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Effects of day length, light quality and ethylene on PHYTOCHROME B expression during stem elongation in Stellaria longipes

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Abstract

The prairie ecotype of Stellaria longipes (Caryophyllaceae) is highly responsive to light and is a shade avoider. Using the prairie ecotype as a model, we investigated the expression of the PHYTOCHROME B (PHYB) gene in response to different ratios of red to far-red light (R/FR), photoperiods and ethephon, an ethylene producing compound. This was done to examine the potential role of the PHYB and its interaction with ethylene in determining the plasticity of stem elongation. The PHYB gene was constitutively expressed in flowers, leaves, stems, and roots. The relative transcript abundance of the PHYB gene increased significantly upon transfer of etiolated-seedlings to light. The level of the PHYB gene transcript under elevated R/FR (3.5) was significantly higher than that under lower R/FR (0.7) in de-etiolated-mature plants. Long day photoperiod (16 h light/day, LD) significantly promoted stem growth, whereas plants under short day photoperiod (8 h light/day, SD) showed minor elongation. Interestingly, under LD, but not under SD, the level of PHYB mRNA significantly correlated with stem elongation. The plants treated with high concentration of ethephon (10.0 mol m−3) showed a 55% decrease in PHYB transcript within the first 4 days after treatment, and the level of PHYB transcript was significantly lower than that in control plants and the plants treated with a lower concentration of ethephon (0.1 mol m−3). Taken together with our earlier studies related to stem elongation, our results suggest that the level of PHYB gene transcription on day 4 is critical for the initiation of stem elongation. After this stage, a relatively high level of the PHYB gene transcription might be important for maintaining stem elongation of the prairie plants of S. longipes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Dominic Rosso for valuable comments on this manuscript. This work is supported by a Discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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  1. Wenze Li & Zihong Song

    Present address: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO, 63132, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Wenze Li, Zihong Song & C. C. Chinnappa

  2. Biology Department, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada

    R. J. Neil Emery

  3. Monsanto Company, 800 North Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63167, USA

    Zihong Song

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  1. Wenze Li
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  4. C. C. Chinnappa
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Correspondence to Wenze Li.

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Li, W., Song, Z., Neil Emery, R.J. et al. Effects of day length, light quality and ethylene on PHYTOCHROME B expression during stem elongation in Stellaria longipes . Plant Growth Regul 63, 291–300 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-010-9529-y

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