Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis in Leaves and Roots of Xanthium strumarium

Transcriptome Reveals Roles of Lignin-Modifying Enzymes and Abscisic Acid in the Symbiosis of Mycena and Gastrodia elata

Gastrodia elata is a well-known medicinal and heterotrophic orchid. Its germination, limited by the impermeability of seed coat lignin and inhibition by abscisic acid (ABA), is triggered by symbiosis with fungi such as Mycena spp. However, the molecular mechanisms of lignin degradation by Mycena and ABA biosynthesis and signaling in G. elata remain unclear. In order to gain insights into these two processes, this study analyzed the transcriptomes of these organisms during their dynamic symbiosis. Among the 25 lignin-modifying enzyme genes in Mycena, two ligninolytic class II peroxidases and two laccases were significantly upregulated, most likely enabling Mycena hyphae to break through the lignin seed coats of G. elata. Genes related to reduced virulence and loss of pathogenicity in Mycena accounted for more than half of annotated genes, presumably contributing to symbiosis. After coculture, upregulated genes outnumbered downregulated genes in G. elata seeds, suggesting slightly increased biological activity, while Mycena hyphae had fewer upregulated than downregulated genes, indicating decreased biological activity. ABA biosynthesis in G. elata was reduced by the downregulated expression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED-2), and ABA signaling was blocked by the downregulated expression of a receptor protein (PYL12-like). This is the first report to describe the role of NCED-2 and PYL12-like in breaking G. elata seed dormancy by reducing the synthesis and blocking the signaling of the germination inhibitor ABA. This study provides a theoretical basis for screening germination fungi to identify effective symbionts and for reducing ABA inhibition of G. elata seed germination.

Long-term effects of abscisic acid (ABA) on the grape berry phenylpropanoid pathway: Gene expression and metabolite content

ABA has been proposed as the main signal triggering the onset of the ripening process in grapes, and modulating the secondary metabolism in grape berry skins. To determine the effect of ABA on secondary metabolism in berries, clusters of Carménère were sprayed with 0 μLL(-1) ABA; 50 μLL(-1) ABA and 100 μLL(-1) ABA during pre-véraison, and the gene expression of the transcription factors and enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway were assessed from véraison to 70 days after véraison (DAV). Additionally, flavonols, tannins and anthocyanins were assessed from véraison until harvest (110 DAV). ABA accelerated sugar and anthocyanin accumulation at véraison. The grape transcript abundance of VvDFR, VvANS, VvUFGT and VvMybA1, all peaking around véraison mimicked the concentration of ABA throughout the season. The highest anthocyanin concentration occurred 35 DAV for all treatments, but higher pigment concentrations were observed in ABA-treated berries at véraison and from 60 to 70 DAV to harvest. VvPAL was also increased by treatment at the higher concentration of ABA from véraison to 40 DAV. Regarding flavanol synthesis, VvLAR2 and VvMyb4A decreased from véraison until 40 DAV and then increased again until 70 DAV. Compared to the control, both ABA treatments resulted in a less-than-proportional reduction of the expression of both genes compared to the control and, after 40 DAV, in a more-than-proportional increase compared to the control, suggesting a long-term effect of the pre-véraison ABA spray on the berries. A concomitant increase in flavanols was observed in berries after 40 DAV, and this occurred at a higher extent in berries treated with the highest ABA concentration.

Isolation and Functional Characterization of a Lycopene β-cyclase Gene Promoter from Citrus

Lycopene β-cyclases are key enzymes located at the branch point of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of LCYb1 in citrus with abundant carotenoid accumulation are still unclear. To understand the molecular basis of CsLCYb1 expression, we isolated and functionally characterized the 5' upstream sequences of CsLCYb1 from citrus. The full-length CsLCYb1 promoter and a series of its 5' deletions were fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and transferred into different plants (tomato, Arabidopsis and citrus callus) to test the promoter activities. The results of all transgenic species showed that the 1584 bp upstream region from the translational start site displayed maximal promoter activity, and the minimal promoter containing 746 bp upstream sequences was sufficient for strong basal promoter activity. Furthermore, the CsLCYb1 promoter activity was developmentally and tissue-specially regulated in transgenic Arabidopsis, and it was affected by multiple hormones and environmental cues in transgenic citrus callus under various treatments. Finer deletion analysis identified an enhancer element existing as a tandem repeat in the promoter region between -574 to -513 bp and conferring strong promoter activity. The copy numbers of the enhancer element differed among various citrus species, leading to the development of a derived simple sequence repeat marker to distinguish different species. In conclusion, this study elucidates the expression characteristics of the LCYb1 promoter from citrus and further identifies a novel enhancer element required for the promoter activity. The characterized promoter fragment would be an ideal candidate for genetic engineering and seeking of upstream trans-acting elements.

