Project description:LSD1, EDS1 and PAD4 Conditionally Regulate Cellular Signaling Homeostasis, Photosynthesis, Water Use Efficiency and Seed Yield in Arabidopsis
Project description:Photoperiod is a circannual signal measured by biological systems to align growth and reproduction with the seasons. To understand the effect of photoperiod of gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana in the absence of exogenous sugar under constant light intensity, we performed time course mRNA-seq analysis on 13-day old seedlings across three photoperiods with triplicates to identify photoperiod-regulated genes.
Project description:Endosomal trafficking plays integral roles in various eukaryotic cell activities. In animal cells, a member of the RAB GTPase family, RAB5, is a key regulator of various endosomal functions. In addition to orthologs of animal RAB5, plants harbor the plant-specific RAB5 group, the ARA6 group, which is conserved in land plant lineages. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ARA6 and conventional RAB5 act in distinct endosomal trafficking pathways; ARA6 mediates trafficking from endosomes to the plasma membrane, whereas conventional RAB5 acts in endocytic and vacuolar trafficking pathways. ARA6 is also required for normal salt and osmotic stress tolerance, although the functional link between ARA6 and stress tolerance remains unclear. In this study, we investigated ARA6 function in stress tolerance by monitoring broad-scale changes in gene expression in the ara6 mutant. A comparison of the expression profiles between wild-type and ara6‐1 plants revealed that the expression of the Qua-Quine Starch (QQS) gene was significantly affected by the ara6‐1 mutation. QQS is involved in starch homeostasis, consistent with the starch content decreasing in the ara6 mutants to approximately 60% of that of the wild-type plant. In contrast, the free and total glucose content increased in the ara6 mutants. Moreover, the proliferation of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 was repressed in ara6 mutants, which could be attributed to the elevated sugar content. These results suggest that ARA6 is responsible for starch and sugar homeostasis, most probably through the function of QQS.
Project description:Sugar is propose to be a signal molecules for defense in plants. Here, using RNA-seq, we revealed that the application of non-metabolizable glucose analogue 2-deoxy-d-glucose induces the expression of defense-related genes in Arabidopsis. In addition, loss of sugar transporters (STPs) leads to altered responsiveness to flg22, suggesting that sugar-mediated signaling contributes to plant defense.