Extragenic Suppressors of the Arabidopsis gai Mutation Alter the Dose-Response Relationship of Diverse Gibberellin Responses1

Active gibberellins (GAs) are endogenous factors that regulate plant growth and development in a dose-dependent fashion. Mutant plants that are GA deficient, or exhibit reduced GA responses, display a characteristic dwarf phenotype. Extragenic suppressor analysis has resulted in the isolation of Arabidopsis mutations, which partially suppress the dwarf phenotype conferred by GA deficiency and reduced GA-response mutations. Here we describe detailed studies of the effects of two of these suppressors, spy-7 and gar2–1, on several different GA-responsive growth processes (seed germination, vegetative growth, stem elongation, chlorophyll accumulation, and flowering) and on the in planta amounts of active and inactive GA species. The results of these experiments show that spy-7 and gar2–1 affect the GA dose-response relationship for a wide range of GA responses and suggest that all GA-regulated processes are controlled through a negatively acting GA-signaling pathway.

Methyl Jasmonate Induces Lauric Acid ω-Hydroxylase Activity and Accumulation of CYP94A1 Transcripts but Does Not Affect Epoxide Hydrolase Activities in Vicia sativa Seedlings1

Treatment of etiolated Vicia sativa seedlings by the plant hormone methyl jasmonate (MetJA) led to an increase of cytochrome P450 content. Seedlings that were treated for 48 h in a 1 mm solution of MetJA stimulated ω-hydroxylation of 12:0 (lauric acid) 14-fold compared with the control (153 versus 11 pmol min−1 mg−1 protein, respectively). Induction was dose dependent. The increase of activity (2.7-fold) was already detectable after 3 h of treatment. Activity increased as a function of time and reached a steady level after 24 h. Northern-blot analysis revealed that the transcripts coding for CYP94A1, a fatty acid ω-hydroxylase, had already accumulated after 1 h of exposure to MetJA and was maximal between 3 and 6 h. Under the same conditions, a study of the enzymatic hydrolysis of 9,10-epoxystearic acid showed that both microsomal and soluble epoxide hydrolase activities were not affected by MetJA treatment.

Inhibition of Wound-Induced Accumulation of Allene Oxide Synthase Transcripts in Flax Leaves by Aspirin and Salicylic Acid1

Allene oxide synthase (AOS) mediates the conversion of lipoxygenase-derived fatty acid hydroperoxides to unstable allene epoxides, which supply the precursors for the synthesis of the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA). In this study the characterization of AOS gene expression in flax (Linum usitatissimum) is reported. AOS was constitutively expressed in different organs of flax plants. Additionally, AOS gene expression was enhanced after mechanical wounding in both the directly damaged leaves and in the systemic tissue located distal to the treated leaves. This wound-induced accumulation of AOS required the de novo biosynthesis of other unknown proteins involved in the signaling pathway modulating wound-induced AOS gene expression. Furthermore, the wound-induced AOS mRNA accumulation was correlated with the increase in the levels of JA. Both JA and its precursor, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid, activated AOS gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, JA could activate its own biosynthetic pathway in flax leaves. Moreover, neither salicylic acid (SA) nor aspirin influenced AOS enzymatic activity. It is interesting that pretreatment with SA or aspirin inhibited wound-induced accumulation of AOS transcripts. These results suggest that a potent inhibition of JA biosynthetic capacity in leaves can be affected by SA or aspirin at the level of AOS gene expression.