Rice germination and seedling growth in the absence of oxygen

BACKGROUND

Higher plants are aerobic organisms which suffer from the oxygen deficiency imposed by partial or total submergence. However, some plant species have developed strategies to avoid or withstand severe oxygen shortage and, in some cases, the complete absence of oxygen (tissue anoxia) for considerable periods of time.

SCOPE

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the few plant species that can tolerate prolonged soil flooding or complete submergence thanks to an array of adaptive mechanisms. These include an ability to elongate submerged shoot organs at faster than normal rates and to develop aerenchyma, allowing the efficient internal transport of oxygen from the re-emerged elongated shoot to submerged parts. However, rice seeds are able to germinate anaerobically by means of coleoptile elongation. This cannot be explained in terms of oxygen transport through an emerged shoot. This review provides an overview of anoxic rice germination that is mediated through coleoptile rather than root emergence.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there is still much to learn about the biochemical and molecular basis of anaerobic rice germination, the ability of rice to maintain an active fermentative metabolism (i.e. by fuelling the glycolytic pathway with readily fermentable carbohydrates) is certainly crucial. The results obtained through microarray-based transcript profiling confirm most of the previous evidence based on single-gene studies and biochemical analysis, and highlight new aspects of the molecular response of the rice coleoptile to anoxia.

Regulation and manipulation of ABA biosynthesis in roots

Overexpression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is known to cause abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in leaves, seeds and whole plants. Here we investigated the manipulation of ABA biosynthesis in roots. Roots from whole tomato plants that constitutively overexpress LeNCED1 had a higher ABA content than wild-type (WT) roots. This could be explained by enhanced in situ ABA biosynthesis, rather than import of ABA from the shoot, because root cultures also had higher ABA content, and because tetracycline (Tc)-induced LeNCED1 expression caused ABA accumulation in isolated tobacco roots. However, the Tc-induced expression led to greater accumulation of ABA in leaves than in roots. This demonstrates for the first time that NCED is rate-limiting in root tissues, but suggests that other steps were also restrictive to pathway flux, more so in roots than in leaves. Dehydration and NCED overexpression acted synergistically in enhancing ABA accumulation in tomato root cultures. One explanation is that xanthophyll synthesis was increased during root dehydration, and, in support of this, dehydration treatments increased beta-carotene hydroxylase mRNA levels. Whole plants overexpressing LeNCED1 exhibited greatly reduced stomatal conductance and grafting experiments from this study demonstrated that this was predominantly due to increased ABA biosynthesis in leaves rather than in roots. Genetic manipulation of both xanthophyll supply and epoxycarotenoid cleavage may be needed to enhance root ABA biosynthesis sufficiently to signal stomatal closure in the shoot.

The carotenase AtCCD1 from Arabidopsis thaliana is a dioxygenase

Apocarotenoids resulting from the oxidative cleavage of carotenoids serve as important signaling and accessory molecules in a variety of biological processes. The enzymes catalyzing these reactions are referred to as carotenases or carotenoid oxygenases. Whether they act according to a monooxygenase mechanism, requiring two oxygens from different sources, or a dioxygenase mechanism is still a topic of controversy. In this study, we utilized the readily available beta-apo-8'-carotenal as a substrate for the heterologously expressed AtCCD1 protein from Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate the oxidative cleavage mechanism of the 9,10 double bond of carotenoids. Beta-ionone and a C(17)-dialdehyde were detected as products by gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry as well as NMR analysis. Labeling experiments using H(2)(18)O or (18) O(2) showed that the oxygen in the keto-group of beta-ionone is derived solely from molecular dioxygen. When experiments were performed in an (18)O(2)-enriched atmosphere, a substantial fraction of the C(17)-dialdehyde contained labeled oxygen. The results unambiguously demonstrate a dioxygenase mechanism for the carotenase AtCCD1 from A. thaliana.

