A novel Filamentous Flower mutant suppresses brevipedicellus developmental defects and modulates glucosinolate and auxin levels

PLoS One. 2017 May 11;12(5):e0177045. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177045. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP) encodes a class-I KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) transcription factor that plays a critical role in conditioning a replication competent state in the apical meristem, and it also governs growth and cellular differentiation in internodes and pedicels. To search for factors that modify BP signaling, we conducted a suppressor screen on bp er (erecta) plants and identified a mutant that ameliorates many of the pleiotropic defects of the parent line. Map based cloning and complementation studies revealed that the defect lies in the FILAMENTOUS FLOWER (FIL) gene, a member of the YABBY family of transcriptional regulators that contribute to meristem organization and function, phyllotaxy, leaf and floral organ growth and polarity, and are also known to repress KNOX gene expression. Genetic and cytological analyses of the fil-10 suppressor line indicate that the role of FIL in promoting growth is independent of its previously characterized influences on meristem identity and lateral organ polarity, and likely occurs non-cell-autonomously from superior floral organs. Transcription profiling of inflorescences revealed that FIL downregulates numerous transcription factors which in turn may subordinately regulate inflorescence architecture. In addition, FIL, directly or indirectly, activates over a dozen genes involved in glucosinolate production in part by activating MYB28, a known activator of many aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis genes. In the bp er fil-10 suppressor mutant background, enhanced expression of CYP71A13, AMIDASE1 (AMI) and NITRILASE genes suggest that auxin levels can be modulated by shunting glucosinolate metabolites into the IAA biosynthetic pathway, and increased IAA levels in the bp er fil-10 suppressor accompany enhanced internode and pedicel elongation. We propose that FIL acts to oppose KNOX1 gene function through a complex regulatory network that involves changes in secondary metabolites and auxin.

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / growth & development*
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Flowers / genetics
  • Flowers / growth & development
  • Flowers / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • Glucosinolates / genetics
  • Glucosinolates / metabolism*
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics*
  • Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism
  • Indoleacetic Acids / metabolism*
  • Meristem / genetics
  • Meristem / growth & development
  • Meristem / metabolism
  • Mutation*
  • Phenotype
  • Plant Proteins / genetics*
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transcriptome

Substances

  • AFO protein, Arabidopsis
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Glucosinolates
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Indoleacetic Acids
  • Knox1 protein, plant
  • LUG protein, Arabidopsis
  • Plant Proteins
  • Transcription Factors

Grants and funding

This research was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN 90057-06 to CDR and RGPIN-2014-03621 to EN), by grants from the National Science Foundation (IOS 1339125 and MCB 1330337 to DJK) and by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (Hatch project CA-D-PLS-7033-H to DJK). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.