Tao Li-zhen, Cheung Alice Y, Wu Hen-ming
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
Plant Cell. 2002 Nov;14(11):2745-60. doi: 10.1105/tpc.006320.
The auxin indole-3-acetic acid is a key plant hormone essential for a broad range of growth and developmental processes. Here, we show that auxin activates Rac-like GTPases (referred to as Rac/Rop GTPases), and they in turn stimulate auxin-responsive gene expression. In particular, we show that overexpressing a wild-type tobacco Rac/Rop GTPase, NtRac1, and its constitutively active mutant form activates auxin-responsive gene expression. On the other hand, overexpressing dominant-negative NtRac1 and Rac-negative regulators, or reducing the endogenous NtRac1 level, suppresses auxin-induced gene expression. Furthermore, overexpression of NtRac1 activity or suppression of its expression in transgenic seedlings induces phenotypes that are similar to auxin-related defects. Together, our results show that a subset of plant Rac/Rop GTPases functions in mediating the auxin signal to downstream responsive genes.
生长素吲哚 - 3 - 乙酸是一种关键的植物激素,对广泛的生长和发育过程至关重要。在此,我们表明生长素激活类Rac GTP酶(称为Rac/Rop GTP酶),而它们反过来又刺激生长素响应基因的表达。具体而言,我们发现过表达野生型烟草Rac/Rop GTP酶NtRac1及其组成型活性突变形式可激活生长素响应基因的表达。另一方面,过表达显性负性NtRac1和Rac负调控因子,或降低内源性NtRac1水平,会抑制生长素诱导的基因表达。此外,在转基因幼苗中过表达NtRac1活性或抑制其表达会诱导出与生长素相关缺陷相似的表型。总之,我们的结果表明,植物Rac/Rop GTP酶的一个子集在介导生长素信号至下游响应基因中发挥作用。