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Martignago D, Falavigna VDS, Lombardi A, Gao H, Krukowski PK, Galbiati M, Tonelli C, Coupland G, Conti L. Correction: The bZIP transcription factor AREB3 mediates FT signalling and floral transition at the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010920. [PMID: 37643164 PMCID: PMC10464953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010766.].
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Martignago D, da Silveira Falavigna V, Lombardi A, Gao H, Korwin Kurkowski P, Galbiati M, Tonelli C, Coupland G, Conti L. The bZIP transcription factor AREB3 mediates FT signalling and floral transition at the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010766. [PMID: 37186640 PMCID: PMC10212096 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The floral transition occurs at the shoot apical meristem (SAM) in response to favourable external and internal signals. Among these signals, variations in daylength (photoperiod) act as robust seasonal cues to activate flowering. In Arabidopsis, long-day photoperiods stimulate production in the leaf vasculature of a systemic florigenic signal that is translocated to the SAM. According to the current model, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), the main Arabidopsis florigen, causes transcriptional reprogramming at the SAM, so that lateral primordia eventually acquire floral identity. FT functions as a transcriptional coregulator with the bZIP transcription factor FD, which binds DNA at specific promoters. FD can also interact with TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1), a protein related to FT that acts as a floral repressor. Thus, the balance between FT-TFL1 at the SAM influences the expression levels of floral genes targeted by FD. Here, we show that the FD-related bZIP transcription factor AREB3, which was previously studied in the context of phytohormone abscisic acid signalling, is expressed at the SAM in a spatio-temporal pattern that strongly overlaps with FD and contributes to FT signalling. Mutant analyses demonstrate that AREB3 relays FT signals redundantly with FD, and the presence of a conserved carboxy-terminal SAP motif is required for downstream signalling. AREB3 shows unique and common patterns of expression with FD, and AREB3 expression levels are negatively regulated by FD thus forming a compensatory feedback loop. Mutations in another bZIP, FDP, further aggravate the late flowering phenotypes of fd areb3 mutants. Therefore, multiple florigen-interacting bZIP transcription factors have redundant functions in flowering at the SAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Martignago
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - He Gao
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - George Coupland
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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3
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Siemiatkowska B, Chiara M, Badiger BG, Riboni M, D'Avila F, Braga D, Salem MAA, Martignago D, Colanero S, Galbiati M, Giavalisco P, Tonelli C, Juenger TE, Conti L. GIGANTEA Is a Negative Regulator of Abscisic Acid Transcriptional Responses and Sensitivity in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Physiol 2022; 63:1285-1297. [PMID: 35859344 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcac102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional reprogramming plays a key role in drought stress responses, preceding the onset of morphological and physiological acclimation. The best-characterized signal regulating gene expression in response to drought is the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). ABA-regulated gene expression, biosynthesis and signaling are highly organized in a diurnal cycle, so that ABA-regulated physiological traits occur at the appropriate time of day. The mechanisms that underpin such diel oscillations in ABA signals are poorly characterized. Here we uncover GIGANTEA (GI) as a key gatekeeper of ABA-regulated transcriptional and physiological responses. Time-resolved gene expression profiling by RNA sequencing under different irrigation scenarios indicates that gi mutants produce an exaggerated ABA response, despite accumulating wild-type levels of ABA. Comparisons with ABA-deficient mutants confirm the role of GI in controlling ABA-regulated genes, and the analysis of leaf temperature, a read-out for transpiration, supports a role for GI in the control of ABA-regulated physiological processes. Promoter regions of GI/ABA-regulated transcripts are directly targeted by different classes of transcription factors (TFs), especially PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR and -BINDING FACTOR, together with GI itself. We propose a model whereby diel changes in GI control oscillations in ABA responses. Peak GI accumulation at midday contributes to establishing a phase of reduced ABA sensitivity and related physiological responses, by gating DNA binding or function of different classes of TFs that cooperate or compete with GI at target regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Siemiatkowska
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Matteo Chiara
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Bhaskara G Badiger
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Matteo Riboni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Francesca D'Avila
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Antonio di Rudinì, 8, Milano 20142, Italy
| | - Daniele Braga
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Antonio di Rudinì, 8, Milano 20142, Italy
| | - Mohamed Abd Allah Salem
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Gamal Abd El Nasr st., Shibin Elkom, Menoufia 32511, Egypt
| | - Damiano Martignago
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Sara Colanero
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria-IBBA, CNR, Via Edoardo Bassini, 15, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Patrick Giavalisco
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph Stelzmann Str. 9b, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Thomas E Juenger
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, Milano 20133, Italy
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Tedesco B, Cristofani R, Ferrari V, Cozzi M, Rusmini P, Casarotto E, Chierichetti M, Mina F, Galbiati M, Piccolella M, Crippa V, Poletti A. Insights on Human Small Heat Shock Proteins and Their Alterations in Diseases. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:842149. [PMID: 35281256 PMCID: PMC8913478 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.842149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The family of the human small Heat Shock Proteins (HSPBs) consists of ten members of chaperones (HSPB1-HSPB10), characterized by a low molecular weight and capable of dimerization and oligomerization forming large homo- or hetero-complexes. All HSPBs possess a highly conserved centrally located α-crystallin domain and poorly conserved N- and C-terminal domains. The main feature of HSPBs is to exert cytoprotective functions by preserving proteostasis, assuring the structural maintenance of the cytoskeleton and acting in response to cellular stresses and apoptosis. HSPBs take part in cell homeostasis by acting as holdases, which is the ability to interact with a substrate preventing its aggregation. In addition, HSPBs cooperate in substrates refolding driven by other chaperones or, alternatively, promote substrate routing to degradation. Notably, while some HSPBs are ubiquitously expressed, others show peculiar tissue-specific expression. Cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle and neurons show high expression levels for a wide variety of HSPBs. Indeed, most of the mutations identified in HSPBs are associated to cardiomyopathies, myopathies, and motor neuropathies. Instead, mutations in HSPB4 and HSPB5, which are also expressed in lens, have been associated with cataract. Mutations of HSPBs family members encompass base substitutions, insertions, and deletions, resulting in single amino acid substitutions or in the generation of truncated or elongated proteins. This review will provide an updated overview of disease-related mutations in HSPBs focusing on the structural and biochemical effects of mutations and their functional consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Tedesco
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Unit of Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - R. Cristofani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - V. Ferrari
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - M. Cozzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - P. Rusmini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - E. Casarotto
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - M. Chierichetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - F. Mina
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - M. Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - M. Piccolella
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - V. Crippa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - A. Poletti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: A. Poletti,
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Simeoni F, Skirycz A, Simoni L, Castorina G, de Souza LP, Fernie AR, Alseekh S, Giavalisco P, Conti L, Tonelli C, Galbiati M. The AtMYB60 transcription factor regulates stomatal opening by modulating oxylipin synthesis in guard cells. Sci Rep 2022; 12:533. [PMID: 35017563 PMCID: PMC8752683 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04433-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Stomata are epidermal pores formed by pairs of specialized guard cells, which regulate gas exchanges between the plant and the atmosphere. Modulation of transcription has emerged as an important level of regulation of stomatal activity. The AtMYB60 transcription factor was previously identified as a positive regulator of stomatal opening, although the details of its function remain unknown. Here, we propose a role for AtMYB60 as a negative modulator of oxylipins synthesis in stomata. The atmyb60-1 mutant shows reduced stomatal opening and accumulates increased levels of 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (12-OPDA), jasmonic acid (JA) and jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile) in guard cells. We provide evidence that 12-OPDA triggers stomatal closure independently of JA and cooperatively with abscisic acid (ABA) in atmyb60-1. Our study highlights the relevance of oxylipins metabolism in stomatal regulation and indicates AtMYB60 as transcriptional integrator of ABA and oxylipins responses in guard cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Simeoni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Laura Simoni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Castorina
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali-Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.,Center for Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Saleh Alseekh
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Patrick Giavalisco
- Metabolomics Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Milan, Italy.
