Crosstalk between light signaling and environmental stress responses in plants

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24570058
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture
• Principal Investigator: SAKATA Yoichi 東京農業大学, 応用生物科学部, 教授 (50277240)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ABAシグナル伝達 / 光シグナル / PP2C / 環境応答 / クロストーク / 葉緑体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) plays a major role in the negative regulation of signaling pathway for a plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Disruption of PP2C genes in the moss Physcomitrella patens by gene targeting resulted in acquisition of extreme tolerance to osmostresses such as desiccation and freezing. On the other hand, the PP2C disruptant stayed green even after prolonged culture in the dark, while the wild type completely etiolated. To understand the crosstalk between ABA signaling and light signaling in the moss, we performed molecular analysis using various ABA-related mutants of P. patens. These analyses indicated that ABA plays a negative role in etiolation of chloroplasts in the dark, and further suggested that chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway is activated in the dark-grown PP2C disruptant and PP2C is involved in autophagy machinery.

Free Research Field

植物分子生物学