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Changes in external pH rapidly alter plant gene expression and modulate auxin and elicitor responses
Author(s) -
LAGER IDA,
ANDRÉASSON OLA,
DUNBAR TIFFANY L.,
ANDREASSON ERIK,
ESCOBAR MATTHEW A.,
RASMUSSON ALLAN G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02161.x
Subject(s) - elicitor , gene expression , auxin , biology , gene , extracellular , arabidopsis thaliana , regulation of gene expression , apoplast , microbiology and biotechnology , arabidopsis , biochemistry , botany , cell wall , mutant
pH is a highly variable environmental factor for the root, and plant cells can modify apoplastic pH for nutrient acquisition and in response to extracellular signals. Nevertheless, surprisingly few effects of external pH on plant gene expression have been reported. We have used microarrays to investigate whether external pH affects global gene expression. In Arabidopsis thaliana roots, 881 genes displayed at least twofold changes in transcript abundance 8 h after shifting medium pH from 6.0 to 4.5, identifying pH as a major affector of global gene expression. Several genes responded within 20 min, and gene responses were also observed in leaves of seedling cultures. The pH 4.5 treatment was not associated with abiotic stress, as evaluated from growth and transcriptional response. However, the observed patterns of global gene expression indicated redundancies and interactions between the responses to pH, auxin and pathogen elicitors. In addition, major shifts in gene expression were associated with cell wall modifications and Ca 2+ signalling. Correspondingly, a marked overrepresentation of Ca 2+ /calmodulin‐associated motifs was observed in the promoters of pH‐responsive genes. This strongly suggests that plant pH recognition involves intracellular Ca 2+ . Overall, the results emphasize the previously underappreciated role of pH in plant responses to the environment.