Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The roles and interactions of ethylene with gibberellins in the far-red enriched light-mediated growth of Solanum lycopersicum seedlings

  • Published:
Plant Growth Regulation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Wild type (WT) tomato seedlings responded to a low red to far-red (R/FR) ratio with increased stem elongation, similar leaflet area expansion and lower shoot ethylene levels. The levels of endogenous growth-active GA1 and its immediate precursor GA20 were decreased by low R/FR ratio, whereas the levels of GA1 catabolite, GA8, increased. To examine the interaction of ethylene with GAs in regulating tomato shoot growth under low R/FR ratio, transgenic (T) seedlings bearing Le-ACS2 and Le-ACS4 antisense mRNA were utilized. Low R/FR ratio increased stem elongation and decreased ethylene levels in T tomato shoots, as it did in WT shoots. However, T stems were significantly taller than the WT stems under low R/FR ratio. Leaflet areas were significantly larger for T, than WT seedlings under both R/FR ratios. Low R/FR ratio did not decrease endogenous levels of GA1 and GA20 in T shoots, but did increase GA8 levels, which were higher than in WT shoots. These results, and hormone/inhibitor application studies, showed that in tomato shoots subjected to low R/FR ratio, GAs play a growth-promotive role in stem elongation, whereas ethylene is growth-inhibitory. Further, these results may imply that decreasing ethylene production under low R/FR ratio causes increases in stem elongation and GA levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abeles FB, Morgan PW, Saltveit ME Jr (1992) Ethylene in plant biology, 2nd edn. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ballare CL (1999) Keeping up with the neighbours: phytochrome sensing and other signalling mechanisms. Trends Plant Sci 4:97–102

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ballare CL, Scopel AL, Sanchez RA (1990) Far-red radiation reflected from adjacent leaves: an early signal of competition in plant canopies. Science 247:329–333

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beall FD, Yeung EC, Pharis RP (1996) Far-red light stimulated internode elongation, cell division, cell elongation, and gibberellin levels in bean. Can J Bot 74:743–752

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Emery RJN, Chinnappa CC, Chmielewski JG (1994a) Specialization, plant strategies, and phenotypic plasticity in populations of Stellaria longipes along an elevational gradient. Inter J Plant Sci 155:203–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emery RJN, Reid DM, Chinnappa CC (1994b) Phenotypic plasticity of stem elongation in two ecotypes of Stellaria longipes: the role of ethylene and response to wind. Plant Cell Environ 17:691–700

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fellner M, Zhang R, Pharis RP, Sawhney VK (2001) Reduced de-etiolation of hypocotyl growth in a tomato mutant is associated with hypersensitivity to, and high endogenous levels of, abscisic acid. J Exp Bot 52:725–738

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finlayson SA, Lee IJ, Morgan PW (1998) Phytochrome B and the regulation of circadian ethylene production in sorghum. Plant Physiol 116:17–25

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Finlayson SA, Jung IJ, Mullet JE, Morgan PW (1999) The mechanism of rhythmic ethylene production in Sorghum. The role of phytochrome B and simulated shading. Plant Physiol 119:1083–1089

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson MB (1985) Ethylene and responses of plants to soil waterlogging and submergence. Ann Rev Plant Physiol 36:145–174

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kende H (1983) Ethylene biosynthesis. Ann Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 44:283–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konings H, Jackson MB (1979) A relationship between rates of ethylene production by roots and the promoting or inhibiting effects of exogenous ethylene and water on root elongation. Zhourl Pflanzenphysiol 92:385–397

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Mancell L, Reid DM, Pharis RP, Chinnappa CC (2006a) Possible roles for ethylene and gibberellins in the phenotypic plasticity of an alpine population of Stellaria longipes. Can J Bot 84:1101–1109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Pharis RP, Reid DM, Chinnappa CC (2006b) Involvement of gibberellins in the stem elongation of sun and shade ecotypes of Stellaria longipes that is induced by low light irradiance. Plant Cell Environ 29:1319–1328

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Walton LJ, Reid DM, Pharis RP, Chinnappa CC (2006c) Growth and ethylene evolution by shade and sun ecotypes of Stellaria longipes in response to varied light quality and irradiance. Plant Cell Environ 29:647–652

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Emery RJN, Pharis RP, Reid DM (2007a) The interaction of light quality and irradiance with gibberellins, cytokinins and auxin in regulating growth of Helianthus annuus hypocotyls. Plant Cell Environ 30:147–155

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Emery RJN, Pharis RP, Reid DM (2007b) Uncoupling light quality from light irradiance effects in Helianthus annuus shoots: putative roles for gibberellins, auxin, cytokinins, abscisic acid and ethylene in leaf and internode growth. J Exper Bot 58:2145–2157

