Receptor Signal Output Mediated by the ETR1 N Terminus Is Primarily Subfamily I Receptor Dependent

etr1-1 is a dominant ethylene receptor gene in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and confers ethylene insensitivity. The truncated etr1-1(1-349) protein is capable of repressing ethylene responses, whereas etr1(1-349) is not, lending support to a hypothesis that the dominant etr1-1(1-349) could convert wild-type receptors to an ethylene-insensitive state. Assuming that etr1-1(1-349) and etr1(1-349) would share the same signaling mechanism, we hypothesize that the etr1(1-349) protein is capable of repressing ethylene responses when not bound with ethylene. In this study, we show that both etr1(1-349) and etr1-1(1-349) are capable of receptor signal output, which is primarily dependent on subfamily I receptors. The etr1(1-349) and etr1-1(1-349) clones were individually transformed to mutants and the resulting phenotypes were scored. Each of those transgenes restored the rosette growth and flower fertility of etr1-7 ers1-2 to a similar extent. In contrast, neither etr1(1-349) nor etr1-1(1-349) was capable of signal output in etr1-7 ers1-3. The ERS1 transcript was detectable in ers1-2 but not in ers1-3, implying that ETR1 N-terminal signaling is subfamily I dependent. Loss of the subfamily II receptor genes did not perturb etr1-1(1-349)-mediated ethylene insensitivity. Possible roles of subfamily I receptors and disulfide linkages in ETR1 receptor signal output mediated through the N terminus are discussed.