Cloning and characterization of the abscisic acid-specific glucosyltransferase gene from adzuki bean seedlings

The glycosylated forms of abscisic acid (ABA) have been identified from many plant species and are known to be the forms of ABA-catabolism, although their (physiological) roles have not yet been elucidated. ABA-glucosyltransferase (-GTase) is thought to play a key role in the glycosylation of ABA. We isolated an ABA-inducible GTase gene from UDP-GTase homologs obtained from adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) seedlings. The deduced amino acid sequence (accession no. AB065190) showed 30% to 44% identity with the known UDP-GTase homologs. The recombinant protein with a glutathione S-transferase-tag was expressed in Escherichia coli and showed enzymatic activity in an ABA-specific manner. The enzymatic activity was detected over a wide pH range from 5.0 to 9.0, the optimum range being between pH 6.0 and 7.3, in a citrate and Tris-HCl buffer. The product from racemic ABA and UDP-D-glucose was identified to be ABA-GE by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The recombinant GTase (rAOG) converted 2-trans-(+)-ABA better than (+)-S-ABA and (-)-R-ABA. Although trans-cinnamic acid was slightly converted to its conjugate by the GTase, (-)-PA was not at all. The mRNA level was increased by ABA application or by water stress and wounding. We suggest that the gene encodes an ABA-specific GTase and that its expression is regulated by environmental stress.

The pathway of biosynthesis of abscisic acid in vascular plants: a review of the present state of knowledge of ABA biosynthesis

The pathway of biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA) can be considered to comprise three stages: (i) early reactions in which small phosphorylated intermediates are assembled as precursors of (ii) intermediate reactions which begin with the formation of the uncyclized C40 carotenoid phytoene and end with the cleavage of 9'-cis-neoxanthin (iii) to form xanthoxal, the C15 skeleton of ABA. The final phase comprising C15 intermediates is not yet completely defined, but the evidence suggests that xanthoxal is first oxidized to xanthoxic acid by a molybdenum-containing aldehyde oxidase and this is defective in the aba3 mutant of Arabidopsis and present in a 1-fold acetone precipitate of bean leaf proteins. This oxidation precludes the involvement of AB-aldehyde as an intermediate. The oxidation of the 4'-hydroxyl group to the ketone and the isomerization of the 1',2'-epoxy group to the 1'-hydroxy-2'-ene may be brought about by one enzyme which is defective in the aba2 mutant and is present in the 3-fold acetone fraction of bean leaves. Isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) is now known to be derived by the pyruvate-triose (Methyl Erythritol Phosphate, MEP) pathway in chloroplasts. (14C)IPP is incorporated into ABA by washed, intact chloroplasts of spinach leaves, but (14C)mevalonate is not, consequently, all three phases of biosynthesis of ABA occur within chloroplasts. The incorporation of labelled mevalonate into ABA by avocado fruit and orange peel is interpreted as uptake of IPP made in the cytoplasm, where it is the normal precursor of sterols, and incorporated into carotenoids after uptake by a carrier in the chloroplast envelope. An alternative bypass pathway becomes more important in aldehyde oxidase mutants, which may explain why so many wilty mutants have been found with this defect. The C-1 alcohol group is oxidized, possibly by a mono-oxygenase, to give the C-1 carboxyl of ABA. The 2-cis double bond of ABA is essential for its biological activity but it is not known how the relevant trans bond in neoxanthin is isomerized.

Biochemical characterization of the aba2 and aba3 mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abscisic acid (ABA)-deficient mutants in a variety of species have been identified by screening for precocious germination and a wilty phenotype. Mutants at two new loci, aba2 and aba3, have recently been isolated in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Hynh. (K.M. Léon-Kloosterziel, M. Alvarez-Gil, G.J. Ruijs, S.E. Jacobsen, N.E. Olszewski, S.H. Schwartz, J.A.D. Zeevaart, M. Koornneef [1996] Plant J 10: 655-661), and the biochemical characterization of these mutants is presented here. Protein extracts from aba2 and aba3 plants displayed a greatly reduced ability to convert xanthoxin to ABA relative to the wild type. The next putative intermediate in ABA synthesis, ABA-aldehyde, was efficiently converted to ABA by extracts from aba2 but not by extracts from aba3 plants. This indicates that the aba2 mutant is blocked in the conversion of xanthoxin to ABA-aldehyde and that aba3 is impaired in the conversion of ABA-aldehyde to ABA. Extracts from the aba3 mutant also lacked additional activities that require a molybdenum cofactor (Moco). Nitrate reductase utilizes a Moco but its activity was unaffected in extracts from aba3 plants. Moco hydroxylases in animals require a desulfo moiety of the cofactor. A sulfido ligand can be added to the Moco by treatment with Na2S and dithionite. Treatment of aba3 extracts with Na2S restored ABA-aldehyde oxidase activity. Therefore, the genetic lesion in aba3 appears to be in the introduction of S into the Moco.

