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Interaction of Brassinosteroids with Light Quality and Plant Hormones in Regulating Shoot Growth of Young Sunflower and Arabidopsis Seedlings

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Abstract

Sunflower hypocotyls elongate as light quality changes from the normal red to far-red (R/FR) ratio of sunlight to a lower R/FR ratio. This low R/FR ratio-induced elongation significantly increases endogenous concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and also of three gibberellins (GAs): GA20, GA1, and GA8. Of these, it is likely GA1 that drives low R/FR-induced growth. Brassinosteroids are also involved in shoot growth. Here we tested three R/FR ratios: high, normal, and low. Significant hypocotyl elongation occurred with this stepwise reduction in R/FR ratio, but endogenous castasterone concentrations in the hypocotyls remained unchanged. Brassinolide was also applied to the seedlings and significantly increased hypocotyl growth, though one that was uniform across all three R/FR ratios. Applied brassinolide increased hypocotyl elongation while significantly reducing (usually) levels of IAA, GA20, and GA8, but not that of GA1, which remained constant. Given the above, we conclude that endogenous castasterone does not mediate the hypocotyl growth that is induced by enriching FR light, relative to R light. Similarly, we conclude that the hypocotyl growth that is induced by applied brassinolide does not result from an interaction of brassinolide with changes in light quality. The ability of applied brassinolide to influence IAA, GA20, and GA8 content, yet have no significant effect on GA1, is hard to explain. One speculative hypothesis, though, could involve the brassinolide-induced reductions that occurred for endogenous IAA, given IAA’s known ability to differentially influence the expression levels of GA20ox, GA3ox, and GA2ox, key genes in GA biosynthesis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery grants to RPP and TGB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Leonid V. Kurepin & Richard P. Pharis

  2. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Life Sciences, Chung-Ang University, 221 Huksuk-dong, Dongjak-ku, Seoul, 156-756, Republic of Korea

    Se-Hwan Joo & Seong-Ki Kim

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Thomas G. Back

  4. Department of Biology, Biological & Geological Sciences Building, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada

    Leonid V. Kurepin

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  1. Leonid V. Kurepin
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  2. Se-Hwan Joo
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  3. Seong-Ki Kim
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  4. Richard P. Pharis
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  5. Thomas G. Back
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Correspondence to Leonid V. Kurepin.

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Kurepin, L.V., Joo, SH., Kim, SK. et al. Interaction of Brassinosteroids with Light Quality and Plant Hormones in Regulating Shoot Growth of Young Sunflower and Arabidopsis Seedlings. J Plant Growth Regul 31, 156–164 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-011-9227-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-011-9227-7

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