Biology subjects

Raabe, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Raabe, K..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

HSP90-mediated stress resilience in male gametophyte of Arabidopsis thaliana

Despite the accumulation of protective heat shock proteins (HSPs) during the male gametophyte development, pollen grains are highly sensitive to elevated temperatures. We performed transcriptomic analysis of five pollen developmental stages isolated from plants under normal and heat stress (H) conditions; uni-nuclear (UN), early bi-cellular (EB), bi-cellular (BC), tri-cellular (TC), and mature pollen (MPG). We show that the majority of genes that are up- or down-regulated under HS are specific for each stage, except BC stage that also exhibited the highest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (>4000). This emphasize a complex, stage-dependent heat stress response, possibly dependent on HSP levels. Additionally, promoter motif analysis revealed that heat shock elements (HSEs) exhibit a stage- specific pattern of enrichment, which peaked in MP. To explore stage-specific influences of HSP90s in pollen development, we characterized a knockdown RNAi line, under normal and stress conditions in early- and late-stage RNAi lines using stage-specific promoters pJASON (JA90R) and pLAT52 (L90R). The hsp90 background leads to lower germination rate in both RNAi lines that is more pronounced under heat stress caused by significant alterations in heat stress control via impaired ABA signalling or ER stress response. Heat stress conditions also lead to a high percentage of nuclei shape and orientation defects in the L90R line pollen, pointing to the higher sensitivity of late stage development. We show this defect is linked to the down-regulation of DNA metabolism genes. Our complex dataset provides insight into stage-specific stress response on the level of single cell undergoing developmental changes.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

POLYGALACTURONASES REGULATED BY AUXIN facilitate root cell elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana via pectin remodeling

Root cell elongation, the main driver of root growth, is tightly associated with cell wall remodeling, particularly through pectin modifications, which facilitate cell wall loosening and strengthening while maintaining structural integrity. Root cell elongation is precisely regulated by the phytohormone auxin, which has long been known to inhibit this process. The molecular pathways through which auxin influences cell wall modifications remain poorly understood. In this study, we explore the transcriptional regulation of cell wall-related genes by auxin in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. The nuclear auxin pathway altered the expression of numerous cell-wall related genes, suggesting dynamic modification of the cell wall during root cell elongation. We identified novel root-specific polygalacturonases (PGs), enzymes involved in pectin degradation, which we termed POLYGALACTURONASES REGULATED BY AUXIN (PGRAs). PGRAs are expressed specifically in the root epidermis, beginning at the elongation zone. Our results demonstrate that induction of PGRA1 expression initially promotes root cell elongation, while long term overexpression inhibits root growth. Auxin downregulates PGRA1 in the elongation zone, and plants lacking PGRAs fail to increase root growth rate in response to reduced auxin levels. This suggests that auxin downregulates PGRA expression to prevent PGRA-mediated pectin remodeling, thereby contributing to inhibition of root cell elongation. We established a novel link between auxin signaling and pectin modifications in the control of cell growth. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms through which auxin regulates root cell elongation, highlighting the role of pectin matrix modifications in this process.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Arabidopsis seed stored mRNAs and translation regulation during post-harvest ripening and imbibition.

Seed germination marks the critical transition from dormancy to active growth, driven by environmental cues and water availability. This study explores translational regulation during germination by comparing two Arabidopsis thaliana accessions with contrasting dormancy phenotypes: Columbia (Col), which germinates readily, and Cape Verde Islands (Cvi), which exhibits deep dormancy. Using sucrose gradient centrifugation, we isolated monosomal and polysomal fractions from freshly harvested (FH), after-ripened (AR), and imbibed (IM) seeds. RNA-seq analysis revealed stage- and genotype-specific gene expression, with Col IM seeds displaying the highest number of expressed genes. We identified [~]14,000 mRNAs in FH seeds, increasing to 19,000 in Col and 17,000 in Cvi upon imbibition. Of these, 9,000 were shared, while 3,000 were accession-specific in monosomes. Enrichment analysis highlighted molecular pathways associated with translation and dormancy release. Analysis of RNA modifications identified N1-methyladenosine (m1A) as the predominant modification, with Col seeds exhibiting higher m1A levels than Cvi, peaking at three months post-harvest. m6A sequencing revealed distinct modification patterns between accessions, with the highest abundance of m6A-modified transcripts in IM seeds. Positional analysis of m6A peaks suggested a link to differential gene expression between Col and Cvi. Proteomic analysis identified [~]15,000 proteins, with translation-related proteins enriched in IM seeds. Notable differences between Col and Cvi were observed in both monosomal and polysomal fractions. RNA-binding proteins exhibited similar profiles in FH and AR stages but diverged significantly in IM seeds. Col-specific proteins were enriched in 40S ribosomes, processing bodies, and RNA-binding complexes. These findings provide new insights into the molecular and translational dynamics underlying seed germination, advancing our understanding of dormancy release and early seedling establishment.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Implementation of Ribo-BiFC method to plant systems using a split mVenus approach

Translation is a fundamental process for every living organism. In plants, the rate of translation is tightly modulated during development and in response to environmental cues. However, it is difficult to measure the actual translation state of the tissues in vivo. Here, we report the implementation of an in vivo translation marker based on bimolecular fluorescence complementation, the Ribo-BiFC. We combined method originally developed for fruit-fly with an improved low background split-mVenus BiFC system previously described in plants. We labelled Arabidopsis thaliana small subunit ribosomal protein (RPS) and large subunit ribosomal protein (RPL) with fragments of the mVenus fluorescent protein. Upon the assembly of the 80S ribosome, the mVenus fragments complemented and were detected by fluorescent microscopy. We show that these recombinant proteins are in close proximity in the tobacco epidermal cells, although the signal is reduced when compared to BiFC signal from known interactors. This Ribo-BiFC method system can be used in stable transgenic lines to enable visualisation of translational rate in plant tissues and could be used to study translation dynamics and its changes during plant development, under abiotic stress or in different genetic backgrounds.

plant biology↗