Induction of Anthocyanin Accumulation by Cytokinins in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana plants treated with exogenous cytokinins accumulate anthocyanin pigments. We have characterized this response because it is potentially useful as a genetic marker for cytokinin responsiveness. Levels of mRNAs for four genes of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, phenylalanine ammonia lyase 1 (PAL1), chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) were shown to increase coordinately in response to benzyladenine (BA). However, nuclear run-on transcription experiments suggested that although CHS and DFR are controlled by BA at the transcriptional level, PAL1 and CHI are controlled by BA posttranscriptionally. CHS mRNA levels increased within 2 h of BA spray application, and peaked by 3 h. Levels of PAL1 mRNA did not increase within 6 h of BA spray. We also showed that PAL1, CHS, CHI, and DFR mRNA levels fluctuate during a 24-h period and appear to be controlled by a circadian clock. The relation between cytokinin regulation and light regulation of CHS gene transcription is discussed.

[1]  C. Lamb,et al.  Functional properties of a phenylalanine ammonia-lyase promoter from Arabidopsis. , 1990, The Plant cell.

[2]  S. Sopory,et al.  Influence of cytokinins and phytochrome on nitrate reductase activity in etiolated leaves of maize , 1984 .

[3]  J. Suttle.  Cytokinin-induced ethylene biosynthesis in nonsenescing cotton leaves. , 1986, Plant Physiology.

[4]  J. Sambrook,et al.  Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual , 2001 .

[5]  F. Ausubel,et al.  Transcriptional regulation of the Arabidopsis thaliana chalcone synthase gene , 1988, Molecular and cellular biology.

[6]  F. Ausubel,et al.  Induction of Arabidopsis defense genes by virulent and avirulent Pseudomonas syringae strains and by a cloned avirulence gene. , 1991, The Plant cell.

[7]  T. Gaspar,et al.  Cytokinins , 2019 .

[8]  A. Binns.  Cytokinin accumulation and action: biochemical, genetic and molecular approaches , 1994 .

[9]  S. Howell,et al.  Cytokinins and auxins control the expression of a gene in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cells by feedback regulation. , 1992, The Plant cell.

[10]  M. Lampugnani,et al.  Interaction between benzyladenine and white light on excised watermelon cotyledons , 1980 .

[11]  D. Shah,et al.  The structure and expression of maize genes encoding the major heat shock protein, hsp70 , 1986, The EMBO journal.

[12]  S. Maekawa,et al.  Effects of light and kinetin on anthocyanin accumulation in the petals of Rosa hybrida, Hort cv. Ehigasa , 1980 .

[13]  E. Meyerowitz,et al.  Arabidopsis ethylene-response gene ETR1: similarity of product to two-component regulators. , 1993, Science.

[14]  R. Jorgensen,et al.  Genetic and developmental control of anthocyanin biosynthesis. , 1991, Annual review of genetics.

[15]  Y. Mo,et al.  Biochemical complementation of chalcone synthase mutants defines a role for flavonols in functional pollen. , 1992, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[16]  A. Bennett,et al.  Transcriptional Analysis of Polygalacturonase and Other Ripening Associated Genes in Rutgers, rin, nor, and Nr Tomato Fruit. , 1989, Plant physiology.

[17]  C. Martin,et al.  Control of Pigment Biosynthesis Genes during Petal Development. , 1993, The Plant cell.

[18]  A. Brandt,et al.  Role of the Gynoecium in Cytokinin-induced Carnation Petal Senescence , 1991 .

[19]  C. Miller,et al.  Similarity of Some Kinetin and Red Light Effects. , 1956, Plant physiology.

[20]  H. Mohr,et al.  Time‐dependent changes in the responsiveness to light of phytochrome‐mediated anthocyanin synthesis , 1981 .

[21]  A. O. Klein,et al.  Anthocyanin production in detached petals of impatiens balsamina L. , 1961, Plant physiology.

[22]  B. Parthier.  The Role of Phytohormones (Cytokinins) in Chloroplast Development , 1979 .

[23]  M. Estelle,et al.  Insensitivity to Ethylene Conferred by a Dominant Mutation in Arabidopsis thaliana , 1988, Science.

[24]  C. Dehio,et al.  The early nodulin gene SrEnod2 from Sesbania rostrata is inducible by cytokinin. , 1992, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[25]  H. Goodman,et al.  Regulation of Flavonoid Biosynthetic Genes in Germinating Arabidopsis Seedlings. , 1992, The Plant cell.

[26]  R. Amasino,et al.  Cytokinin-induced mRNAs in cultured soybean cells. , 1990, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[27]  Ronald W. Davis,et al.  Arabidopsis and Nicotiana anthocyanin production activated by maize regulators R and C1. , 1992, Science.

[28]  Y. Ozeki,et al.  Induction of anthocyanin synthesis in relation to embryogenesis in a carrot suspension culture: Correlation of metabolic differentiation with morphological differentiation , 1981 .

[29]  Mario Piattelll.  19 – The Betalains: Structure, Biosynthesis, and Chemical Taxonomy , 1981 .

[30]  M. Piattelli,et al.  The effect of kinetin on amaranthin synthesis in Amaranthus tricolor in darkness , 1971 .

[31]  D. Verma,et al.  Regulation of general phenylpropanoid and flavonoid gene expression. , 1993 .

[32]  Chong-maw Chen.  Cytokinin-modulated Macromolecular Synthesis and Gene Expression , 1989 .

[33]  D. Scheel,et al.  Physiology and Molecular Biology of Phenylpropanoid Metabolism , 1989 .

[34]  J. Memelink,et al.  Cytokinin stress changes the developmental regulation of several defence‐related genes in tobacco , 1987, The EMBO journal.

[35]  P. Engström,et al.  Changes in Protein Synthesis upon Cytokinin-Mediated Adventitious Bud Induction and during Seedling Development in Norway Spruce, Picea abies. , 1990, Plant physiology.

[36]  H. Goodman,et al.  Effects of ionizing radiation on a plant genome: analysis of two Arabidopsis transparent testa mutations. , 1992, The Plant cell.