Abstract
Brassinolide (BR) is crucial for regulating plant architecture. Apple dwarfing rootstocks are used to control apple tree size. However, information regarding the effects of BR on apple trees is limited. In addition, the molecular mechanism underlying the dwarfing of apple rootstocks is poorly understood. To elucidate the role of BR signal transduction genes in controlling apple tree architecture, five BR receptor kinase 1 (BRI1), nine BR-signaling kinase 1 (BSK1), two BRI1 KINASE INHIBITOR 1 (BKI1), and seven BR-insensitive 2 (BIN2) genes were analyzed. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that gene duplication events likely contributed to the expansion and evolution of the identified genes. Nine homologs between apple and Arabidopsis thaliana were also identified, and their expression patterns in different tissues were characterized. Exogenous BR treatments increased the primary shoot length and altered the expression of BR signal transduction genes (MdBRI1-5, MdBSK3-8, MdBKI1–2, MdBIN1–4, and MdBIN6/7). The scion of Fuji/Malling 9 (M.9) trees exhibited inhibited growth compared with that of Fuji/Fuji trees. The Fuji/M.9 trees had lower levels of the positive regulators of BR signaling (MdBRI1-5,MdBSK1, MdBSK4/7, and MdBSK6) and higher levels of the negative regulators (MdBIN5-7) compared with the Fuji/Fuji trees. Thus, the above-mentioned genes may help to regulate apple tree size in response to BR. In addition, MdBRI1–5, MdBSK1, MdBSK4/7, MdBSK6, and MdBIN5–7 have important roles in different grafting combinations. Our results may provide the basis for future analyses of BR signal transduction genes regarding their potential involvement in the regulation of plant architecture.
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Acknowledgements
Xilong Chen assisted with the analyses. This study was sponsored by the National Science and Technology Supporting Project (2013BAD20B03), the National Apple Industry Technology System of the Ministry of Agriculture of China (CARS-28), the National Spark Plan Program (2014GA850002), the Science and Technology Innovative Engineering Project in Shaanxi Province of China (2015NY114), the Yangling Subsidiary Center Project of the National Apple Improvement Center, the Collaborative Innovation Center of Shaanxi Fruit Industry Development, and the Innovation Project of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Province (2016TZC-N-11-6).
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Table S1. Sequences of the primers used to amplify apple BR signal transduction genes in qRT-PCR analyses. The EF-1α gene was used as an internal control to normalize the BR signal transduction gene expression levels. Table S2. Best hits for each putative apple BR signal transduction gene, using a local search against apple expressed sequence taga assemblies. a Downloaded from NCBI. Table S3. Motif sequences identified using the MEME program. Conserved motifs identified in BR signal transduction proteins. Motif numbers correspond to the motifs in Fig. 2. Table S4. Analysis of the synteny among the apple BR signal transduction genes. Synteny blocks of BR signal transduction genes within the apple genome. Table S5. Analysis of the synteny among the BR signal transduction genes of apple and A. thaliana. Synteny blocks of BR signal transduction genes between the genomes of apple and A. thaliana. (DOCX 23 kb)
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Fig. S1. Brassinolide signal transduction pathway. Filled objects represent the BR-signaling components. The gray circle and square represent the BZR1/2-binding element. Arrows indicate positive regulation, while the T-shaped lines indicate negative regulation. (TIFF 63 kb)
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Fig. S2. Interaction network for proteins encoded by apple BR signal transduction genes based on A. thaliana orthologs. Line thickness is positively correlated with the value of the combined score. Homologous genes in apple are indicated in black text written in parentheses. (TIFF 19244 kb)
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Fig. S3. Predicted cis-elements in apple BR signal transduction promoter sequences. The promoter sequences (−1500 bp upstream from the transcriptional start site) of the 23 identified BR signal transduction genes were analyzed. The names of the BR signal transduction genes are provided on the left side of the figure. The numbers at the bottom refer to the number of nucleotides upstream of the translation initiation codon, ATG. The hormone response elements are indicated by different colored shapes, similar to Figure S3. (TIFF 4711 kb)
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Zheng, L., Ma, J., Song, C. et al. Genome-wide identification and expression profiling analysis of brassinolide signal transduction genes regulating apple tree architecture. Acta Physiol Plant 39, 177 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2479-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2479-5