Stomatal Closure in Flooded Tomato Plants Involves Abscisic Acid and a Chemically Unidentified Anti-Transpirant in Xylem Sap

We address the question of how soil flooding closes stomata of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv Ailsa Craig) plants within a few hours in the absence of leaf water deficits. Three hypotheses to explain this were tested, namely that (a) flooding increases abscisic acid (ABA) export in xylem sap from roots, (b) flooding increases ABA synthesis and export from older to younger leaves, and (c) flooding promotes accumulation of ABA within foliage because of reduced export. Hypothesis a was rejected because delivery of ABA from flooded roots in xylem sap decreased. Hypothesis b was rejected because older leaves neither supplied younger leaves with ABA nor influenced their stomata. Limited support was obtained for hypothesis c. Heat girdling of petioles inhibited phloem export and mimicked flooding by decreasing export of [14C]sucrose, increasing bulk ABA, and closing stomata without leaf water deficits. However, in flooded plants bulk leaf ABA did not increase until after stomata began to close. Later, ABA declined, even though stomata remained closed. Commelina communis L. epidermal strip bioassays showed that xylem sap from roots of flooded tomato plants contained an unknown factor that promoted stomatal closure, but it was not ABA. This may be a root-sourced positive message that closes stomata in flooded tomato plants.

Accumulation of ABA in maize roots in response to root severing

When isolated maize (Zea mays L.) routs were incubated tW 3 h in o fully hydrated state in air, ABA content was found to increase by around 100% in nil the different root tissues examined - i.e. mature primary root sections. young and growing primary root sections, secondary roots and primary root tips - from both well watered plants and previously droughted plants. This ABA increase was not turgor-related, as usually is the case in draughted plants, and was not quantitatively related to the injury in the cutting surface. A time- sequence of ABA accumulation showed a peak accumulation at about 2-3 h after initial incubation. Oxygen was essential for this increase in ABA accumulation because- when roots were incubated in pure nitrogen, no such increase was found. Evidence suggests that this increase was derived from xanthophylls. the common precursors for stress-induced ABA. Maize leaves did not show such an accumulation when incubated under the same conditions. When halt the root system was severed, ABA content in the remaining half root system increased by Kill 100-200% in 3 h. We suggest that there is a systemic effect on the ABA biosynthesis in the root system following the shock of root severing, and that roots may supply substantial amounts of ABA to the shoots even at time when there is not apparent dehydration.

Involvement of a lipoxygenase-like enzyme in abscisic Acid biosynthesis

Several lines of evidence indicate that abscisic acid (ABA) is derived from 9'-cis-neoxanthin or 9'-cis-violaxanthin with xanthoxin as an intermediate. (18)O-labeling experiments show incorporation primarily into the side chain carboxyl group of ABA, suggesting that oxidative cleavage occurs at the 11, 12 (11', 12') double bond of xanthophylls. Carbon monoxide, a strong inhibitor of heme-containing P-450 monooxygenases, did not inhibit ABA accumulation, suggesting that the oxygenase catalyzing the carotenoid cleavage step did not contain heme. This observation, plus the ability of lipoxygenase to make xanthoxin from violaxanthin, suggested that a lipoxygenase-like enzyme is involved in ABA biosynthesis. To test this idea, the ability of several soybean (Glycine max L.) lipoxygenase inhibitors (5,8,11-eicosatriynoic acid, 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, and naproxen) to inhibit stress-induced ABA accumulation in soybean cell culture and soybean seedlings was determined. All lipoxygenase inhibitors significantly inhibited ABA accumulation in response to stress. These results suggest that the in vivo oxidative cleavage reaction involved in ABA biosynthesis requires activity of a nonheme oxygenase having lipoxygenase-like properties.

Abscisic acid biosynthesis in roots : I. The identification of potential abscisic acid precursors, and other carotenoids

The pathway of water-stress-induced abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis in etiolated and light-grown leaves has been elucidated (see A.D. Parry and R. Horgan, 1991, Physiol. Plant. 82, 320-326). Roots also have the ability to synthesise ABA in response to stress and it was therefore of interest to examine root extracts for the presence of carotenoids, including those known to be ABA precursors in leaves. All-trans- and 9'-cis-neoxanthin, all-trans- and 9-cis-violaxanthin, antheraxanthin (all potential ABA precursors), lutein and β-carotene were identified on the basis of absorbance spectra, reactions with dilute acid, retention times upon high-performance liquid chromatography and by comparison with leaf carotenoids that had been analysed by mass spectrometry. The source of the extracted carotenoids was proved to be root tissue, and not contaminating compost or leaf material. The levels of total carotenoids in roots varied between 0.03-0.07% of the levels in light-grown leaves (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh, Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viv., Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Pisum sativum L.) up to 0.27% (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). The relative carotenoid composition was very different from that found in leaves, and varied much more between species. All-trans-neoxanthin and violaxanthin were the major carotenoids present (64-91 % of the total), but while Lycopersicon contained 67-80% all trans-neoxanthin, Phaseolus, Pisum and Zea mays L. contained 61-79% all-trans-violaxanthin. Carotenoid metabolism also varied between species, with most of the carotenoids in older roots of Phaseolus being esterified. Roots and leaves of the ABA-deficient aba mutant of Arabidopsis had reduced epoxy-xanthophyll levels compared to the wild-type.