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Shah S, Reid DM (2007c) Light quality regulation of endogenous levels of auxin, abscisic acid and ethylene evolution in petioles and leaves of wild type and ACC deaminase transgenic Brassica napus seedlings. Plant Growth Regul 52:53–60

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kurepin LV, Walton LJ, Reid DM (2007d) Interaction of red to far red light ratio and ethylene in regulating stem elongation of Helianthus annuus. Plant Growth Regul 51:53–61

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee SH, Reid DM (1997) The role of endogenous ethylene in the expansion of Helianthus annuus leaves. Can J Bot 78:501–508

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu J-H, Mukherjee I, Reid DM (1990) Adventitious rooting in hypocotyls of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedlings. III. The role of ethylene. Physiol Plant 78:268–276

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce DW, Reid DM, Pharis RP (1991) Ethylene-mediated regulation of gibberellin content and growth in Helianthus annuus L. Plant Physiol 95:1197–1202

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pierik R, Visser EJW, De Kroon H, Voesenek LACJ (2003) Ethylene is required in tobacco to successfully compete with proximate neighbours. Plant Cell Environ 26:1229–1234

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pierik R, Cuppens MLC, Voesenek LACJ, Visser EJW (2004) Interactions between ethylene and gibberellins in phytochrome-mediated shade avoidance responses in tobacco. Plant Physiol 136:2928–2936

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raskin I, Kende H (1984) The role of gibberellin in the growth response of submerged deep water rice. Plant Physiol 76:947–950

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reid DM, Sheffer MG, Pierce RC, Bezdicek DF, Linzon SN, Revven T, Spenser MS, Vena F (1985) Ethylene in the environment: scientific criteria for assessing its effects on environmental quality. National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, publication 22497, p 110

  • Rijnders JGHM, Yang YY, Kamiya Y, Takahashi N, Barendse GWM, Blom CWPM, Voesenek LACJ (1997) Ethylene enhances gibberellin levels and petiole sensitivity in flooding-tolerant Rumex palustris but not in flooding-intolerant R. acetosa. Planta 203:20–25

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rood SB, Blake TJ, Pharis RP (1983) Gibberellins and heterosis in maize. II. Response to gibberellic acid and metabolism of [3H] gibberellin A20. Plant Physiol 71:645–651

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith H (2000) Phytochromes and light signal perception by plants–an emerging synthesis. Nature 407:585–591

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sponsel VM, Hedden P (2004) Gibberellin biosynthesis and inactivation. In: Davies PJ (ed) Plant hormones: biosynthesis, signal transduction, action. Kluwer, Netherlands, pp 63–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun T-P (2004) Gibberellin signal transduction in stem elongation and leaf growth. In: Davies PJ (ed) Plant hormones: biosynthesis, signal transduction, action. Kluwer, Netherlands, pp 304–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Tuinen A, Peters AHLJ, Kendrick RE, Zeevaart JAD, Koornneef M (1999) Characterisation of the procera mutant of tomato and the interaction of gibberellins with end-of-day far-red light treatments. Physiol Plant 106:121–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walton LJ, Kurepin LV, Reid DM, Chinnappa CC (2006) Stem and leaf growth of alpine sun and prairie shade ecotypes of Stellaria longipes under different photoperiods: role of ethylene. Can J Bot 84:1496–1502

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yip WK, Mak MH, Wong YM (2002) The effects of antisense Le-ACS2 and Le-ACS4 transgenes on ethylene biosynthesis and fruit development in tomato, Plant Biology 2002 supplement, p. 98, abstract 368

  • Zobel RW, Robert LW (1978) Effect of low concentration of ethylene on cell division and cell differentiation in lettuce pit explants. Can J Bot 56:987–990

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. Linda J. Walton for technical assistance with ethylene analysis, Ms. Bonnie Smith and Mr. Ken Girard for excellent greenhouse assistance. This work was funded by NSERC (Canada) grants to ECY and DMR, and Research Grant Council (Hong Kong SAR) grant to WKY.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, University Drive 2500 NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Leonid V. Kurepin, Edward C. Yeung & David M. Reid

  2. Department of Botany, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Wing-Kin Yip & Rong Fan

Authors
  1. Leonid V. Kurepin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wing-Kin Yip
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rong Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Edward C. Yeung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. David M. Reid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonid V. Kurepin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kurepin, L.V., Yip, WK., Fan, R. et al. The roles and interactions of ethylene with gibberellins in the far-red enriched light-mediated growth of Solanum lycopersicum seedlings. Plant Growth Regul 61, 215–222 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-010-9465-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-010-9465-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation