Skip to main content
PMC home page
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1996 Sep;112(1):385–391. doi: 10.1104/pp.112.1.385

A flooding-induced xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase homolog in maize is responsive to ethylene and associated with aerenchyma.

I N Saab 1, M M Sachs 1
PMCID: PMC157960  PMID: 8819334

Abstract

Development of aerenchyma (soft cortical tissue with large intercellular air spaces) in flooded plants results from cell-wall hydrolysis and eventual cell lysis and is promoted by endogenous ethylene. Despite its adaptive significance, the molecular mechanisms behind aerenchyma development remain unknown. We recently isolated a flooding-induced maize (Zea mays L.) gene (wusl1005[gfu]; abbreviated as 1005) encoding a homolog of xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase (XET), a putative cell-wall-loosening enzyme active during germination, expansion, and fruit softening. XET and related enzymes may also be involved in cell-wall metabolism during flooding-induced aerenchyma development. Under flooding, 1005 mRNA accumulated in root and mesocotyl locations that subsequently exhibited aerenchyma development and reached maximum levels within 12 h of treatment. Aerenchyma development was observed in the same locations by 48 h of treatment. Treatment with the ethylene synthesis inhibitor (aminooxy) acetic acid (AOA), which prevented cortical air space formation under flooding, almost completely inhibited 1005 mRNA accumulation in both organs. AOA treatment had little effect on the accumulation of mRNA encoded by adh1, indicating that it did not cause general suppression of flooding-responsive genes. Additionally, ethylene treatment under aerobic conditions resulted in aerenchyma development as well as induction of 1005 in both organs. These results indicate that 1005 is responsive to ethylene. Treatment with anoxia, which suppresses ethylene accumulation and aerenchyma development, also resulted in 1005 induction. However, in contrast to flooding, AOA treatment under anoxia did not affect 1005 mRNA accumulation, indicating that 1005 is induced via different mechanisms under flooding (hypoxia) and anoxia.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (2.4 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Borriss R., Buettner K., Maentsaelae P. Structure of the beta-1,3-1,4-glucanase gene of Bacillus macerans: homologies to other beta-glucanases. Mol Gen Genet. 1990 Jul;222(2-3):278–283. doi: 10.1007/BF00633829. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fanutti C., Gidley M. J., Reid J. S. Action of a pure xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase (formerly called xyloglucan-specific endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-glucanase) from the cotyledons of germinated nasturtium seeds. Plant J. 1993 May;3(5):691–700. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1993.03050691.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fry S. C., Smith R. C., Renwick K. F., Martin D. J., Hodge S. K., Matthews K. J. Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase, a new wall-loosening enzyme activity from plants. Biochem J. 1992 Mar 15;282(Pt 3):821–828. doi: 10.1042/bj2820821. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. He C. J., Morgan P. W., Drew M. C. Enhanced Sensitivity to Ethylene in Nitrogen- or Phosphate-Starved Roots of Zea mays L. during Aerenchyma Formation. Plant Physiol. 1992 Jan;98(1):137–142. doi: 10.1104/pp.98.1.137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hetherington P. R., Fry S. C. Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylase Activity in Carrot Cell Suspensions during cell Elongation and Somatic Embryogenesis. Plant Physiol. 1993 Nov;103(3):987–992. doi: 10.1104/pp.103.3.987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McQueen-Mason S., Durachko D. M., Cosgrove D. J. Two endogenous proteins that induce cell wall extension in plants. Plant Cell. 1992 Nov;4:1425–1433. doi: 10.1105/tpc.4.11.1425. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Okazawa K., Sato Y., Nakagawa T., Asada K., Kato I., Tomita E., Nishitani K. Molecular cloning and cDNA sequencing of endoxyloglucan transferase, a novel class of glycosyltransferase that mediates molecular grafting between matrix polysaccharides in plant cell walls. J Biol Chem. 1993 Dec 5;268(34):25364–25368. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Redgwell R. J., Fry S. C. Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylase Activity Increases during Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) Ripening (Implications for Fruit Softening). Plant Physiol. 1993 Dec;103(4):1399–1406. doi: 10.1104/pp.103.4.1399. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Saab I. N., Ho THD., Sharp R. E. Translatable RNA Populations Associated with Maintenance of Primary Root Elongation and Inhibition of Mesocotyl Elongation by Abscisic Acid in Maize Seedlings at Low Water Potentials. Plant Physiol. 1995 Oct;109(2):593–601. doi: 10.1104/pp.109.2.593. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sachs M. M., Freeling M., Okimoto R. The anaerobic proteins of maize. Cell. 1980 Jul;20(3):761–767. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90322-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Wu Y., Spollen W. G., Sharp R. E., Hetherington P. R., Fry S. C. Root Growth Maintenance at Low Water Potentials (Increased Activity of Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylase and Its Possible Regulation by Abscisic Acid). Plant Physiol. 1994 Oct;106(2):607–615. doi: 10.1104/pp.106.2.607. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Xu W., Purugganan M. M., Polisensky D. H., Antosiewicz D. M., Fry S. C., Braam J. Arabidopsis TCH4, regulated by hormones and the environment, encodes a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase. Plant Cell. 1995 Oct;7(10):1555–1567. doi: 10.1105/tpc.7.10.1555. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Zurek D. M., Clouse S. D. Molecular cloning and characterization of a brassinosteroid-regulated gene from elongating soybean (Glycine max L.) epicotyls. Plant Physiol. 1994 Jan;104(1):161–170. doi: 10.1104/pp.104.1.161. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Plant Physiology are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES