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The hormonal regulation of de-etiolation

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Abstract

De-etiolation involves a number of phenotypic changes as the plants shift from a dark-grown (etiolated) to a light-grown (de-etiolated) morphology. Whilst these light-induced, morphological changes are thought to be mediated by plant hormones, the precise mechanism/s are not yet fully understood. Here we provide further direct evidence that gibberellins (GAs) may play an important role in de-etiolation, because a similar light-induced reduction in bioactive GA levels was detected in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.), and pea (Pisum sativum L.). This is indicative of a highly conserved, negative-regulatory role for GAs in de-etiolation, in a range of taxonomically diverse species. In contrast, we found no direct evidence of a reduction in brassinosteroid (BR) levels during de-etiolation in any of these species.

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Abbreviations

BR:

Brassinosteroid

CS:

Castasterone

BL:

Brassinolide

GA:

Gibberellin

GA1 :

Gibberellin A1

GA4 :

Gibberellin A4

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Dr. Suguru Takatsuto (Joetsu University of Education, Japan) for provision of 2H6 labelled BRs. We also thank Ian Cummings and Tracey Winterbottom for technical assistance. This research was supported by the Australian Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania, 7005, Australia

    Gregory M. Symons, Jennifer J. Smith & James B. Reid

  2. Department of Biosciences, Teikyo University, Utsunomiya, 320-8551, Japan

    Takahito Nomura & Takao Yokota

  3. Central Science Laboratory, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, 7005, Australia

    Noel W. Davies

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  1. Gregory M. Symons
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  2. Jennifer J. Smith
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  3. Takahito Nomura
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  4. Noel W. Davies
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  5. Takao Yokota
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  6. James B. Reid
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Correspondence to Gregory M. Symons.

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Symons, G.M., Smith, J.J., Nomura, T. et al. The hormonal regulation of de-etiolation. Planta 227, 1115–1125 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-007-0685-x

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