Abscisic acid biosynthesis in roots : II. The effects of water-stress in wild-type and abscisic-acid-deficient mutant (notabilis) plants of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill

The ubiquity of the apo-carotenoid abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic pathway elucidated in water-stressed, etiolated leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris (see A.D. Parry and R. Horgan, 1991, Physiol. Plant. 82, 320-326), has been difficult to establish. Light-grown leaves contain very high carotenoid: ABA ratios, preventing correlative studies, and no etiolated leaves so far studied, other than those of Phaseolus, have been found capable of synthesising significant amounts of ABA in response to stress. Roots are known to synthesise ABA and contain low carotenoid levels; therefore ABA biosynthesis was investigated in soil- and hydroponically grown roots of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Hydroponically grown roots were stressed by immersion in 100 mM mannitol and soil-grown roots by withholding water. In both cases stress led to an increase in ABA levels and a decrease in the levels of specific xanthophylls, namely all-trans- and 9'-cis-neoxanthin and all-trans-violaxanthin. In hydroponically grown roots, and soil-grown roots stressed after removal of the shoot, ratios of xanthophyll cleaved:ABA synthesised of approx. 1∶1 were obtained. These findings are consistent with the operation of an apo-carotenoid pathway in roots, involving the conversion of all-trans-violaxanthin via all-trans-neoxanthin, to 9'-cis-neoxanthin, and the specific cleavage of 9'-cis-neoxanthin to yield the C15 ABA precursor xanthosin. Similar experiments with roots of the "leaky", ABA-deficient mutant of Lycopersicon, notabilis, indicate that the mutation does not affect the perception or transduction of stress, or the ability of the plant to cleave carotenoids. Rather, it appears that notabilis possesses an enzyme with reduced substrate specificity which cleaves more all-trans-than 9'-cis-neoxanthin.

Abscisic alcohol is an intermediate in abscisic Acid biosynthesis in a shunt pathway from abscisic aldehyde

It has previously been shown that the abscisic acid (ABA)-deficient flacca and sitiens mutants of tomato are impaired in ABA-aldehyde oxidation and accumulate trans-ABA-alcohol as a result of the biosynthetic block (IB Taylor, RST Linforth, RJ Al-Naieb, WR Bowman, BA Marples [1988] Plant Cell Environ 11: 739-745). Here we report that the flacca and sitiens mutants accumulate trans-ABA and trans-ABA glucose ester and that this accumulation is due to trans-ABA biosynthesis. (18)O labeling of water-stressed wild-type and mutant tomato leaves and analysis of [(18)O]ABA by tandem mass spectrometry show that the tomato mutants synthesize a significant percentage of their ABA and trans-ABA as [(18)O]ABA with two (18)O atoms in the carboxyl group. We further show, by feeding experiments with [(2)H(6)]ABA-alcohol and (18)O(2), that this doubly-carboxyl-labeled ABA is synthesized from [(18)O]ABA-alcohol with incorporation of molecular oxygen. In vivo inhibition of [(2)H(6)]ABA-alcohol oxidation by carbon monoxide establishes the involvement of a P-450 monooxygenase. Likewise, carbon monoxide inhibits the synthesis of doubly-carboxyl-labeled ABA in (18)O-labeling experiments. This minor shunt pathway from ABA-aldehyde to ABA-alcohol to ABA operates in all plants examined. For the ABA-deficient mutants impaired in ABA-aldehyde oxidation, this shunt pathway is an important source of ABA and is physiologically significant.

The aba mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana is impaired in epoxy-carotenoid biosynthesis

The three mutant alleles of the ABA locus of Arabidopsis thaliana result in plants that are deficient in the plant growth regulator abscisic acid (ABA). We have used 18O2 to label ABA in water-stressed leaves of mutant and wild-type Arabidopsis. Analysis by selected ion monitoring and tandem mass spectrometry of [18O]ABA and its catabolites, phaseic acid and ABA-glucose ester (beta-D-glucopyranosyl abscisate), indicates that the aba genotypes are impaired in ABA biosynthesis and have a small ABA precursor pool of compounds that contain oxygens on the ring, presumably oxygenated carotenoids (xanthophylls). Quantitation of the carotenoids from mutant and wild-type leaves establishes that the aba alleles cause a deficiency of the epoxy-carotenoids violaxanthin and neoxanthin and an accumulation of their biosynthetic precursor, zeaxanthin. These results provide evidence that ABA is synthesized by oxidative cleavage of epoxy-carotenoids (the "indirect pathway"). Furthermore the carotenoid mutant we describe undergoes normal greening. Thus the aba alleles provide an opportunity to study the physiological roles of epoxy-carotenoids in photosynthesis in a higher plant.

The role of cis-carotenoids in abscisic acid biosynthesis

Evidence has been obtained which is consistent with 9'-cis-neoxanthin being a major precursor of abscisic acid (ABA) in higher plants. A mild, rapid procedure was developed for the extraction and analysis of carotenoids from a range of tissues. Once purified the carotenoids were identified from their light-absorbance properties, reactions with dilute acid, high-performance liquid chromatography Rts, mass spectra and the quasiequilibria resulting from iodine-catalysed or chlorophyllsensitised photoisomerisation. Two possible ABA precursors, 9'-cis-neoxanthin and 9-cis-violaxanthin, were identified in extracts of light-grown and etiolated leaves (of Lycopersicon esculentum, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vicia faba, Pisum sativum, Cicer arietinum, Zea mays, Nicotiana plumbaginifolia, Plantago lanceolata and Digitalis purpurea), and roots of light-grown and etiolated plants (Lycopersicon, Phaseolus and Zea). The 9,9'-di-cisisomer of violaxanthin was synthesised but its presence was not detected in any extracts. Levels of 9'-cis-neoxanthin and all-trans-violaxanthin were between 20- to 100-fold greater than those of ABA in light-grown leaves. The levels of 9-cis-violaxanthin were similar to those of ABA but unaffected by water stress. Etiolated Phaseolus leaves contained reduced amounts of carotenoids (15-20% compared with light-grown leaves) but retained the ability to synthesise large amounts of ABA. The amounts of ABA synthesised, measured as increases in ABA and its metabolites phaseic acid and dihydrophaseic acid, were closely matched by decreases in the levels of 9'-cis-neoxanthin and all-trans-violaxanthin. In etiolated seedlings grown on 50% D2O, deuterium incorporation into ABA was similar to that into the xanthophylls. Relative levels of carotenoids in roots and light-grown and etiolated leaves of the ABA-deficient mutants, notabilis, flacca and sitiens were the same as those found in wild-type tomato tissues.

Abscisic (ABA)-Aldehyde Is a Precursor to, and 1',4'-trans-ABA-Diol a Catabolite of, ABA in Apple

Previous (18)O labeling studies of abscisic acid (ABA) have shown that apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv Granny Smith) fruits synthesize a majority of [(18)O]ABA with the label incorporated in the 1'-hydroxyl position and unlabeled in the carboxyl group (JAD Zeevaart, TG Heath, DA Gage [1989] Plant Physiol 91: 1594-1601). It was proposed that exchange of (18)O in the side chain with the medium occurred at an aldehyde intermediate stage of ABA biosynthesis. We have isolated ABA-aldehyde and 1'-4'-trans-ABA-diol (ABA-trans-diol) from (18)O-labeled apple fruit tissue and measured the extent and position of (18)O incorporation by tandem mass spectrometry. (18)O-Labeling patterns of ABA-aldehyde, ABA-trans-diol, and ABA indicate that ABA-aldehyde is a precursor to, and ABA-trans-diol a catabolite of, ABA. Exchange of (18)O in the carbonyl of ABA-aldehyde can be the cause of loss of (18)O from the side chain of [(18)O]ABA. Results of feeding experiments with deuterated substrates provide further support for the precursor-product relationship of ABA-aldehyde --> ABA --> ABA-trans-diol. The ABA-aldehyde and ABA-trans-diol contents of fruits and leaves were low, approximately 1 and 0.02 nanograms per gram fresh weight for ABA-aldehyde and ABA-trans-diol, respectively, while ABA levels in fruits ranged from 10 to 200 nanograms per gram fresh weight. ABA biosynthesis was about 10-fold lower in fruits than in leaves. In fruits, the majority of ABA was conjugated to beta-d-glucopyranosyl abscisate, whereas in leaves ABA was mainly hydroxylated to phaseic acid. Parallel pathways for ABA and trans-ABA biosynthesis and conjugation in fruits and leaves are proposed.

