Biology subjects

Takezawa, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Takezawa, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

The bHLH transcription factor MpHYPNOS is a critical regulator of gemma dormancy in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.

O_LIDormancy is a key process employed by land plants to adapt to harsh terrestrial environments. The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha produces dormant propagules called gemmae for asexual reproduction. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays important roles in regulating dormancy in both the seeds of flowering plants and the gemmae of M. polymorpha. C_LIO_LIBased on previous transcriptome analysis, we identified the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor MpHYPNOS (MpHYP) as a key regulator of gemma dormancy. C_LIO_LIKnock-out mutants of MpHYP showed much higher germination rates of gemmae in gemma cups than ABA-related mutants, while the growth and development of these mutants resembled that of the wild type. Transient induction of MpHYP caused irreversible growth arrest of gemmae and thalli. Transcriptome and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that MpHYP represses the expression of cell cycle-related genes and induces ABA biosynthesis and ABA-responsive genes. Indeed, ABA levels increased in MpHYP overexpression lines and decreased in Mphyp knock-out lines. However, the growth arrest caused by MpHYP overexpression was not suppressed by a mutation in an ABA receptor gene. C_LIO_LIThese findings suggest that MpHYP regulates gemma dormancy and thallus growth mainly through the ABA-independent pathway, providing clues about ABA-dependent and independent regulation of dormancy in land plants. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Activation of SnRK2 by the Raf-like kinase ARK represents a common mechanism of ABA response in embryophytes

The Raf-like protein kinase ARK previously identified in the moss Physcomitrella patens acts as an upstream regulator of subgroup III SnRK2, the key regulator of abscisic acid (ABA) and abiotic stress responses. However, the mechanisms underlying activation of ARK by ABA and abiotic stress for the regulation of SnRK2 including the role of ABA receptor-associated group A PP2C (PP2C-A) are not understood. We identified Ser1029 as the phosphorylation site in the activation loop of ARK, which provided a possible mechanism for regulation of its activity. Analysis of transgenic ark lines expressing ARK-GFP with Ser1029-to-Ala mutation indicated that this replacement causes reductions in ABA-induced gene expression, stress tolerance and SnRK2 activity. Immunoblot analysis using an anti-phosphopeptide antibody indicated that ABA treatments rapidly stimulate Ser1029 phosphorylation in wild type. The phosphorylation profile of Ser1029 in ABA-hypersensitive ppabi1 lacking PP2C-A was similar to that in wild type, whereas little Ser1029 phosphorylation was observed in ABA-insensitive ark missense lines. Furthermore, newly isolated ppabi1 ark lines showed ABA-insensitive phenotypes similar to those of ark lines. These results indicate that ARK is a primary activator of SnRK2, preceding negative regulation by PP2C-A in bryophytes, which provides a prototypal mechanism for ABA and abiotic stress-responses in embryophytes. One sentence summaryPhysiological characterization of various moss mutants revealed a common mechanism for phytohormone responses under water deficit in all land plants.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

SNF1-related protein kinase 2 directly regulate group C Raf-like protein kinases in abscisic acid signaling

ABSTRUCTA phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) has a major role in abiotic stress responses in plants, and subclass III SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) mediates ABA signaling. In this study, we identified Raf36, a group C Raf-like protein kinase in Arabidopsis, as an interacting protein with SnRK2. A series of reverse genetic and biochemical analyses revealed that Raf36 negatively regulates ABA responses and is directly phosphorylated by SnRK2s. In addition, we found that Raf22, another C-type Raf-like kinase, functions partially redundantly with Raf36 to regulate ABA responses. Comparative phosphoproteomic analysis using Arabidopsis wild-type and raf22raf36-1 plants identified proteins that are phosphorylated downstream of Raf36 and Raf22 in planta. Together, these results reveal a novel subsection of ABA-responsive phosphosignaling pathways branching from SnRK2.

plant biology↗