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An auxin-inducible gene from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is differentially expressed in mature and juvenile-phase shoots and encodes a putative transmembrane protein

Planta volume 218, pages 916–927 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

We have isolated a gene from loblolly pine, 5NG4, that is highly and specifically induced by auxin in juvenile loblolly pine shoots prior to adventitious root formation, but substantially down-regulated in physiologically mature shoots that are adventitious rooting incompetent. 5NG4 was highly auxin-induced in roots, stems and hypocotyls, organs that can form either lateral or adventitious roots following an auxin treatment, but was not induced to the same level in needles and cotyledons, organs that do not form roots. The deduced amino acid sequence shows homology to the MtN21 nodulin gene from Medicago truncatula. The expression pattern of 5NG4 and its homology to a protein from Medicago involved in a root-related process suggest a possible role for this gene in adventitious root formation. Homology searches also identified similar proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. High conservation across these evolutionarily distant species suggests essential functions in plant growth and development. A 38-member family of genes homologous to 5NG4 was identified in the A. thaliana genome. The physiological significance of this redundancy is most likely associated with functional divergence and/or expression specificity of the different family members. The exact biochemical function of the gene is still unknown, but sequence and structure predictions and 5NG4::GFP fusion protein localizations indicate it is a transmembrane protein with a possible transport function.

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Abbreviations

ABA :

Abscisic acid

BA :

Benzylaminopurine

EST:

Expressed sequence tag

NAA :

1-Naphthaleneacetic acid

GFP :

Green fluorescent protein

ORF :

Open reading frame

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the members of the NCSU Loblolly and Slash Pine Rooted Cutting Program, the Forest Biotechnology Consortium and the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service. The International Paper Corporation and Maxie Maynor kindly provided seed and other plant material. We thank Jace Carson for technical assistance in preparation of the figures.

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  1. Victor B. Busov

    Present address: Oregon State University, Department of Forest Science, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

    Victor B. Busov, Ross W. Whetten, Ronald R. Sederoff, Carmen Lanz-Garcia & Barry Goldfarb

  2. Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

    Victor B. Busov, Ronald R. Sederoff & Steven L. Spiker

  3. Department of Botany, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

    Eva Johannes

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  1. Victor B. Busov
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Correspondence to Barry Goldfarb.

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Busov, V.B., Johannes, E., Whetten, R.W. et al. An auxin-inducible gene from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is differentially expressed in mature and juvenile-phase shoots and encodes a putative transmembrane protein. Planta 218, 916–927 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1175-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1175-4

Keywords

  • Adventitious root formation
  • Auxin
  • Gene expression (5NG4)
  • Maturation
  • Nodulin
  • Pinus