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Root‐derived trans ‐zeatin cytokinin protects Arabidopsis plants against photoperiod stress
Author(s) -
Frank Manuel,
Cortleven Anne,
Novák Ondřej,
Schmülling Thomas
Publication year - 2020
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/pce.13860
Subject(s) - arabidopsis , biology , cytokinin , photoperiodism , abiotic stress , microbiology and biotechnology , mutant , zeatin , arabidopsis thaliana , wild type , botany , genetics , auxin , gene
Recently, a novel type of abiotic stress caused by a prolongation of the light period—coined photoperiod stress—has been described in Arabidopsis . During the night after the prolongation of the light period, stress and cell death marker genes are induced. The next day, strongly stressed plants display a reduced photosynthetic efficiency and leaf cells eventually enter programmed cell death. The phytohormone cytokinin (CK) acts as a negative regulator of this photoperiod stress syndrome. In this study, we show that Arabidopsis wild‐type plants increase the CK concentration in response to photoperiod stress. Analysis of cytokinin synthesis and transport mutants revealed that root‐derived trans ‐zeatin ( tZ )‐type CKs protect against photoperiod stress. The CK signalling proteins ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEIN 2 (AHP2), AHP3 and AHP5 and transcription factors ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR 2 (ARR2), ARR10 and ARR12 are required for the protective activity of CK. Analysis of higher order B‐type arr mutants suggested that a complex regulatory circuit exists in which the loss of ARR10 or ARR12 can rescue the arr2 phenotype. Together the results revealed the role of root‐derived CK acting in the shoot through the two‐component signalling system to protect from the negative consequences of strong photoperiod stress.