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6
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Mizzotti C, Rotasperti L, Moretto M, Tadini L, Resentini F, Galliani BM, Galbiati M, Engelen K, Pesaresi P, Masiero S. Time-Course Transcriptome Analysis of Arabidopsis Siliques Discloses Genes Essential for Fruit Development and Maturation. Plant Physiol 2018; 178:1249-1268. [PMID: 30275057 PMCID: PMC6236619 DOI: 10.1104/pp.18.00727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Fruits protect the developing seeds of angiosperms and actively contribute to seed dispersion. Furthermore, fruit and seed development are highly synchronized and require exchange of information between the mother plant and the developing generations. To explore the mechanisms controlling fruit formation and maturation, we performed a transcriptomic analysis on the valve tissue of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) silique using RNA sequencing. In doing so, we have generated a data set of differentially regulated genes that will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underpin the initial phase of fruit growth and, subsequently, trigger fruit maturation. The robustness of our data set has been tested by functional genomic studies. Using a reverse genetics approach, we selected 10 differentially expressed genes and explored the consequences of their disruption for both silique growth and senescence. We found that genes contained in our data set play essential roles in different stages of silique development and maturation, indicating that our transcriptome-based gene list is a powerful tool for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms controlling fruit formation in Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Mizzotti
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Lisa Rotasperti
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Moretto
- Computational Biology Unit, Fondazione E. Mach, 38010 S. Michele all'Adige, Trentino, Italy
| | - Luca Tadini
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Resentini
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Bianca M Galliani
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Kristof Engelen
- Computational Biology Unit, Fondazione E. Mach, 38010 S. Michele all'Adige, Trentino, Italy
| | - Paolo Pesaresi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Masiero
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
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7
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Castorina G, Fox S, Tonelli C, Galbiati M, Conti L. Erratum to: A novel role for STOMATAL CARPENTER 1 in stomata patterning. BMC Plant Biol 2017; 17:27. [PMID: 28129734 PMCID: PMC5273786 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-016-0948-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Castorina
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Samantha Fox
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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8
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Galbiati M, Stoot AC, Mackenzie DMA, Bøggild P, Camilli L. Real-time oxide evolution of copper protected by graphene and boron nitride barriers. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39770. [PMID: 28067249 PMCID: PMC5220376 DOI: 10.1038/srep39770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Applying protective or barrier layers to isolate a target item from the environment is a common approach to prevent or delay its degradation. The impermeability of two-dimensional materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has generated a great deal of interest in corrosion and material science. Owing to their different electronic properties (graphene is a semimetal, whereas hBN is a wide-bandgap insulator), their protection behaviour is distinctly different. Here we investigate the performance of graphene and hBN as barrier coatings applied on copper substrates through a real-time study in two different oxidative conditions. Our findings show that the evolution of the copper oxidation is remarkably different for the two coating materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Galbiati
- Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - A C Stoot
- Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - D M A Mackenzie
- Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - P Bøggild
- Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - L Camilli
- Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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9
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Pilati S, Bagagli G, Sonego P, Moretto M, Brazzale D, Castorina G, Simoni L, Tonelli C, Guella G, Engelen K, Galbiati M, Moser C. Abscisic Acid Is a Major Regulator of Grape Berry Ripening Onset: New Insights into ABA Signaling Network. Front Plant Sci 2017; 8:1093. [PMID: 28680438 PMCID: PMC5479058 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Grapevine is a world-wide cultivated economically relevant crop. The process of berry ripening is non-climacteric and does not rely on the sole ethylene signal. Abscisic acid (ABA) is recognized as an important hormone of ripening inception and color development in ripening berries. In order to elucidate the effect of this signal at the molecular level, pre-véraison berries were treated ex vivo for 20 h with 0.2 mM ABA and berry skin transcriptional modulation was studied by RNA-seq after the treatment and 24 h later, in the absence of exogenous ABA. This study highlighted that a small amount of ABA triggered its own biosynthesis and had a transcriptome-wide effect (1893 modulated genes) characterized by the amplification of the transcriptional response over time. By comparing this dataset with the many studies on ripening collected within the grapevine transcriptomic compendium Vespucci, an extended overlap between ABA- and ripening modulated gene sets was observed (71% of the genes), underpinning the role of this hormone in the regulation of berry ripening. The signaling network of ABA, encompassing ABA metabolism, transport and signaling cascade, has been analyzed in detail and expanded based on knowledge from other species in order to provide an integrated molecular description of this pathway at berry ripening onset. Expression data analysis was combined with in silico promoter analysis to identify candidate target genes of ABA responsive element binding protein 2 (VvABF2), a key upstream transcription factor of the ABA signaling cascade which is up-regulated at véraison and also by ABA treatments. Two transcription factors, VvMYB143 and VvNAC17, and two genes involved in protein degradation, Armadillo-like and Xerico-like genes, were selected for in vivo validation by VvABF2-mediated promoter trans-activation in tobacco. VvNAC17 and Armadillo-like promoters were induced by ABA via VvABF2, while VvMYB143 responded to ABA in a VvABF2-independent manner. This knowledge of the ABA cascade in berry skin contributes not only to the understanding of berry ripening regulation but might be useful to other areas of viticultural interest, such as bud dormancy regulation and drought stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Pilati
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
- *Correspondence: Stefania Pilati,
| | - Giorgia Bagagli
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
| | - Paolo Sonego
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
| | - Marco Moretto
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
| | - Daniele Brazzale
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
| | - Giulia Castorina
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
| | - Laura Simoni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
| | - Graziano Guella
- Department of Physics, Bioorganic Chemistry Lab, University of TrentoTrento, Italy
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle RicercheTrento, Italy
| | - Kristof Engelen
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
| | - Claudio Moser
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all′Adige, Italy
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10
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Campanaro A, Battaglia R, Galbiati M, Sadanandom A, Tonelli C, Conti L. SUMO proteases OTS1 and 2 control filament elongation through a DELLA-dependent mechanism. Plant Reprod 2016; 29:287-290. [PMID: 27761651 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-016-0292-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
SUMOylation and anther growth. During fertilization, stamen elongation needs to be synchronized with pistil growth. The phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA) promotes stamen growth by stimulating the degradation of growth repressing DELLA proteins. DELLA accumulation is negatively regulated by GAs through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a proportion of DELLAs is also conjugated to the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) protein, which stabilizes DELLAs. Increased DELLA levels occur in the SUMO protease-deficient OVERLY TOLERANT TO SALT 1 and 2 (ots1 ots2) double mutants, especially under salt stress conditions. Here, we show that OTS genes play a redundant role in the control of plant fertility under non-stress conditions. Mutants of ots1 ots2 display reduced fertility compared with the wild type, owing to reduced stamen elongation. Stamen growth, pollination rate and seed production are restored in ots1 ots2 della mutants, thus linking OTS1 function to the control of DELLA activity in the context of filament elongation. OTS levels appear to be developmentally regulated as OTS1/2 transcript upregulation during stamen development overlaps with GAs accumulations. We propose that OTS genes enable synchronization of stamen development by facilitating DELLA degradation at a specific developmental stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Campanaro
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Raffaella Battaglia
