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Cytokinins as regulators of gene expression
Author(s) -
Schmülling Thomas,
Schäfer Silke,
Romanov George
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1997.tb03055.x
Subject(s) - gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , biology , chemistry , computational biology , genetics
Plant gene expression can be markedly altered in response to cytokinins, leading to an increase or decrease in the abundance of specific transcripts. Cytokinins control gene expression at the transcriptional level as well as posttranscriptionally. Their influence on transcript abundance can be rapid but also includes long‐term changes. The observed alterations are for the most part quantitative, sometimes with only subtle differences and rarely include qualitative changes such as a complete repression of gene expression. Relatively small differences in the endogenous cytokinin concentration can change the steady‐state mRNA levels of genes. Cytokinin control of gene expression can be cell‐type specific. Protein phosphorylation plays a role in the transmission of the cytokinin signal. Cytokinin specific cis ‐elements and trans ‐acting factors have not yet been described. Cytokinin target genes are frequently regulated by additional stimuli, such as light or auxin. The products of the regulated genes play a role in diverse biological processes, such as cell division, photosynthesis, chloroplast development, disease resistance and nutrient metabolism. This spread reflects the variety of cytokinin responses in plants. The isolated genes present valuable tools to dissect cytokinin signal transduction pathways and to understand the functional mechanism of this hormone. Rapid progress in this field will be instrumental for a deeper insight in the molecular mechanisms of cytokinin activity.