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Brassinosteroid enhances cytokinin-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seedlings

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

To investigate whether brassinosteroids (BR) affects cytokinin (CK)-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis, seedlings of the Arabidopsis dwarf4 (dwf4) mutants including partially suppressing coi1 (psc1) and dwf4-102, which are defective in the BR biosynthesis, and the brassinosteroid-insensitive 1–4 (bri1-4) mutant defective in BR signalling were used for the analysis of CK-induced anthocyanin accumulation and the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and WD-repeat/Myb/bHLH transcription factors. The results show that the CK-induced anthocyanin accumulation was remarkably reduced in dwf4 and bri1-4 mutants, but distinctly increased in the wild type (WT) treated with BR. Moreover, the CK-induced expressions of the late anthocyanin biosynthetic genes including dihydroflavonol reductase, leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase, and UDP-glucose: flavonoid-3-O-glucosyl transferase were significantly reduced in bri1-4 and dwf4-102 mutants compared to WT. In addition, the expressions of transcription factors production of anthocyanin pigment 1 (PAP1), glabra 3 (GL3), and enhancer of glabra 3 (EGL3) were induced by CK in WT but not in the bri1-4 and dwf4-102 mutants. These results indicate that BR enhanced the CK-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis by up-regulating the late anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and this regulation might be mediated by the transcription factors PAP1, GL3, and EGL3.

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Abbreviations

BR:

brassinosteroids

CHI :

chalcone isomerase

CHS :

chalcone synthase

CK:

cytokinin

DFR :

dihydroflavonol reductase

EGL3 :

enhancer of glabra 3

GL3 :

glabra 3

JA:

jasmonate

LDOX :

leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase

PAP1/2 :

production of anthocyanin pigment 1/2

TTG1 :

transparent testa glabra 1

UF3GT :

UDP-glucose: flavonoid-3-O-glucosyl transferase

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, P.R. China

    L. B. Yuan, Z. H. Peng, T. T. Zhi, Z. Zho, Y. Liu, X. Y. Xiong & C. M. Ren

  2. College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, P.R. China

    L. B. Yuan, Z. H. Peng, T. T. Zhi, Z. Zho, Y. Liu & C. M. Ren

  3. College of Horticulture and Landscape, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, P.R. China

    Q. Zhu & X. Y. Xiong

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  1. L. B. Yuan
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  2. Z. H. Peng
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  3. T. T. Zhi
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  4. Z. Zho
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  5. Y. Liu
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  6. Q. Zhu
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  7. X. Y. Xiong
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  8. C. M. Ren
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Correspondence to C. M. Ren.

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Acknowledgements: This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (30770195), the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (12JJ2021), the Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department (12C0166), the Hunan Provincial Graduate Student’s Innovative Research (CX2013B301), and the Program for Innovative Research Team in University (IRT1239). The authors L.B. YUAN, Z.H. PENG, and T.T. ZHI contributed equally to this paper.

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Yuan, L.B., Peng, Z.H., Zhi, T.T. et al. Brassinosteroid enhances cytokinin-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seedlings. Biol Plant 59, 99–105 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-014-0472-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-014-0472-z

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