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- CREA - Genomics Research Centre, Fiorenzuola d'Arda, PC, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Ari Sadanandom
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucio Conti
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
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11
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Riboni M, Robustelli Test A, Galbiati M, Tonelli C, Conti L. ABA-dependent control of GIGANTEA signalling enables drought escape via up-regulation of FLOWERING LOCUS T in Arabidopsis thaliana. J Exp Bot 2016; 67:6309-6322. [PMID: 27733440 PMCID: PMC5181575 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
One strategy deployed by plants to endure water scarcity is to accelerate the transition to flowering adaptively via the drought escape (DE) response. In Arabidopsis thaliana, activation of the DE response requires the photoperiodic response gene GIGANTEA (GI) and the florigen genes FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and TWIN SISTER OF FT (TSF). The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is also required for the DE response, by promoting the transcriptional up-regulation of the florigen genes. The mode of interaction between ABA and the photoperiodic genes remains obscure. In this work we use a genetic approach to demonstrate that ABA modulates GI signalling and consequently its ability to activate the florigen genes. We also reveal that the ABA-dependent activation of FT, but not TSF, requires CONSTANS (CO) and that impairing ABA signalling dramatically reduces the expression of florigen genes with little effect on the CO transcript profile. ABA signalling thus has an impact on the core genes of photoperiodic signalling GI and CO by modulating their downstream function and/or activities rather than their transcript accumulation. In addition, we show that as well as promoting flowering, ABA simultaneously represses flowering, independent of the florigen genes. Genetic analysis indicates that the target of the repressive function of ABA is the flowering-promoting gene SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 (SOC1), a transcription factor integrating floral cues in the shoot meristem. Our study suggests that variations in ABA signalling provide different developmental information that allows plants to co-ordinate the onset of the reproductive phase according to the available water resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Riboni
- Department of BioSciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Alice Robustelli Test
- Department of BioSciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Department of BioSciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Department of BioSciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucio Conti
- Department of BioSciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
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12
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Castorina G, Fox S, Tonelli C, Galbiati M, Conti L. A novel role for STOMATAL CARPENTER 1 in stomata patterning. BMC Plant Biol 2016; 16:172. [PMID: 27484174 PMCID: PMC4970199 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-016-0851-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Guard cells (GCs) are specialised cells within the plant epidermis which form stomatal pores, through which gas exchange can occur. The GCs derive through a specialised lineage of cell divisions which is specified by the transcription factor SPEECHLESS (SPCH), the expression of which can be detected in undifferentiated epidermal cells prior to asymmetric division. Other transcription factors may act before GC specification and be required for correct GC patterning. Previously, the DOF transcription factor STOMATAL CARPENTER 1 (SCAP1) was shown to be involved in GC function, by activating a set of GC-specific genes required for GC maturation and activity. It is thus far unknown whether SCAP1 can also affect stomatal development. RESULTS Here we show that SCAP1 expression can also be observed in young leaf primordia, before any GC differentiation occurs. The study of transgenic plants carrying a proSCAP1:GUS-GFP transcriptional fusion, coupled with qPCR analyses, indicate that SCAP1 expression peaks in a temporal window which is coincident with expression of stomatal patterning genes. Independent scap1 loss-of-function mutants have a reduced number of GCs whilst SCAP1 over expression lines have an increased number of GCs, in addition to altered GC distribution and spacing patterns. The study of early markers for stomatal cell lineage in a background carrying gain-of-function alleles of SCAP1 revealed that, compared to the wild type, an increased number of protodermal cells are recruited in the GC lineage, which is reflected in an increased number of meristemoids. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest an early role for SCAP1 in GC differentiation. We propose that a function of SCAP1 is to integrate different aspects of GC biology including specification, spacing, maturation and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Castorina
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Samantha Fox
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH UK
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
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13
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González-Schain N, Dreni L, Lawas LMF, Galbiati M, Colombo L, Heuer S, Jagadish KSV, Kater MM. Genome-Wide Transcriptome Analysis During Anthesis Reveals New Insights into the Molecular Basis of Heat Stress Responses in Tolerant and Sensitive Rice Varieties. Plant Cell Physiol 2016; 57:57-68. [PMID: 26561535 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcv174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Rice is one of the main food crops in the world. In the near future, yield is expected to be under pressure due to unfavorable climatic conditions, such as increasing temperatures. Therefore, improving rice germplasm in order to guarantee rice production under harsh environmental conditions is of top priority. Although many physiological studies have contributed to understanding heat responses during anthesis, the most heat-sensitive stage, molecular data are still largely lacking. In this study, an RNA-sequencing approach of heat- and control-treated reproductive tissues during anthesis was carried out using N22, one of the most heat-tolerant rice cultivars known to date. This analysis revealed that expression of genes encoding a number of transcription factor families, together with signal transduction and metabolic pathway genes, is repressed. On the other hand, expression of genes encoding heat shock factors and heat shock proteins was highly activated. Many of these genes are predominantly expressed at late stages of anther development. Further physiological experiments using heat-tolerant N22 and two sensitive cultivars suggest that reduced yield in heat-sensitive plants may be associated with poor pollen development or production in anthers prior to anthesis. In parallel, induction levels of a set of heat-responsive genes in these tissues correlated well with heat tolerance. Altogether, these findings suggest that proper expression of protective chaperones in anthers is needed before anthesis to overcome stress damage and to ensure fertilization. Genes putatively controlling this process were identified and are valuable candidates to consider for molecular breeding of highly productive heat-tolerant cultivars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahuel González-Schain
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy Present address: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, CONICET, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario 2000, Argentina
| | - Ludovico Dreni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy Present address: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Lovely M F Lawas
- Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines Present address: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Colombo
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Sigrid Heuer
- Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG), Adelaide, Australia
| | - Krishna S V Jagadish
- Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines Present address: Department of Agronomy, 2004 Throckmorton Plant Science Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Martin M Kater
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
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14
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Negri AS, Allegra D, Simoni L, Rusconi F, Tonelli C, Espen L, Galbiati M. Comparative analysis of fruit aroma patterns in the domesticated wild strawberries "Profumata di Tortona" (F. moschata) and "Regina delle Valli" (F. vesca). Front Plant Sci 2015; 6:56. [PMID: 25717332 PMCID: PMC4324068 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Strawberry is one of the most valued fruit worldwide. Modern cultivated varieties (Fragaria × ananassa) exhibit large fruits, with intense color and prolonged shell life. Yet, these valuable traits were attained at the cost of the intensity and the variety of the aroma of the berry, two characteristics highly appreciated by consumers. Wild species display smaller fruits and reduced yield compared with cultivated varieties but they accumulate broader and augmented blends of volatile compounds. Because of the large diversity and strength of aromas occurring in natural and domesticated populations, plant breeders regard wild strawberries as important donors of novel scented molecules. Here we report a comprehensive metabolic map of the aroma of the wild strawberry Profumata di Tortona (PdT), an ancient clone of F. moschata, considered as one of the most fragrant strawberry types of all. Comparison with the more renowned woodland strawberry Regina delle Valli (RdV), an aromatic cultivar of F. vesca, revealed a significant enrichment in the total level of esters, alcohols and furanones and a reduction in the content of ketones in in the aroma of PdT berries. Among esters, particularly relevant was the enhanced accumulation of methyl anthranilate, responsible for the intensive sweetish impression of wild strawberries. Interestingly, increased ester accumulation in PdT fruits correlated with enhanced expression of the Strawberry Alcohol Acyltransferase (SAAT) gene, a key regulator of flavor biogenesis in ripening berries. We also detected a remarkable 900-fold increase in the level of mesifurane, the furanone conferring the typical caramel notes to most wild species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo S. Negri
