Convergence of auxin and gibberellin signaling on the regulation of the GATA transcription factors GNC and GNL in Arabidopsis thaliana

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Aug 6;110(32):13192-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304250110. Epub 2013 Jul 22.

Abstract

Plant growth is regulated by a complex network of signaling events. Points of convergence for the signaling cross-talk between the phytohormones auxin and gibberellin (GA), which partly control overlapping processes during plant development, are largely unknown. At the cellular level, auxin responses are controlled by members of the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) family of transcription factors as well as AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID INDUCIBLE (AUX/IAA) proteins that repress the activity of at least a subset of ARFs. Here, we show that the two paralogous GATA transcription factors GATA, NITRATE-INDUCIBLE, CARBON-METABOLISM INVOLVED (GNC) and GNC-LIKE (GNL)/CYTOKININ-RESPONSIVE GATA FACTOR1 (CGA1) are direct and critical transcription targets downstream from ARF2 in the control of greening, flowering time, and senescence. Mutants deficient in the synthesis or signaling of the phytohormone GA are also impaired in greening, flowering, and senescence, and interestingly, GNC and GNL were previously identified as important transcription targets of the GA signaling pathway. In line with a critical regulatory role for GNC and GNL downstream from both auxin and GA signaling, we show here that the constitutive activation of GA signaling is sufficient to suppress arf2 mutant phenotypes through repression of GNC and GNL. In addition, we show that GA promotes ARF2 protein abundance through a translation-dependent mechanism that could serve to override the autoinhibitory negative feedback regulation of ARF2 on its own transcription and thereby further promote GA signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / growth & development
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / drug effects
  • Gibberellins / metabolism*
  • Gibberellins / pharmacology
  • Immunoblotting
  • Indoleacetic Acids / metabolism*
  • Indoleacetic Acids / pharmacology
  • Models, Genetic
  • Mutation
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Plant Growth Regulators / metabolism
  • Plant Growth Regulators / pharmacology
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • ARF2 protein, Arabidopsis
  • ARF7 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • GNC protein, Arabidopsis
  • GNL protein, Arabidopsis
  • Gibberellins
  • Indoleacetic Acids
  • Plant Growth Regulators
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Transcription Factors

Associated data

  • GEO/GSE35730