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Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates fruit ripening, yet little is known about the exact roles of ABA receptors in fruit. In this study, we reveal the role of SlPYL9, a tomato pyrabactin resistance (PYR)/pyrobactin resistance-like (PYL)/regulatory component of ABA receptors (RCAR) protein, as a positive regulator of ABA signaling and fruit ripening. SlPYL9 inhibits protein phosphatase-type 2C (PP2C2/6) in an ABA dose-dependent way, and it interacts physically with SlPP2C2/3/4/5 in an ABA-dependent manner. Expression of SlPYL9 was observed in the seeds, flowers, and fruits. Overexpression and suppression of SlPYL9 induced a variety of phenotypes via altered expression of ABA signaling genes (SlPP2C1/2/9, SlSnRK2.8, SlABF2), thereby affecting expression of ripening-related genes involved in ethylene release and cell wall modification. SlPYL9-OE/RNAi plants showed a typical ABA hyper-/hypo-sensitive phenotype in terms of seed germination, primary root growth, and response to drought. Fruit ripening was significantly accelerated in SlPYL9-OE by 5–7 d as a result of increased endogenous ABA accumulation and advanced release of ethylene compared with the wild-type. In the SlPYL9-RNAi lines, fruit ripening was delayed, mesocarp thickness was enhanced, and petal abscission was delayed compared with the wild-type, resulting in conical/oblong and gourd-shaped fruits. These results suggest that SlPYL9 is involved in ABA signaling, thereby playing a role in the regulation of flower abscission and fruit ripening in tomato.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are important molecules for human health. We investigated the effects of three major omega-3 PUFAs on C2C12 myoblast proliferation. Both docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids decreased cell growth, whereas linolenic (ALA) acid did not, compared with the control. Cell cycle analysis showed that G(1) phase duration was increased markedly and S-phase duration was decreased by DHA and EPA. In contrast, there was no change in the G(1) or S-phase duration when the cells were treated with linolenic acid. To determine how DHA and EPA affected the cell cycle, cyclins and MAPK proteins were investigated. Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR showed that DHA and EPA decreased cyclin E and CDK2 levels at both the protein and mRNA level. Also, MAPK phosphorylation levels were decreased by treatment with DHA and EPA. Our results indicated that different kinds of n-3 PUFA differentially affected myoblast cell proliferation. DHA and EPA decreased skeletal muscle cell proliferation through a mechanism involving MAPK-ERK.

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is an important mediator in the drought response, participating in, among other processes, stomatal movements. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the serine/threonine protein kinase, OST1, regulates this response, but the function of its maize homolog has yet to be established. Here, we isolated ZmOST1 and show that its encoded protein indeed acts to regulate guard cell movement. ZmOST1 was ubiquitously expressed throughout the plant, being highly expressed in guard cells, and inducible both by exogenous ABA and water stress. Transient expression of a ZmOST1-GFP fusion protein, in maize mesophyll protoplasts, indicated its subcellular localization in the cytoplasm and nucleus. A Zmost1 loss-of-function mutant exhibited reduced sensitivity to ABA-activated slow anion channels in maize guard cells, and reduced drought tolerance. Constitutive expression of ZmOST1, in an A. thaliana ost1-1 mutant rescued the phenotype with respect both to the sensitivity of guard cell slow anion currents to ABA treatment and stomatal closure. Our findings indicate a positive regulatory role for ZmOST1 in guard cell ABA signaling and drought response in maize plants.