scholarly journals BZR1 Physically Interacts with SPL9 to Regulate the Vegetative Phase Change and Cell Elongation in Arabidopsis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (19) ◽  
pp. 10415
Author(s):  
Lingyan Wang ◽  
Ping Yu ◽  
Jinyang Lyu ◽  
Yanfei Hu ◽  
Chao Han ◽  
...  

As sessile organisms, the precise development phase transitions are very important for the success of plant adaptability, survival and reproduction. The transition from juvenile to the adult phase—referred to as the vegetative phase change—is significantly influenced by numbers of endogenous and environmental signals. Here, we showed that brassinosteroid (BR), a major growth-promoting steroid hormone, positively regulates the vegetative phase change in Arabidopsis thaliana. The BR-deficient mutant det2-1 and BR-insensitive mutant bri1-301 displayed the increased ratio of leaf width to length and reduced blade base angle. The plant specific transcription factors SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) are key masters for the vegetative phase transition in plants. The expression levels of SPL9, SPL10 and SPL15 were significantly induced by BR treatment, but reduced in bri1-116 mutant compared to wild-type plants. The gain-of-function pSPL9:rSPL9 transgenic plants displayed the BR hypersensitivity on hypocotyl elongation and partially suppressed the delayed vegetative phase change of det2-1 and bri1-301. Furthermore, we showed that BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (BZR1), the master transcription factor of BR signaling pathway, interacted with SPL9 to cooperatively regulate the expression of downstream genes. Our findings reveal an important role for BRs in promoting vegetative phase transition through regulating the activity of SPL9 at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 9753
Author(s):  
Darren Manuela ◽  
Mingli Xu

Vegetative leaves in Arabidopsis are classified as either juvenile leaves or adult leaves based on their specific traits, such as leaf shape and the presence of abaxial trichomes. The timing of the juvenile-to-adult phase transition during vegetative development, called the vegetative phase change, is a critical decision for plants, as this transition is associated with crop yield, stress responses, and immune responses. Juvenile leaves are characterized by high levels of miR156/157, and adult leaves are characterized by high levels of miR156/157 targets, SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors. The discovery of this miR156/157-SPL module provided a critical tool for elucidating the complex regulation of the juvenile-to-adult phase transition in plants. In this review, we discuss how the traits of juvenile leaves and adult leaves are determined by the miR156/157-SPL module and how different factors, including embryonic regulators, sugar, meristem regulators, hormones, and epigenetic proteins are involved in controlling the juvenile-to-adult phase transition, focusing on recent insights into vegetative phase change. We also highlight outstanding questions in the field that need further investigation. Understanding how vegetative phase change is regulated would provide a basis for manipulating agricultural traits under various conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sören Werner ◽  
Isabel Bartrina ◽  
Thomas Schmülling

AbstractDuring vegetative growth plants pass from a juvenile to an adult phase causing changes in shoot morphology. This vegetative phase change is primarily regulated by the opposite actions of two microRNAs, the inhibitory miR156 and the promoting miR172 as well as their respective target genes, constituting the age pathway. Here we show that the phytohormone cytokinin promotes the juvenile-to-adult phase transition through regulating components of the age pathway. Reduction of cytokinin signalling substantially delayed the transition to the adult stage. tZ-type cytokinin was particularly important as compared to iP- and the inactive cZ-type cytokinin, and root-derived tZ influenced the phase transition significantly. Genetic and transcriptional analyses indicated the requirement of SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors and miR172 for cytokinin activity. Two miR172 targets, TARGET OF EAT1 (TOE1) and TOE2 encoding transcriptional repressors were necessary and sufficient to mediate the influence of cytokinin on vegetative phase change. This cytokinin pathway regulating plant aging adds to the complexity of the regulatory network controlling the juvenile-to-adult phase transition and links cytokinin to miRNA action.


2015 ◽  
Vol 140 (5) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Zhang ◽  
You-biao Hu ◽  
Hua-sen Wang ◽  
Sheng-jun Feng ◽  
Yu-ting Zhang

Plant growth and development are determined by complex exogenous and endogenous cues. A plant follows several temporally distinct developmental stages, including embryonic, vegetative, and reproductive. The vegetative stage, which is usually the longest stage, can be subdivided into juvenile and adult phases. The transition from the juvenile to the adult phase, also called the vegetative phase change, is characterized by anatomical, morphological, and physiological changes in the vegetative parts of the shoot. Recent studies in several systems have identified the genetic temporal mechanisms of this process, which is regulated by an endogenous age cue (i.e., microRNA156/157) and its targeted genes (i.e., Squamosa promoter binding protein-box transcription factors). This review summarizes the recent advances in the study of the underlying regulatory mechanisms of vegetative phase change. This review also describes the modes of miRNA action and the functions of their targeted genes in this highly conserved developmental process.


eLife ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yang ◽  
Mingli Xu ◽  
Yeonjong Koo ◽  
Jia He ◽  
R Scott Poethig

Nutrients shape the growth, maturation, and aging of plants and animals. In plants, the juvenile to adult transition (vegetative phase change) is initiated by a decrease in miR156. In Arabidopsis, we found that exogenous sugar decreased the abundance of miR156, whereas reduced photosynthesis increased the level of this miRNA. This effect was correlated with a change in the timing of vegetative phase change, and was primarily attributable to a change in the expression of two genes, MIR156A and MIR156C, which were found to play dominant roles in this transition. The glucose-induced repression of miR156 was dependent on the signaling activity of HEXOKINASE1. We also show that the defoliation-induced increase in miR156 levels can be suppressed by exogenous glucose. These results provide a molecular link between nutrient availability and developmental timing in plants, and suggest that sugar is a component of the leaf signal that mediates vegetative phase change.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document