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Evolutionary conservation of structure and function of the UVR 8 photoreceptor from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and the moss Physcomitrella patens
Author(s) -
Soriano Gonzalo,
Cloix Catherine,
Heilmann Monika,
NúñezOlivera Encarnación,
MartínezAbaigar Javier,
Jenkins Gareth I.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.14767
Subject(s) - physcomitrella patens , marchantia polymorpha , biology , arabidopsis , bryophyte , gene , genetics , botany , mutant
Summary The ultraviolet‐B ( UV ‐B) photoreceptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 ( UVR 8) mediates photomorphogenic responses to UV ‐B in Arabidopsis through differential gene expression, but little is known about UVR 8 in other species. Bryophyte lineages were the earliest diverging embryophytes, thus being the first plants facing the UV ‐B regime typical of land. We therefore examined whether liverwort and moss species have functional UVR 8 proteins and whether they are regulated similarly to Arabidopsis UVR 8. We examined the expression, dimer/monomer status, cellular localisation and function of Marchantia polymorpha and Physcomitrella patens UVR 8 in experiments with bryophyte tissue and expression of green fluorescent protein ( GFP )– UVR 8 fusions in Nicotiana leaves and transgenic Arabidopsis. P. patens expresses two UVR 8 genes that encode functional proteins, whereas the single M. polymorpha UVR 8 gene expresses two transcripts by alternative splicing that encode functional UVR 8 variants. P. patens UVR 8 proteins form dimers that monomerise and accumulate in the nucleus following UV ‐B exposure, similar to Arabidopsis UVR 8, but M. polymorpha UVR 8 has weaker dimers and the proteins appear more constitutively nuclear. We conclude that liverwort and moss species produce functional UVR 8 proteins. Although there are differences in expression and regulation of P. patens and M. polymorpha UVR 8, the mechanism of UVR 8 action is strongly conserved in evolution.