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Use of an inducible reporter gene system for the analysis of auxin distribution in the moss Physcomitrella patens

  • Cell Biology and Morphogenesis
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Abstract

The plant hormone auxin plays a major role in a variety of growth and developmental responses, even in the more ancient plants—for example, cell differentiation in mosses. Nevertheless, almost nothing is known about the distribution of auxin during moss development. To address this question, we characterised auxin distribution in the moss Physcomitrella patens using auxin-inducible reporter gene systems. Stable transgenic Physcomitrella plants were produced expressing the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene driven by the auxin-inducible promoters GH3 and DR5, respectively. Both fusions showed remarkable differences with respect to auxin-induced promoter strength and expression kinetics. A detailed characterisation of the GUS expression pattern in different developmental stages revealed that the highest auxin concentrations were in dividing and ontogenetic young cells.

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Fig. 1A, B.
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Abbreviations

DR5:

Synthetic auxin-inducible promoter

EST:

Expressed sequence tag

GH3:

Promoter of the soybean gh3 gene

GUS:

β-Glucuronidase

NAA:

1-Naphthaleneacetic acid

2-NAA:

2-Naphthaleneacetic acid

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft via a concerted programme on molecular analysis of phytohormone action (DFG RE 837/6). We thank Tom Guilfoyle and Jane Murfett for kindly providing the GH3::GUS- and the DR5::GUS-containing plasmids and Dr. G. Schween for carrying out the flow cytometric analysis.

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  1. Plant Biotechnology, Freiburg University, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    N. M. Bierfreund, R. Reski & E. L. Decker

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  1. N. M. Bierfreund
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  2. R. Reski
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  3. E. L. Decker
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Correspondence to E. L. Decker.

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Communicated by H. Lörz

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Bierfreund, N.M., Reski, R. & Decker, E.L. Use of an inducible reporter gene system for the analysis of auxin distribution in the moss Physcomitrella patens . Plant Cell Rep 21, 1143–1152 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-003-0646-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-003-0646-1

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