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Two Rice GRAS Family Genes Responsive to N-Acetylchitooligosaccharide Elicitor are Induced by Phytoactive Gibberellins: Evidence for Cross-Talk Between Elicitor and Gibberellin Signaling in Rice Cells

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Abstract

In this study, we present data showing that two members of the GRAS family of genes from rice, CIGR1 and CIGR2(chitin-inducible gibberellin-responsive), inducible by the potent elicitor N-acetylchitooligosaccharide (GN), are rapidly induced by exogenous gibberellins. The pattern of mRNA accumulation was dependent on the dose and biological activity of the gibberellins, suggesting that the induction of the genes by gibberellin is mediated by a biological receptor capable of specific recognition and signal transduction upon perception of the phytoactive compounds. Further pharmacological analysis revealed that the CIGR1 and CIGR2 mRNA accumulation by treatment with gibberellin is dependent upon protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events. In rice calli derived from slender rice 1, a constitutive gibberellin-responsive mutant, or d1, a mutant deficient in the α-subunit of the heterotrimeric G-protein, CIGR1 and CIGR2 were induced by a GN elicitor, yet not by gibberellin. Neither gibberellin nor GN showed related activities in defense or development, respectively. These results strongly suggested that the signal transduction cascade from gibberellin is independent of that from GN, and further implied that CIGR1 and CIGR2 have dual, distinct roles in defense and development.

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  1. R. Bradley Day

    Present address: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, 241 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 2-1-2, Kannondai, Tsukuba, 305-8602, Japan

    R. Bradley Day, Shigeru Tanabe, Hanae Kaku & Eiichi Minami

  2. Department of Genetics and Physiology, National Institute of Floricultural Science, 2-1, Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8519, Japan

    Masaji Koshioka

  3. Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, Ikarashi, 2-8050, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Toshiaki Mitsui

  4. Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Hironori Itoh, Miyako Ueguchi-Tanaka & Makoto Matsuoka

  5. Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 214-8571, Japan

    Naoto Shibuya

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Day, R.B., Tanabe, S., Koshioka, M. et al. Two Rice GRAS Family Genes Responsive to N-Acetylchitooligosaccharide Elicitor are Induced by Phytoactive Gibberellins: Evidence for Cross-Talk Between Elicitor and Gibberellin Signaling in Rice Cells. Plant Mol Biol 54, 261–272 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLAN.0000028792.72343.ee

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