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
| | | | - Laura Simoni
- Plant Model System Platform, Fondazione FilareteMilan, Italy
| | - Fabio Rusconi
- Plant Model System Platform, Fondazione FilareteMilan, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Department of Life Sciences, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
| | - Luca Espen
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Luca Espen, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milano 20133, Italy e-mail:
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Plant Model System Platform, Fondazione FilareteMilan, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy
- Massimo Galbiati, Department of Life Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, Milano 20133, Italy e-mail:
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15
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Riboni M, Robustelli Test A, Galbiati M, Tonelli C, Conti L. Environmental stress and flowering time: the photoperiodic connection. Plant Signal Behav 2014; 9:e29036. [PMID: 25763486 PMCID: PMC4091191 DOI: 10.4161/psb.29036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Revised: 04/27/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants maximize their chances to survive adversities by reprogramming their development according to environmental conditions. Adaptive variations in the timing to flowering reflect the need for plants to set seeds under the most favorable conditions. A complex network of genetic pathways allows plants to detect and integrate external (e.g., photoperiod and temperature) and/or internal (e.g., age) information to initiate the floral transition. Furthermore different types of environmental stresses play an important role in the floral transition. The emerging picture is that stress conditions often affect flowering through modulation of the photoperiodic pathway. In this review we will discuss different modes of cross talk between stress signaling and photoperiodic flowering, highlighting the central role of the florigen genes in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Riboni
- Department of Biosciences; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milan, Italy
| | | | - Massimo Galbiati
- Department of Biosciences; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milan, Italy
- Fondazione Filarete; Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Department of Biosciences; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milan, Italy
| | - Lucio Conti
- Department of Biosciences; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milan, Italy
- Correspondence to: Lucio Conti,
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16
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Zanisi M, Messi E, Galbiati M. Excitatory amino acids as modulators of gonadotropin secretion. Amino Acids 2013; 6:47-56. [PMID: 24190742 DOI: 10.1007/bf00808122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/1992] [Accepted: 06/11/1993] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The effects of quinolinic acid (QUIN) and quisqualate (QA) on the secretion of GnRH from MBH and LH and FSH from AP of 50 day old male rats have been evaluated by means of an "in vitro" perifusion technique.QUIN (100µM) is able to increase GnRH secretion with an action mediated by an NMDA receptor type, as shown by the inhibitory effect exerted by both a competitive (AP-5) and a non-competitive (MK-801) specific antagonist.QA "per se" at the concentrations tested (1-100µM) does not modify GnRH and gonadotropin secretion, but in the presence of a specific KA/QA receptor antagonist (DNQX) exerts a stimulatory effect at both levels.This observation might indicate that of the two QA receptor subtypes (ionotropic and metabotropic), this agonist binds to the metabotropic one with very low affinity: thus it is likely that a higher dose is required in order to have any effect on gonadotropin secretion. However, in the presence of DNQX, which binds to the ionotropic receptor, all the available QA can bind to the metabotropic one and can exert its action at MBH AP levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Zanisi
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133, Milano, Italy
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17
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Rusconi F, Simeoni F, Francia P, Cominelli E, Conti L, Riboni M, Simoni L, Martin CR, Tonelli C, Galbiati M. The Arabidopsis thaliana MYB60 promoter provides a tool for the spatio-temporal control of gene expression in stomatal guard cells. J Exp Bot 2013; 64:3361-71. [PMID: 23828545 PMCID: PMC3733157 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Plants have evolved different strategies to resist drought, of which the best understood is the abscisic acid (ABA)-induced closure of stomatal pores to reduce water loss by transpiration. The availability of useful promoters that allow for precise spatial and temporal control of gene expression in stomata is essential both for investigating stomatal regulation in model systems and for biotechnological applications in field crops. Previous work indicated that the regulatory region of the transcription factor AtMYB60 specifically drives gene expression in guard cells of Arabidopsis, although its activity is rapidly down-regulated by ABA. Here, the activity of the full-length and minimal AtMYB60 promoters is reported in rice (Oryza sativa), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), using a reporter gene approach. In rice, the activity of both promoters was completely abolished, whereas it was spatially restricted to guard cells in tobacco and tomato. To overcome the negative effect of ABA on the AtMYB60 promoter, a chimeric inducible system was developed, which combined the cellular specificity of the AtMYB60 minimal promoter with the positive responsiveness to dehydration and ABA of the rd29A promoter. Remarkably, the synthetic module specifically up-regulated gene expression in guard cells of Arabidopsis, tobacco, and tomato in response to dehydration or ABA. The comparative analysis of different native and synthetic regulatory modules derived from the AtMYB60 promoter offers new insights into the functional conservation of the cis-mechanisms that mediate gene expression in guard cells in distantly related dicotyledonous species and provides novel tools for modulating stomatal activity in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabio Simeoni
- Fondazione Filarete, Milano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Priscilla Francia
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- * Present address: Dipartimento Formazione e Apprendimento SUPSI-DFA, Locarno, Switzerland
| | - Eleonora Cominelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Present address: Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR, Milano, Italy
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Matteo Riboni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | | | | | - Chiara Tonelli
- Fondazione Filarete, Milano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Fondazione Filarete, Milano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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18
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Riboni M, Galbiati M, Tonelli C, Conti L. GIGANTEA enables drought escape response via abscisic acid-dependent activation of the florigens and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS. Plant Physiol 2013; 162:1706-19. [PMID: 23719890 PMCID: PMC3707542 DOI: 10.1104/pp.113.217729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Modulation of the transition to flowering plays an important role in the adaptation to drought. The drought-escape (DE) response allows plants to adaptively shorten their life cycle to make seeds before severe stress leads to death. However, the molecular basis of the DE response is unknown. A screen of different Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) flowering time mutants under DE-triggering conditions revealed the central role of the flower-promoting gene GIGANTEA (GI) and the florigen genes FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and TWIN SISTER OF FT (TSF) in the DE response. Further screens showed that the phytohormone abscisic acid is required for the DE response, positively regulating flowering under long-day conditions. Drought stress promotes the transcriptional up-regulation of the florigens in an abscisic acid- and photoperiod-dependent manner, so that early flowering only occurs under long days. Along with the florigens, the floral integrator SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 is also up-regulated in a similar fashion and contributes to the activation of TSF. The DE response was recovered under short days in the absence of the floral repressor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE or in GI-overexpressing plants. Our data reveal a key role for GI in connecting photoperiodic cues and environmental stress independently from the central FT/TSF activator CONSTANS. This mechanism explains how environmental cues may act upon the florigen genes in a photoperiodically controlled manner, thus enabling plastic flowering responses.
