plants was able to fertilize control ovaries, but the analysis of the progeny showed that the construct was not transmitted. Ovaries of CO-6 plants showed high fruit set and normal fruit development when pollinated with control pollen. However these fruits were completely seedless due to a stenospermocarpic behaviour that was evidenced by callose layering in the endothelium between 7 and 15 days after pollination. We conclude that GA20ox1 in tomato exerts specific developmental roles that are not redundantly shared with other members of this gene family. For reproductive male development, silencing of this gene is detrimental for pollen production and either gametophytically lethal or severely hampering seed germination. In the pistil, the co-suppression construct does not affect the progamic phase, nor fruit set and growth, but it interferes with seed development after fertilization leading to seed abortion., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

ent-Kaurene, a key precursor of gibberellins, is formed by the action of two diterpene synthases (diTPSs), ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase (CPS), and ent-kaurene synthase (KS). The full-length cDNAs of CPS- (HaCPS1L) and KS-like (HaKS2L and HaKS3L) genes were isolated from sunflower. The amino acid sequences of HaCPS1L, HaKS2L, and HaKS3L exhibit structural features and homology to diTPSs of several plant species involved in gibberellin biosynthesis. RT-PCR analysis indicates that the expression of all genes (HaCPS1L, HaKS2L, and HaKS3L) is highly regulated during growth and development. All three diTPSs are preferentially expressed in rapidly growing tissues. HaKS2L is expressed at a much lower level than the other two diTPS genes. During seed development, the high level of both HaCPS1L and HaKS3L transcripts correlated with the period of rapid growth of the embryo. The three diTPS genes are not subjected to feedback regulation by gibberellin activity.