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PRD, an Arabidopsis AINTEGUMENTA-like gene, is involved in root architectural changes in response to phosphate starvation

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Abstract

Changes in root architecture are one of the adaptive strategies used by plants to compensate for local phosphate (Pi) deficiency in soils. Root architecture variables triggered by Pi availability are well documented in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), but the molecular mechanisms behind these adaptive responses remain to be elucidated. By the use of transcriptomic and quantitative RT-PCR analysis, we observed that an AINTEGUMENTA-like gene, named PRD for Phosphate Root Development, was rapidly repressed in roots under low Pi conditions. The physiological function of the PRD gene was analyzed through the null allele mutant prd, which displayed less development of primary and lateral roots under Pi-starvation conditions than wild-type plants. Complementation of the prd mutant with the wild-type gene led to a similar response to Pi starvation as wild-type plants, indicating the complete rescue of the mutant phenotype. These results suggest that PRD gene is involved in the regulation of root architectural responses to Pi starvation by controlling primary and lateral root elongation. This model is in agreement with the tissue-specific pattern of PRD gene expression, which was observed to occur specifically in the apex in both the primary and lateral roots. However, Pi influx, anionic profiles and root expression of genes typically induced by Pi starvation, such as high affinity Pi transporters (PHT1;1 and PHT1;4) and an acid phosphatase (AtACP5), were similar in wild type and prd plants in response to Pi starvation. These results support the hypothesis that the PRD gene is not a checkpoint for Pi-starvation responses, but acts specifically as a regulator of root architectural responses to Pi starvation.

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Abbreviations

BSA:

Bovine serum albumin

EST:

Expressed sequence tag

PBS:

Phosphate buffer saline

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

RT-PCR:

Real-time PCR

SSC:

Sodium sodium citrate

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the INRA ECOGENE programme. JJCC and JR received a research fellowship from Consejeria de Educacion y Ciencia (Junta de Andalucía, Spain).

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Author notes

  1. Yves Al-Ghazi

    Present address: CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiología, Anatomía y Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013, Sevilla, Spain

    Juan José Camacho-Cristóbal & Jesús Rexach

  2. Laboratoire de Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, INRA, 34060, Montpellier cedex 1, France

    Geneviève Conéjéro, Yves Al-Ghazi, Philippe Nacry & Patrick Doumas

  3. Plateau d’Histocytologie et Imagerie Cellulaire Végétale, CIRAD TA A96/02, 34398, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    Geneviève Conéjéro

  4. UMR DIAPC (INRA/IRD/SupAgro/UM2), IRD, BP 64501, 34394, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    Patrick Doumas

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  1. Juan José Camacho-Cristóbal
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Correspondence to Patrick Doumas.

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Camacho-Cristóbal, J.J., Rexach, J., Conéjéro, G. et al. PRD, an Arabidopsis AINTEGUMENTA-like gene, is involved in root architectural changes in response to phosphate starvation. Planta 228, 511–522 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-008-0754-9

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