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19
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Fazio G, Cazzaniga V, Palmi C, Galbiati M, Giordan M, te Kronnie G, Rolink A, Biondi A, Cazzaniga G. PAX5/ETV6 alters the gene expression profile of precursor B cells with opposite dominant effect on endogenous PAX5. Leukemia 2013; 27:992-5. [PMID: 23090680 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2012.281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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20
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Galbiati M, Lettieri A, Micalizzi C, Songia S, Morerio C, Biondi A, Dufour C, Cazzaniga G. Natural history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in neurofibromatosis type 1 monozygotic twins. Leukemia 2013; 27:1778-81. [DOI: 10.1038/leu.2013.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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21
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Cominelli E, Conti L, Tonelli C, Galbiati M. Challenges and perspectives to improve crop drought and salinity tolerance. N Biotechnol 2012; 30:355-61. [PMID: 23165101 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2012.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Drought and high salinity are two major abiotic stresses affecting crop productivity. Therefore, the development of crops better adapted to cope with these stresses represents a key goal to ensure global food security to an increasing world population. Although many genes involved in the response to these abiotic stresses have been extensively characterised and some stress tolerant plants developed, the success rate in producing stress-tolerant crops for field conditions has been thus far limited. In this review we discuss different factors hampering the successful transfer of beneficial genes from model species to crops, emphasizing some limitations in the phenotypic characterisation and definition of the stress tolerant plants developed so far. We also highlight some technological advances and different approaches that may help in developing cultivated stress tolerant plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cominelli
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR, Via E. Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy
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22
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André V, Longoni D, Bresolin S, Cappuzzello C, Dander E, Galbiati M, Bugarin C, Di Meglio A, Nicolis E, Maserati E, Serafini M, Warren AJ, Te Kronnie G, Cazzaniga G, Sainati L, Cipolli M, Biondi A, D'Amico G. Mesenchymal stem cells from Shwachman-Diamond syndrome patients display normal functions and do not contribute to hematological defects. Blood Cancer J 2012; 2:e94. [PMID: 23064742 PMCID: PMC3483621 DOI: 10.1038/bcj.2012.40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Shwachman–Diamond syndrome (SDS) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by bone marrow (BM) dysfunction and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. SDS patients have an increased risk for myelodisplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the key component of the hematopoietic microenvironment and are relevant in inducing genetic mutations leading to leukemia. However, their role in SDS is still unexplored. We demonstrated that morphology, growth kinetics and expression of surface markers of MSCs from SDS patients (SDS-MSCs) were similar to normal MSCs. Moreover, SDS-MSCs were able to differentiate into mesengenic lineages and to inhibit the proliferation of mitogen-activated lymphocytes. We demonstrated in an in vitro coculture system that SDS-MSCs, significantly inhibited neutrophil apoptosis probably through interleukin-6 production. In a long-term coculture with CD34+-sorted cells, SDS-MSCs were able to sustain CD34+ cells survival and to preserve their stemness. Finally, SDS-MSCs had normal karyotype and did not show any chromosomal abnormality observed in the hematological components of the BM of SDS patients. Despite their pivotal role in the hematopoietic stem cell niche, our data suggest that MSC themselves do not seem to be responsible for the hematological defects typical of SDS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- V André
- Centro Ricerca 'M Tettamanti', Clinica Pediatrica Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
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23
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Cominelli E, Galbiati M, Tonelli C. Transcription factors controlling stomatal movements and drought tolerance. Transcription 2012; 1:41-5. [PMID: 21327157 DOI: 10.4161/trns.1.1.12064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2010] [Revised: 04/13/2010] [Accepted: 04/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last years some efforts in the characterization of transcription factors involved in stomatal movements in plants have been undertaken. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms that plants adopt to cope with abiotic stress and offer new strategies to improve plant drought tolerance.
