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Overexpression of the bacterial tryptophan oxidase RebO affects auxin biosynthesis and Arabidopsis development

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  • Life & Medical Sciences
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Science Bulletin

Abstract

Both tryptophan (Trp) and auxin are essential for plant growth and Trp is a precursor for auxin biosynthesis. Concentrations of Trp and auxin need to be tightly controlled to ensure optimal growth and development. It has been very difficult to study the homeostasis of these two essential and inter-dependent compounds. Auxin is mainly synthesized from Trp via a two-step pathway using indole-3-pyruvate (IPA) as the intermediate. Here we used a bacterial Trp oxidase RebO, which does not exist in Arabidopsis and which converts Trp to the imine form of IPA, to modulate IPA levels in Arabidopsis. Our results demonstrate that Arabidopsis plants use two strategies to ensure that no excess IPA is made from Trp. IPA is made from Trp by the TAA family of aminotransferases, which we show catalyzes the reverse reaction when IPA level is high. Moreover, excess IPA is converted back to Trp by the VAS1 aminotransferase. We show that the VAS1-catalyzed reaction is very important for Trp homeostasis. This work not only elucidates the intricate biochemical mechanisms that control the homeostasis of Trp, IPA, and auxin, but also provides novel tools for further biochemical studies on Trp metabolism and auxin biosynthesis in plants.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the NIH (R01GM114660 to YZ). ZZ and JC are supported by NIH (GM52413 to JC) and HHMI. JC is a HHMI investigator.

Author contributions

YZ and DB conceived the research. YG, XD, and YZ designed the experiments. YG and XD conducted the overexpression of RebO and analyzed the results. YK and HK did the auxin analysis. JC and ZZ conducted the shade avoidance assay. YZ wrote the paper.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

      Yangbin Gao, Xinhua Dai & Yunde Zhao

    2. Plant Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

      Zuyu Zheng & Joanne Chory

    3. Plant Science Center, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan

      Hiroyuki Kasahara & Yuji Kamiya

    4. Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

      David Ballou

    5. The Global Innovation Research Organization, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 183-8509, Japan

      Hiroyuki Kasahara

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    1. Yangbin Gao
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    2. Xinhua Dai
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    8. Yunde Zhao
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    Corresponding author

    Correspondence to Yunde Zhao.

    Additional information

    Yangbin Gao and Xinhua Dai contributed equally to this work.

    SPECIAL TOPIC: Plant Development and Reproduction.

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    Gao, Y., Dai, X., Zheng, Z. et al. Overexpression of the bacterial tryptophan oxidase RebO affects auxin biosynthesis and Arabidopsis development. Sci. Bull. 61, 859–867 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1066-2

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1066-2

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