Skip to main content
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1993 Feb 15;90(4):1465–1469. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.4.1465

Guanine nucleotide binding protein involvement in early steps of phytochrome-regulated gene expression.

L C Romero 1, E Lam 1
PMCID: PMC45894  PMID: 11607369

Abstract

The transmission process of light signals from plant photoreceptors to target cellular events is largely unknown. In the present work, we show that treatment of dark-adapted soybean cells (SB-P) with cholera toxin or pertussis toxin uncouples phytochrome-dependent gene expression. Addition of as little as 10 ng of toxin per ml is sufficient to activate expression of genes encoding the major chlorophyll a/b-binding protein (cab) in the dark. Significant levels of cab transcript accumulation are detected within 0.5 h after addition of the toxins and expression of these genes is desensitized to further light treatments. Treatment of SB-P cells with the calmodulin antagonist N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphtha-lenesulfonamide hydrochloride (W-7) prevents induction of the photoregulated gene by phytochrome or bacterial toxins. These results indicate the involvement of guanine nucleotide binding protein(s) in phytochrome-mediated cab gene activation. A likely site of action for this step is between the photoreceptor and a downstream W-7-sensitive effector.

Full text

PDF
1466

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Blum W., Hinsch K. D., Schultz G., Weiler E. W. Identification of GTP-binding proteins in the plasma membrane of higher plants. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1988 Oct 31;156(2):954–959. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(88)80936-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chory J. Light signals in leaf and chloroplast development: photoreceptors and downstream responses in search of a transduction pathway. New Biol. 1991 Jun;3(6):538–548. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Coruzzi G., Broglie R., Cashmore A., Chua N. H. Nucleotide sequences of two pea cDNA clones encoding the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and the major chlorophyll a/b-binding thylakoid polypeptide. J Biol Chem. 1983 Feb 10;258(3):1399–1402. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Deng X. W., Caspar T., Quail P. H. cop1: a regulatory locus involved in light-controlled development and gene expression in Arabidopsis. Genes Dev. 1991 Jul;5(7):1172–1182. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.7.1172. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fairley-Grenot K., Assmann S. M. Evidence for G-Protein Regulation of Inward K+ Channel Current in Guard Cells of Fava Bean. Plant Cell. 1991 Sep;3(9):1037–1044. doi: 10.1105/tpc.3.9.1037. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fritz C. C., Herget T., Wolter F. P., Schell J., Schreier P. H. Reduced steady-state levels of rbcS mRNA in plants kept in the dark are due to differential degradation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 May 15;88(10):4458–4462. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.10.4458. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gilman A. G. G proteins: transducers of receptor-generated signals. Annu Rev Biochem. 1987;56:615–649. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.56.070187.003151. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gilmartin P. M., Sarokin L., Memelink J., Chua N. H. Molecular light switches for plant genes. Plant Cell. 1990 May;2(5):369–378. doi: 10.1105/tpc.2.5.369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kaziro Y., Itoh H., Kozasa T., Nakafuku M., Satoh T. Structure and function of signal-transducing GTP-binding proteins. Annu Rev Biochem. 1991;60:349–400. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.60.070191.002025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lam E., Benedyk M., Chua N. H. Characterization of phytochrome-regulated gene expression in a photoautotrophic cell suspension: possible role for calmodulin. Mol Cell Biol. 1989 Nov;9(11):4819–4823. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.11.4819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lam E., Green P. J., Wong M., Chua N. H. Phytochrome activation of two nuclear genes requires cytoplasmic protein synthesis. EMBO J. 1989 Oct;8(10):2777–2783. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb08423.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ma H., Yanofsky M. F., Meyerowitz E. M. Molecular cloning and characterization of GPA1, a G protein alpha subunit gene from Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 May;87(10):3821–3825. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.10.3821. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McCurdy D. W., Pratt L. H. Immunogold electron microscopy of phytochrome in Avena: identification of intracellular sites responsible for phytochrome sequestering and enhanced pelletability. J Cell Biol. 1986 Dec;103(6 Pt 1):2541–2550. doi: 10.1083/jcb.103.6.2541. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Messing J., Carlson J., Hagen G., Rubenstein I., Oleson A. Cloning and sequencing of the ribosomal RNA genes in maize: the 17S region. DNA. 1984;3(1):31–40. doi: 10.1089/dna.1.1984.3.31. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Quail P. H. Phytochrome: a light-activated molecular switch that regulates plant gene expression. Annu Rev Genet. 1991;25:389–409. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.25.120191.002133. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Romero L. C., Sommer D., Gotor C., Song P. S. G-proteins in etiolated Avena seedlings. Possible phytochrome regulation. FEBS Lett. 1991 May 6;282(2):341–346. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(91)80509-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schulman H., Lou L. L. Multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase: domain structure and regulation. Trends Biochem Sci. 1989 Feb;14(2):62–66. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(89)90045-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Seeley K. A., Byrne D. H., Colbert J. T. Red Light-Independent Instability of Oat Phytochrome mRNA in Vivo. Plant Cell. 1992 Jan;4(1):29–38. doi: 10.1105/tpc.4.1.29. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Van Dop C., Yamanaka G., Steinberg F., Sekura R. D., Manclark C. R., Stryer L., Bourne H. R. ADP-ribosylation of transducin by pertussis toxin blocks the light-stimulated hydrolysis of GTP and cGMP in retinal photoreceptors. J Biol Chem. 1984 Jan 10;259(1):23–26. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Walling L. L., Chang Y. C., Demmin D. S., Holzer F. M. Isolation, characterization and evolutionary relatedness of three members from the soybean multigene family encoding chlorophyll a/b binding proteins. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 Nov 25;16(22):10477–10492. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.22.10477. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Warpeha K. M., Hamm H. E., Rasenick M. M., Kaufman L. S. A blue-light-activated GTP-binding protein in the plasma membranes of etiolated peas. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Oct 15;88(20):8925–8929. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.20.8925. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES