The translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is an important component of the TOR (target of rapamycin) signaling pathway, the major regulator of cell growth in animals and fungi. TCTP acts as the guanine nucleotide exchange factor of the Ras GTPase Rheb that controls TOR activity in Drosophila melanogaster. We therefore examined the role of Arabidopsis thaliana TCTP in planta. Plant TCTPs exhibit distinct sequence differences from nonplant homologs but share the key GTPase binding surface. Green fluorescent protein reporter lines show that Arabidopsis TCTP is expressed throughout plant tissues and developmental stages with increased expression in meristematic and expanding cells. Knockout of TCTP leads to a male gametophytic phenotype with normal pollen formation and germination but impaired pollen tube growth. Silencing of TCTP by RNA interference slows vegetative growth; leaf expansion is reduced because of smaller cell size, lateral root formation is reduced, and root hair development is impaired. Furthermore, these lines show decreased sensitivity to an exogenously applied auxin analog and have elevated levels of endogenous auxin. These results identify TCTP as an important regulator of growth in plants and imply a function of plant TCTP as a mediator of TOR activity similar to that known in nonplant systems.

The transport of metal micronutrients to developing organs in a plant is mediated primarily by the sieve elements. Ligands are thought to form complexes with the free ions in order to prevent cellular damage, but no binding partners have been unequivocally identified from plants so far. This study has used the phloemmediated transport of micronutrients during the germination of the castor bean seedling to identify an iron transport protein (ITP

Specific chemicals can prime the plant immune system for augmented defence. β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) is a priming agent that provides broad-spectrum disease protection. However, BABA also suppresses plant growth when applied in high doses, which has hampered its application as a crop defence activator. Here we describe a mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana that is impaired in BABA-induced disease immunity (ibi1) but hypersensitive to BABA-induced growth repression. IBI encodes an aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. Enantiomer-specific binding of R-BABA to IBI1 primed the protein for non-canonical defence signalling in the cytoplasm after pathogen attack. This priming was associated with aspartic acid accumulation and tRNA-induced phosphorylation of translation initiation factor eIF2α. However, mutation of eIF2α-phosphorylating GCN2 kinase did not affect BABA-induced immunity, but relieved BABA-induced growth repression. Hence, BABA-activated IBI1 controls plant immunity and growth via separate pathways. Our results open new opportunities to separate broad-spectrum disease resistance from the associated costs on plant growth.

SUMMARY Interactions between phytohormones play important roles in the regulation of plant growth and development, but knowledge of the networks controlling hormonal relationships, such as between oxylipins and auxins, is just emerging. Here, we report the transcriptional regulation of two Arabidopsis YUCCA genes, YUC8 and YUC9, by oxylipins. Similarly to previously characterized YUCCA family members, we show that both YUC8 and YUC9 are involved in auxin biosynthesis, as demonstrated by the increased auxin contents and auxin-dependent phenotypes displayed by gain-of-function mutants as well as the significantly decreased IAA levels in yuc8 and yuc8/9 knockout lines. Gene expression data obtained by qPCR analysis and microscopic examination of promoter-reporter lines reveal an oxylipin-mediated regulation of YUC9 expression that is dependent on the COI1 signal transduction pathway. In support of these findings, the roots of the analyzed yuc knockout mutants displayed a reduced response to methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The similar response of the yuc8 and yuc9 mutants to MeJA in cotyledons and hypocotyls suggests functional overlap of YUC8 and YUC9 in aerial tissues, while their function in roots show some specificity, likely in part related to different spatio-temporal expression patterns of the two genes. These results provide evidence for an intimate functional relationship between oxylipin signaling and auxin homeostasis.

Soil phosphate represents the only source of phosphorus for plants and, consequently, is its entry into the trophic chain. This major component of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and energy currency of the cell (ATP) can limit plant growth because of its low mobility in soil. As a result, root responses to low phosphate favor the exploration of the shallower part of the soil, where phosphate tends to be more abundant, a strategy described as topsoil foraging. We will review the diverse developmental strategies that can be observed among plants by detailing the effect of phosphate deficiency on primary and lateral roots. We also discuss the formation of cluster roots: an advanced adaptive strategy to cope with low phosphate availability observed in a limited number of species. Finally, we will put this work into perspective for future research directions.

Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNAs promotes transcriptome and proteome diversity and plays important roles in a wide range of biological processes. However, the role of AS in maintaining mineral nutrient homeostasis in plants is largely unknown. To clarify this role, we obtained whole transcriptome RNA sequencing data from rice (Oryza sativa) roots grown in the presence or absence of several mineral nutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and P). Our systematic analysis revealed 13,291 alternatively spliced genes, representing ∼53.3% of the multiexon genes in the rice genome. As the overlap between differentially expressed genes and differentially alternatively spliced genes is small, a molecular understanding of the plant's response to mineral deficiency is limited by analyzing differentially expressed genes alone. We found that the targets of AS are highly nutrient-specific. To verify the role of AS in mineral nutrition, we characterized mutants in genes encoding Ser/Arg (SR) proteins that function in AS. We identified several SR proteins as critical regulators of Zn, Mn, and P nutrition and showed that three SR protein-encoding genes regulate P uptake and remobilization between leaves and shoots of rice, demonstrating that AS has a key role in regulating mineral nutrient homeostasis in rice.

Ser acetyltransferase (SATase; EC 2.3.1.30) catalyzes the formation of O-acetyl-Ser from l-Ser and acetyl-CoA, leading to synthesis of Cys. According to its position at the decisive junction of the pathways of sulfur assimilation and amino acid metabolism, SATases are subject to regulatory mechanisms to control the flux of Cys synthesis. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) there are five genes encoding SATase-like proteins. Two isoforms, Serat3;1 and Serat3;2, were characterized with respect to their enzymatic properties, feedback inhibition by l-Cys, and subcellular localization. Functional identity of Serat3;1 and Serat3;2 was established by complementation of a SATase-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli. Cytosolic localization of Serat3;1 and Serat3;2 was confirmed by using fusion construct with the green fluorescent protein. Recombinant Serat3;1 was not inhibited by l-Cys, while Serat3;2 was a strongly feedback-inhibited isoform. Quantification of expression patterns indicated that Serat2;1 is the dominant form expressed in most tissues examined, followed by Serat1;1 and Serat2;2. Although Serat3;1 and Serat3;2 were expressed weakly in most tissues, Serat3;2 expression was significantly induced under sulfur deficiency and cadmium stress as well as during generative developmental stages, implying that Serat3;1 and Serat3;2 have specific roles when plants are subjected to distinct conditions. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the green fluorescent protein under the control of the five promoters indicated that, in all Serat genes, the expression was predominantly localized in the vascular system, notably in the phloem. These results demonstrate that Arabidopsis employs a complex array of compartment-specific SATase isoforms with distinct enzymatic properties and expression patterns to ensure the provision of Cys in response to developmental and environmental changes.

Real time biomolecular interaction analysis based on surface plasmon resonance has been proven useful for studying protein-protein interaction but has not been extended so far to investigate enzyme-enzyme interactions, especially as pertaining to regulation of metabolic activity. We have applied BIAcore technology to study the regulation of enzyme-enzyme interaction during mitochondrial cysteine biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. The association of the two enzyme subunits in the hetero-oligomeric cysteine synthase complex was investigated with respect to the reaction intermediate and putative