A full-length R-like basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor is required for anthocyanin upregulation whereas the N-terminal region regulates epidermal hair formation.

Earlier studies have shown that the Lc gene of maize, a member of the R gene family that encode basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, is involved with anthocyanin production and trichome formation in Arabidopsis. We previously reported that the N-terminus of R protein interacts with CAPRICE (CPC), a regulatory protein, in triggering epidermal hair differentiation in Arabidopsis. In this study, we investigated the roles of full-length R, the N-terminal region of R (RN) and the C-terminal region of R (RC) in epidermal cell differentiation and anthocyanin production.

Analysis of IIId, IIIe and IVa group basic-helix-loop-helix proteins expressed in Arabidopsis root epidermis.

Differentiation of Arabidopsis epidermal cells into root hairs and trichomes is a functional model system for understanding plant cell development. Previous studies showed that one of the Arabidopsis basic-helix-loop-helix (AtbHLH) proteins, GLABRA3 (GL3), is involved in root-hair and trichome differentiation. We analyzed 11 additional AtbHLH genes with homology to GL3.

The Selaginella genome identifies genetic changes associated with the evolution of vascular plants.

Vascular plants appeared ~410 million years ago, then diverged into several lineages of which only two survive: the euphyllophytes (ferns and seed plants) and the lycophytes. We report here the genome sequence of the lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii (Selaginella), the first nonseed vascular plant genome reported. By comparing gene content in evolutionarily diverse taxa, we found that the transition from a gametophyte- to a sporophyte-dominated life cycle required far fewer new genes than the transition from a nonseed vascular to a flowering plant, whereas secondary metabolic genes expanded extensively and in parallel in the lycophyte and angiosperm lineages.

Turnover of LeACS2, a wound-inducible 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase in tomato, is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation.

1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS) is the rate-limiting enzyme of the ethylene biosynthesis pathway. ACS is regulated both transcriptionally and post-translationally. We previously reported that LeACS2, a wound-inducible ACS in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), is phosphorylated in vivo, and suggested that phosphorylation regulates protein stability rather than enzymatic activity.

The GLABRA2 homeodomain protein directly regulates CESA5 and XTH17 gene expression in Arabidopsis roots.

Arabidopsis root hair formation is determined by the patterning genes CAPRICE (CPC), GLABRA3 (GL3), WEREWOLF (WER) and GLABRA2 (GL2), but little is known about the later changes in cell wall material during root hair formation. A combined Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy-principal components analysis (FTIR-PCA) method was used to detect subtle differences in the cell wall material between wild-type and root hair mutants in Arabidopsis. Among several root hair mutants, only the gl2 mutation affected root cell wall polysaccharides.

Arabidopsis CAPRICE-LIKE MYB 3 (CPL3) controls endoreduplication and flowering development in addition to trichome and root hair formation.

CAPRICE (CPC) encodes a small protein with an R3 MYB motif and promotes root hair cell differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Three additional CPC-like MYB genes, TRY (TRIPTYCHON), ETC1 (ENHANCER OF TRY AND CPC 1) and ETC2 (ENHANCER OF TRY AND CPC 2) act in a redundant manner with CPC in trichome and root hair patterning. In this study, we identified an additional homolog, CPC-LIKE MYB 3 (CPL3), which has high sequence similarity to CPC, TRY, ETC1 and ETC2.

Functional analysis of the epidermal-specific MYB genes CAPRICE and WEREWOLF in Arabidopsis.

Epidermis cell differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana is a model system for understanding the developmental end state of plant cells. Two types of MYB transcription factors, R2R3-MYB and R3-MYB, are involved in cell fate determination. To examine the molecular basis of this process, we analyzed the functional relationship of the R2R3-type MYB gene WEREWOLF (WER) and the R3-type MYB gene CAPRICE (CPC).