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Bruson A, Sambataro F, Querin G, D'Ascenzo C, Palmieri A, Agostini J, Gaiani A, Angelini C, Galbiati M, Poletti A, Pennuto M, Pegoraro E, Clementi M, Soraru G. CAG repeat length in androgen receptor gene is not associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Eur J Neurol 2012; 19:1373-5. [PMID: 22233359 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2011.03646.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological and clinical studies show higher prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in males than in females and more severe lesions in androgen receptor (AR)-expressing tissues. The AR gene contains a polymorphic CAG trinucleotide repeat, whose expansion over a certain threshold is toxic to motor neurons, causing spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). PURPOSE AND METHODS We tested the hypothesis that the AR CAG repeat linked to SBMA is a risk factor for ALS. We analyzed AR CAG expansions in 336 patients with ALS and 100 controls. RESULTS We found a negative association of AR CAG expansions with ALS susceptibility, clinical presentation, and survival. CONCLUSIONS Our findings do not support a role of the AR CAG repeat length in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bruson
- Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics Unit, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
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Cominelli E, Galbiati M, Albertini A, Fornara F, Conti L, Coupland G, Tonelli C. DOF-binding sites additively contribute to guard cell-specificity of AtMYB60 promoter. BMC Plant Biol 2011; 11:162. [PMID: 22088138 PMCID: PMC3248575 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2229-11-162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 11/16/2011] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously demonstrated that the Arabidopsis thaliana AtMYB60 protein is an R2R3MYB transcription factor required for stomatal opening. AtMYB60 is specifically expressed in guard cells and down-regulated at the transcriptional levels by the phytohormone ABA. RESULTS To investigate the molecular mechanisms governing AtMYB60 expression, its promoter was dissected through deletion and mutagenesis analyses. By studying different versions of AtMYB60 promoter::GUS reporter fusions in transgenic plants we were able to demonstrate a modular organization for the AtMYB60 promoter. Particularly we defined: a minimal promoter sufficient to confer guard cell-specific activity to the reporter gene; the distinct roles of different DOF-binding sites organised in a cluster in the minimal promoter in determining guard cell-specific expression; the promoter regions responsible for the enhancement of activity in guard cells; a promoter region responsible for the negative transcriptional regulation by ABA. Moreover from the analysis of single and multiple mutants we could rule out the involvement of a group of DOF proteins, known as CDFs, already characterised for their involvement in flowering time, in the regulation of AtMYB60 expression. CONCLUSIONS These findings shed light on the regulation of gene expression in guard cells and provide new promoter modules as useful tools for manipulating gene expression in guard cells, both for physiological studies and future biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cominelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Fondazione Filarete, Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandra Albertini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fornara
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Fondazione Filarete, Milano, Italy
| | - George Coupland
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
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Galbiati M, Matus JT, Francia P, Rusconi F, Cañón P, Medina C, Conti L, Cominelli E, Tonelli C, Arce-Johnson P. The grapevine guard cell-related VvMYB60 transcription factor is involved in the regulation of stomatal activity and is differentially expressed in response to ABA and osmotic stress. BMC Plant Biol 2011; 11:142. [PMID: 22018045 PMCID: PMC3206852 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2229-11-142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Under drought, plants accumulate the signaling hormone abscisic acid (ABA), which induces the rapid closure of stomatal pores to prevent water loss. This event is trigged by a series of signals produced inside guard cells which finally reduce their turgor. Many of these events are tightly regulated at the transcriptional level, including the control exerted by MYB proteins. In a previous study, while identifying the grapevine R2R3 MYB family, two closely related genes, VvMYB30 and VvMYB60 were found with high similarity to AtMYB60, an Arabidopsis guard cell-related drought responsive gene. RESULTS Promoter-GUS transcriptional fusion assays showed that expression of VvMYB60 was restricted to stomatal guard cells and was attenuated in response to ABA. Unlike VvMYB30, VvMYB60 was able to complement the loss-of-function atmyb60-1 mutant, indicating that VvMYB60 is the only true ortholog of AtMYB60 in the grape genome. In addition, VvMYB60 was differentially regulated during development of grape organs and in response to ABA and drought-related stress conditions. CONCLUSIONS These results show that VvMYB60 modulates physiological responses in guard cells, leading to the possibility of engineering stomatal conductance in grapevine, reducing water loss and helping this species to tolerate drought under extreme climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Fondazione Filarete, Viale Ortles 22/4, 20139, Milano, Italy
| | - José Tomás Matus
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología. Alameda 340. Santiago, Chile
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Priscilla Francia
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Rusconi
- Fondazione Filarete, Viale Ortles 22/4, 20139, Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Cañón
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología. Alameda 340. Santiago, Chile
| | - Consuelo Medina
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología. Alameda 340. Santiago, Chile
| | - Lucio Conti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Fondazione Filarete, Viale Ortles 22/4, 20139, Milano, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cominelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR; Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Patricio Arce-Johnson
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología. Alameda 340. Santiago, Chile
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Cesana F, Alloni M, Sormani P, Colombo G, Maloberti A, Nava S, Galbiati M, Stucchi M, Cairo M, Corradi B, Castoldi G, Giannattasio C, Mancia G. P5.23 TIMP1 PLASMA LEVELS ARE CORRELATED WITH ARTERIAL STIFFENING PROCESS. Artery Res 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.artres.2011.10.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
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28
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Bardini M, Galbiati M, Lettieri A, Bungaro S, Gorletta TA, Biondi A, Cazzaniga G. Implementation of array based whole-genome high-resolution technologies confirms the absence of secondary copy-number alterations in MLL-AF4-positive infant ALL patients. Leukemia 2010; 25:175-8. [PMID: 20944671 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2010.232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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29
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Landoni M, De Francesco A, Galbiati M, Tonelli C. A loss-of-function mutation in Calmodulin2 gene affects pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Mol Biol 2010; 74:235-247. [PMID: 20683641 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-010-9669-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Calmodulin (CAM) is an ubiquitous calcium binding protein whose function is to translate the signals, perceived as calcium concentration variations, into the appropriate cellular responses. In Arabidopsis thaliana there are 4 CAM isoforms which are highly similar, encoded by 7 genes, and one possible explanation proposed for the evolutionary conservation of the CAM gene family is that the different genes have acquired different functions so that they play possibly overlapping but non-identical roles. Here we report the characterization of the Arabidopsis mutant cam2-2, identified among the lines of the gene-trapping collection EXOTIC because of a distorted segregation of kanamycin resistance. Phenotypic analysis showed that in normal growth conditions cam2-2 plants were indistinguishable from the wild type while genetic analysis showed a reduced transmission of the cam2-2 allele through the male gametophyte and in vitro pollen germination revealed a reduced level of germination in comparison with the wild type. These results provide genetic evidence of the involvement of a CAM gene in pollen germination and support the theory of functional diversification of the CAM gene family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Landoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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30
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31
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Francia P, Simoni L, Cominelli E, Tonelli C, Galbiati M. Gene trap-based identification of a guard cell promoter in Arabidopsis. Plant Signal Behav 2008; 3:684-6. [PMID: 19704826 PMCID: PMC2634557 DOI: 10.4161/psb.3.9.5820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2008] [Accepted: 02/29/2008] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Preserving crop yield under drought stress is a major challenge for modern agriculture. To cope with the detrimental effects of water scarcity on crop productivity it is important to develop new plants with a more sustainable use of water and capable of higher performance under stress conditions. Transpiration through stomatal pores accounts for over 90% of water loss in land plants. Recent studies have increased our understanding of the networks that control stomatal activity and have led to practical approaches for enhancing drought tolerance. Genetic engineering of target genes in stomata requires effective expression systems, including suitable promoters, because constitutive promoters (i.e., CaMV35S) are not always functional or can have negative effects on plant growth and productivity. Here we describe the identification of the CYP86A2 guard cell promoter and discuss its potential for gene expression in stomata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Francia
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milano, Italy
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32
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Cominelli E, Galbiati M, Tonelli C. Integration of water stress response: Cell expansion and cuticle deposition in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Signal Behav 2008; 3:556-7. [PMID: 19704466 PMCID: PMC2634494 DOI: 10.4161/psb.3.8.5699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2008] [Accepted: 02/06/2008] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Inhibition of cell expansion and modification in the accumulation of cuticle components are two important processes that plants adopted to respond to water deficit. In our recent publication in The Plant Journal we characterized an Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factor, belonging to the R2R3-MYB family, specifically expressed in response to water deficit, involved in the regulation of these two processes. The overexpression of this gene causes both the reduction of mRNA level of some genes involved in cell expansion and the accumulation of transcript of genes with a putative role in cuticle synthesis and deposition. In this addendum we propose a model for the function of this transcription factor as an integrator of the pathway that induces cuticle components synthesis and deposition and the process that blocks cell expansion in response to water stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cominelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milano, Italy
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33
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Cominelli E, Gusmaroli G, Allegra D, Galbiati M, Wade HK, Jenkins GI, Tonelli C. Expression analysis of anthocyanin regulatory genes in response to different light qualities in Arabidopsis thaliana. J Plant Physiol 2008; 165:886-94. [PMID: 17766004 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2007.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2007] [Revised: 06/07/2007] [Accepted: 06/10/2007] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In this work we analysed, at the transcript level, the response of Arabidopsis anthocyanin regulatory genes of the MYB (PAP1 and PAP2), bHLH (TT8, EGL3 and GL3) and WD40 (TTG1) families to white light in seedlings and to different light qualities in rosette leaves. Our experiments showed strong light induction of the MYB genes PAP1 and PAP2. In particular, the kinetics of PAP1 expression preceded those of PAP2 and all of the structural genes (CHS, DFR, F3H, LDOX), consistent with the hypothesis that it has a key role in light induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis. All bHLH genes analysed showed light induction, and in seedlings their expression preceded that of the late structural genes, suggesting their possible role in light regulation of these structural genes. TTG1 expression is essentially constitutive in both systems. Experiments with transgenic lines over-expressing the MYB factors show that PAP1, but not PAP2, strongly stimulates expression of the anthocyanin structural gene encoding dihydroflavonol reductase, but neither factor affected expression of the early flavonoid biosynthesis gene encoding chalcone synthase. Consistent with these findings, PAP1, but not PAP2, stimulated light induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis in seedlings. We conclude that specific members of the MYB and bHLH families play important roles in regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to different light qualities in Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cominelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 26, 20133 Milano, Italy.
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34
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Galbiati M, Simoni L, Pavesi G, Cominelli E, Francia P, Vavasseur A, Nelson T, Bevan M, Tonelli C. Gene trap lines identify Arabidopsis genes expressed in stomatal guard cells. Plant J 2008; 53:750-62. [PMID: 18036199 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2007.03371.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We employed a gene trap approach to identify genes expressed in stomatal guard cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. We examined patterns of reporter gene expression in approximately 20,000 gene trap lines, and recovered five lines with exclusive or preferential expression in stomata. The screen yielded two insertions in annotated genes, encoding the CYTOCHROME P450 86A2 (CYP86A2) mono-oxygenase, and the PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE 3 (AtPDR3) transporter. Expression of the trapped genes in guard cells was confirmed by RT-PCR experiments in purified stomata. Examination of homozygous mutant lines revealed that abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure was impaired in the atpdr3 mutant. In three lines, insertions occurred outside transcribed units. Expression analysis of the genes surrounding the trapping inserts identified two genes selectively expressed in guard cells, corresponding to a PP2C PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE and an unknown expressed protein gene. Statistical analyses of the chromosomal regions tagged by the gene trap insertions revealed an over-represented [A/T]AAAG motif, previously described as an essential cis-active element for gene expression in stomata. The lines described in this work identify novel genes involved in the modulation of stomatal activity, provide useful markers for the study of developmental pathways in guard cells, and are a valuable source of guard cell-specific promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Galbiati
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20 133 Milano, Italy.
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35
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Capra ACM, Amigoni M, Scotti V, Galbiati M, Scanziani E, Alloni M, Montemerlo E, Giannattasio C, Jankovich M, Mancia G. Echographic Evaluation of Cardiac Toxicity and Tissue Characterization After Anthracycline Chemotherapy in Childhood: The Importance of Fractional Shortening (FS). High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev 2007. [DOI: 10.2165/00151642-200714030-00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
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36
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Whisstock C, Alloni M, Cafro A, Failla M, Scanziani E, Galbiati M, Paleari F, Gamba PL, Rigoldi M, Giannattasio C, Mancia M. Study of 24-Hour Glycaemia Variability and Arterial Structure and Function in Type 1 Diabetic Patients. High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev 2007. [DOI: 10.2165/00151642-200714030-00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
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37
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Whisstock C, Viscardi L, Bianchi F, Galbiati M, Capra A, Gamba PL, Paleari F, Giannattasio C, Mancia G. Effects of 2 Years Treatment with Quinapril on Carotid Intima Media in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev 2007. [DOI: 10.2165/00151642-200714030-00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
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38
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Galbiati M, Saredi S, Romanò N, Martini L, Motta M, Melcangi RC. Smad proteins are targets of transforming growth factor beta1 in immortalised gonadotrophin-releasing hormone releasing neurones. J Neuroendocrinol 2005; 17:753-60. [PMID: 16219004 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2005.01366.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) is one of the growth factors involved in the neuroendocrine control of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones. It is produced and released by the astrocytes surrounding GnRH neurones and directly controls their secretory activity. TGFbeta signalling is based on a complex of two receptors that transduces the signal through peculiar intracellular substrates, the Smad proteins, which, upon activation, move into the nucleus, and modify the transcription of TGFbeta responsive genes. The present study aimed to verify whether TGFbeta1 is able to regulate the Smad pathway in GT1-1 cells (i.e. an immortalised neuronal cell line releasing GnRH). We show that: (i) GT1-1 cells express Smad 2, 3, 4, and 7; (ii) TGFbeta1 enhances the phosphorylation of Smad 2 and 3 at short times of exposure (15-30 min); (iii) TGFbeta1 induces the synthesis of the inhibitory Smad 7 at longer times (60-120-240 min); (iv) the conditioned medium of type 1 astrocytes enhances the phosphorylation of Smad 2 and 3 in GT1-1 cells and a TGFbeta1 neutralising antibody counteracts this effect. The results indicate that Smads are targets of TGFbeta1 and that astrocytes are able to modulate Smads proteins in GT1-1 cells through the release of TGFbeta1. Taken together, the data provide new evidence that glial cells are important regulators of the GnRH neuronal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Galbiati