Violaxanthin is an abscisic Acid precursor in water-stressed dark-grown bean leaves

The leaves of dark-grown bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seedlings accumulate considerably lower quantities of xanthophylls and carotenes than do leaves of light-grown seedlings, but they synthesize at least comparable amounts of abscisic acid (ABA) and its metabolites when water stressed. We observed a 1:1 relationship on a molar basis between the reduction in levels of violaxanthin, 9'-cis-neoxanthin, and 9-cis-violaxanthin and the accumulation of ABA, phaseic acid, and dihydrophaseic acid, when leaves from dark-grown plants were stressed for 7 hours. Early in the stress period, reductions in xanthophylls were greater than the accumulation of ABA and its metabolites, suggesting the accumulation of an intermediate which was subsequently converted to ABA. Leaves which were detached, but not stressed, did not accumulate ABA nor were their xanthophyll levels reduced. Leaves from plants that had been sprayed with cycloheximide did not accumulate ABA when stressed, nor were their xanthophyll levels reduced significantly. Incubation of dark-grown stressed leaves in an (18)O(2)-containing atmosphere resulted in the synthesis of ABA with levels of (18)O in the carboxyl group that were virtually identical to those observed in light-grown leaves. The results of these experiments indicate that violaxanthin is an ABA precursor in stressed dark-grown leaves, and they are used to suggest several possible pathways from violaxanthin to ABA.

Evidence for a universal pathway of abscisic Acid biosynthesis in higher plants from o incorporation patterns

Previous labeling studies of abscisic acid (ABA) with (18)O(2) have been mainly conducted with water-stressed leaves. In this study, (18)O incorporation into ABA of stressed leaves of various species was compared with (18)O labeling of ABA of turgid leaves and of fruit tissue in different stages of ripening. In stressed leaves of all six species investigated, avocado (Persea americana), barley (Hordeum vulgare), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), (18)O was most abundant in the carboxyl group, whereas incorporation of a second and third (18)O in the oxygen atoms on the ring of ABA was much less prominent after 24 h in (18)O(2). ABA from turgid bean leaves showed significant (18)O incorporation, again with highest (18)O enrichment in the carboxyl group. The (18)O-labeling pattern of ABA from unripe avocado mesocarp was similar to that of stressed leaves, but in ripe fruits there was, besides high (18)O enrichment in the carboxyl group, also much additional (18)O incorporation in the ring. In ripening apple fruit tissue (Malus domestica), singly labeled ABA was most abundant with more (18)O incorporated in the tertiary hydroxyl group than in the carboxyl group of ABA. Smaller quantities of this monolabeled product (C-1'-(18)OH) were also detected in the stressed leaves of barley, bean, and tobacco, and in avocado fruits. It is postulated that a large precursor molecule yields an aldehyde cleavage product that is, in some tissues, rapidly converted to ABA with retention of (18)O in the carboxyl group, whereas in ripening fruits and in the stressed leaves of some species the biosynthesis of ABA occurs at a slower rate, allowing this intermediate to exchange (18)O with water. On the basis of (18)O-labeling patterns observed in ABA from different tissues it is concluded that, despite variations in precursor pool sizes and intermediate turnover rates, there is a universal pathway of ABA biosynthesis in higher plants which involves cleavage of a larger precursor molecule, presumably an oxygenated carotenoid.

Regulation of Embryo Dormancy by Manipulation of Abscisic Acid in Kernels and Associated Cob Tissue of Zea mays L. Cultured in Vitro

Sectors of Zea mays cobs, with and without kernels were cultured in vitro in the presence and absence of fluridone. Cultured kernels, cob tissue, and embryos developed similarly to those grown in the field. Abscisic acid (ABA) levels in the embryos were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. ABA levels in intact embryos cultured in the presence of fluridone were extremely low and indicate an inhibition of ABA synthesis. ABA levels in isolated cob tissue indicate that ABA can be produced by cob tissue. Sections containing kernels cultured in the presence of fluridone were transferred to medium containing fluridone and ABA. Dormancy was induced in more than 50% of the kernels transferred from 13 to 15 days after pollination, but all of the kernels transferred at 16 days after pollination or later were viviparous. ABA recovered from kernels that were placed in medium containing fluridone and ABA suggest that ABA can be transported through the cob tissue into developing embryos and that ABA is required for induction of dormancy in intact embryos.

Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis in Isolated Embryos of Zea mays L

Previous labeling experiments with (18)O(2) have supported the hypothesis that stress-induced abscisic acid (ABA) is synthesized through an indirect pathway involving an oxygenated carotenoid (xanthophyll) as a precursor. To investigate ABA formation under nonstress conditions, an (18)O(2) labeling experiment was conducted with isolated embryos from in vitro grown maize (Zea mays L.) kernels. Of the ABA produced during the incubation in (18)O(2), three-fourths contained a single (18)O atom located in the carboxyl group. Approximately one-fourth of the ABA synthesized during the experiment contained two (18)O atoms. These results suggest that ABA synthesized in maize embryos under nonstress conditions also proceeds via the indirect pathway, requiring a xanthophyll precursor. It was also found that the newly synthesized ABA was preferentially released into the surrounding medium.

Endogenous Abscisic Acid Content Correlates with Photon Fluence Rate and Induced Leaf Morphology in Hippuris vulgaris

This research focused on studying how light and endogenous abscisic acid regulate leaf development in Hippuris vulgaris, a species of heterophyllic aquatic plant. Amounts of photosynthetically active radiation greater than 300 micromoles per square meter per second caused submerged H. vulgaris shoots to produce aerial-type leaves. Abscisic acid was not detected in shoots grown under noninducing light quantities (100 micromoles per square meter per second), but was present at 13.4 nanograms per gram fresh weight in shoot tips after plants were exposed to 1 photoperiod of inducing light (500 micromoles per square meter per second). This supports a role for abscisic acid in the high light-induced heterophylly in H. vulgaris, and provides additional support for the general hypothesis that abscisic acid regulates leaf development in heterophyllic aquatic plants. No relationship was observed here between postphotoperiodic light treatments of various red/far red ratios and heterophylly in H. vulgaris.

Xanthoxin Metabolism in Cell-free Preparations from Wild Type and Wilty Mutants of Tomato

Extracts prepared from the turgid and water-stressed leaves of wild-type tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill cv Ailsa Craig) and the wilty mutants sitiens, notabilis, and flacca were tested for their ability to metabolize xanthoxin to ABA. Extracts from wild type and notabilis converted xanthoxin at similar rates, while extracts from sitiens and flacca showed little or no activity. We also observed no activity when extracts of sitiens and flacca were mixed. Similar results were obtained when ABA aldehyde was used as a substrate, in that extracts from wild type and notabilis were equally active, but extracts from flacca and sitiens showed little activity. None of the tomato extracts showed significant activity with xanthoxin acid, xanthoxin alcohol, or ABA-1',4-'Trans-diol as substrates. Extracts from bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Blue Lake) were similar to the wild-type tomato extracts in their ability to convert the various substrates to ABA, although excised bean leaves did convert ABA-1',4'-trans-diol and xanthoxin alcohol to ABA when these substances were taken up through the petiole. These results are consistent with a role for xanthoxin as a normal intermediate on the ABA biosynthetic pathway, and they suggest that ABA aldehyde is the final ABA precursor.

Phenotypic expression of wild-type tomato and three wilty mutants in relation to abscisic Acid accumulation in roots and leaflets of reciprocal grafts

Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv Rheinlands Ruhm (RR) and cv Moneymaker and the three wilty mutants flacca (flc), sitiens (sit), and sitiens(w) (sit(w)), together with most reciprocal grafts, were grown in pots and in solution culture. Detached leaflets, and control and steam-girdled intact plants, were left turgid or were wilted in air. Detached leaflets and the leaflets and roots of the intact plants were analyzed for their abscisic acid (ABA) content. Turgid RR leaflets contained about 2.9 ng ABA per milligram dry weight. On average, the flc and sit leaflets contained 33 and 11% of this amount, respectively. The lack of ABA approximately correlated with the severity of the mutant phenotype. Mutant roots also contained less ABA than wild-type roots. Wild-type scions on mutant stocks (wild type/mutant) maintained the normal phenotype of ungrafted plants. Mutant scions grafted onto wild-type stocks reverted to a near wild-type phenotype. After the wild-type leaves were excised from solution culture-grown mutant/wild-type plants, the revertive morphology of the mutant scions was maintained, although endogenous ABA levels in the leaflets fell to typical mutant levels and the leaflets became wilty again. When stressed in air, both leaflets and roots of RR plants produced stress-induced ABA, but the mutant leaflets and roots did not. The roots and leaflets of the grafted plants behaved according to their own genotype, with the notable exception of mutant roots grown with wild-type scions. Roots of flc and sit(w) recovered the ability to accumulate stress-induced ABA when grafted with RR scions before the stress was imposed.