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Gravity-induced modification of auxin transport and distribution for peg formation in cucumber seedlings: possible roles for CS-AUX1 and CS-PIN1

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Abstract

Cucurbit seedlings potentially develop a peg on each side of the transition zone between the hypocotyl and root. Seedlings grown in a horizontal position suppress the development of the peg on the upper side of the transition zone in response to gravity. It is suggested that this suppression occurs due to a reduction in auxin levels to below the threshold value. We show in this study that the free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content is low, while IAA conjugates are significantly more abundant in the upper side of the transition zone of gravistimulated seedlings, compared to the lower side. A transient increase in mRNA of the auxin-inducible gene, CS-IAA1, was observed in the excised transition zone. The result suggests that the transition zone is a source of auxin. Cucumber seedlings treated with auxin-transport inhibitors exhibited agravitropic growth and developed a peg on each side of the transition zone. Auxin-transport inhibitors additionally caused an increase in CS-IAA1 mRNA accumulation at the transition zone, indicating a rise in intracellular auxin concentrations due to a block of auxin efflux. To study the involvement of the auxin transport system in peg formation, we isolated the cDNAs of a putative auxin influx carrier, CS-AUX1, and putative efflux carrier, CS-PIN1, from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants. Both genes (CS-AUX1 in particular) were auxin-inducible. Accumulation of CS-AUX1 and CS-PIN1 mRNAs was observed in vascular tissue, cortex and epidermis of the transition zone. A reduced level of CS-AUX1 mRNA was observed in the upper side of the gravistimulated transition zone, compared with the lower side. It is therefore possible that a balance in the activities of auxin influx and efflux carriers controls intracellular auxin concentration at the transition zone, which results in lateral placement of a peg in cucumber seedlings.

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Abbreviations

HFCA:

9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carboxylic acid

IAA:

indole-3-acetic acid

NPA:

1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid

TIBA:

2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid

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Acknowledgements

We thank Mr. Tadashi Sakata of our laboratory for advice on designing primers for cDNA isolation of CS-AUX1 and CS-PIN1 from cucumber plants. We are additionally grateful to Drs. M. Kobayashi and T. Abe (RIKEN Institute, Wako, Japan) for advice on auxin quantification. This work was financially supported by grants from the Japan Space Forum and NASDA, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Sagamihara, Japan), a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture, and Technology of Japan to H.T., and Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists to M.K.

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  1. Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira, Aoba-ku, 980-8577, Sendai, Japan

    Motoshi Kamada, Seiji Yamasaki, Nobuharu Fujii, Atsushi Higashitani & Hideyuki Takahashi

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  1. Motoshi Kamada
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  2. Seiji Yamasaki
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  3. Nobuharu Fujii
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  4. Atsushi Higashitani
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  5. Hideyuki Takahashi
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Correspondence to Hideyuki Takahashi.

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Kamada, M., Yamasaki, S., Fujii, N. et al. Gravity-induced modification of auxin transport and distribution for peg formation in cucumber seedlings: possible roles for CS-AUX1 and CS-PIN1. Planta 218, 15–26 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1072-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1072-x

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