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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39
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Cominelli E, Galbiati M, Vavasseur A, Conti L, Sala T, Vuylsteke M, Leonhardt N, Dellaporta SL, Tonelli C. A guard-cell-specific MYB transcription factor regulates stomatal movements and plant drought tolerance. Curr Biol 2005; 15:1196-200. [PMID: 16005291 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2005.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 298] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2005] [Revised: 05/09/2005] [Accepted: 05/10/2005] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Stomatal pores located on the plant epidermis regulate CO(2) uptake for photosynthesis and the loss of water by transpiration. The opening and closing of the pore is mediated by turgor-driven volume changes of two surrounding guard cells. These highly specialized cells integrate internal signals and environmental stimuli to modulate stomatal aperture for plant survival under diverse conditions. Modulation of transcription and mRNA processing play important roles in controlling guard-cell activity, although the details of these levels of regulation remain mostly unknown. Here we report the characterization of AtMYB60, a R2R3-MYB gene of Arabidopsis, as the first transcription factor involved in the regulation of stomatal movements. AtMYB60 is specifically expressed in guard cells, and its expression is negatively modulated during drought. A null mutation in AtMYB60 results in the constitutive reduction of stomatal opening and in decreased wilting under water stress conditions. Transcript levels of a limited number of genes are altered in the mutant, and many of these genes are involved in the plant response to stress. Our data indicate that AtMYB60 is a transcriptional modulator of physiological responses in guard cells and open new possibilities to engineering stomatal activity to help plants survive desiccation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cominelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
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40
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Galbiati M, Martini L, Melcangi RC. TGFbeta signaling pathways in LHRH immortalized neurons. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2003. [DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-817597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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41
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Abstract
The mechanisms through which steroid hormones influence the LHRH system are not completely clarified and still represent a crucial and debated field of research in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction. Several data indicate that glial cells influence the activity of hypothalamic LHRH-secreting neurons, via the release of growth factors. It is now well known that glial cells express different kinds of steroid receptors and consequently may be considered as a target for the action of steroid hormones. To this purpose, the possibility that the effects of steroid hormones on LHRH neurons may be mediated by glial elements has been taken in consideration and observations supporting this hypothesis have been reported and discussed here. The results so far obtained strongly suggest that steroid hormones and growth factors, in order to exert their modulatory actions on LHRH dynamic, act in an integrated manner at the level of hypothalamic astrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Galbiati
- Department of Endocrinology and Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
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Galbiati M, Martini L, Melcangi RC. Oestrogens, via transforming growth factor alpha, modulate basic fibroblast growth factor synthesis in hypothalamic astrocytes: in vitro observations. J Neuroendocrinol 2002; 14:829-35. [PMID: 12372008 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2002.00852.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The data presented here show that, in cultures of type 1 astrocytes obtained from the hypothalamus of neonatal female rat, 17beta-oestradiol is able to increase both the mRNA and the protein levels of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). In particular, after 24 h of exposure to 17beta-oestradiol (10(-9) and 10(-10) m), an increase of messenger levels of bFGF appears in hypothalamic type 1 astrocytes. Similarly, an induction of bFGF protein is also evident at this time of exposure. The effect on the mRNA and protein levels of bFGF is blocked by the presence in the medium of an antibody raised against the transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha) receptor. This observation indicates that, TGFalpha, whose synthesis is modulated by oestrogens in hypothalamic astrocytes and which is able to increase, both the mRNA and the protein levels of bFGF in our experimental model, may act as the mediator of the oestrogenic induction of bFGF. Hypothalamic astrocytes, together with hypothalamic neurones synthesizing and secreting luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), form the LHRH network in conjunction with other neuronal systems. Gonadal steroids in general, and oestrogens in particular, play an important role in the control of the activity of this network. In addition, bFGF and TGFalpha, two growth factors released from astrocytes, are able to influence the activity of LHRH neurones. The present observations suggest that oestrogens may also act on LHRH neurones in an indirect fashion (i.e. by modulating the expression of bFGF and TGFalpha in glial cells).
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Affiliation(s)
- M Galbiati
- Department of Endocrinology and Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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43
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Melcangi RC, Magnaghi V, Galbiati M, Martini L. Formation and effects of neuroactive steroids in the central and peripheral nervous system. Int Rev Neurobiol 2002; 46:145-76. [PMID: 11599299 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(01)46062-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
This chapter summarizes several observations that emphasize the importance of neuroactive steroids in the physiology of the central and peripheral nervous systems. A new, and probably important, concept is emerging: Neuroactive steroids not only modify neuronal physiology but also intervene in the control of glial cell functions. The data presented here underscore that (1) the mechanism of action of the various steroidal molecules may involve both classical (progesterone and androgens) and nonclassical steroid receptors [gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor], (2) in many instances, the actions of hormonal steroids are not due to their native molecular forms but to their 5 alpha- and 3 alpha,5 alpha-reduced metabolites, (3) several neuroactive steroids exert dramatic actions on the proteins proper of the peripheral myelin (e.g., glycoprotein Po and peripheral myelin protein 22), and (4) the effects of steroids and of their metabolites might have clinical significance in cases in which the rebuilding of the peripheral myelin is needed (e.g., aging, peripheral injury).
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Melcangi
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, 20133, Milan, Italy
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44
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Melcangi RC, Magnaghi V, Galbiati M, Martini L. STEROID EFFECTS ON THE GENE EXPRESSION OF PERIPHERAL MYELIN PROTEINS. J Peripher Nerv Syst 2002. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1529-8027.2002.2008_18.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Melcangi RC, Cavarretta I, Magnaghi V, Martini L, Galbiati M. Interactions between growth factors and steroids in the control of LHRH-secreting neurons. Brain Res Brain Res Rev 2001; 37:223-34. [PMID: 11744088 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-0173(01)00120-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
How the gene expression and the release of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) are controlled in LHRH-secreting neurons is a very crucial and still debated topic of the neuroendocrinology. Several observations present in literature have recently indicated that glial cells may influence the activity of hypothalamic LHRH-secreting neurons, via the release of growth factors. The present review will summarize data obtained in our laboratory indicating that: (a) type 1 astrocytes, a kind of glial cells, are able to release in vitro growth factors belonging to the transforming growth factors beta (TGFbeta) family (i.e. TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2) which influence the gene expression and the release of the decapeptide in immortalized LHRH-secreting neurons; (b) glial cells are also able to influence the steroid metabolism occurring in these neurons and in some cases this effect is exerted by TGFbeta1; (c) the mRNA levels of TGFbeta1 and of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), another growth factor involved in the control of LHRH-secreting neurons, are modified in the rat hypothalamus during the different phases of the estrous cycle; (d) steroid hormones are able to modulate the gene expression of TGFbeta1 and bFGF both in vivo (i.e. in the whole hypothalamus of ovariectomized rats) and in vitro (cultures of type 1 astrocytes). On the basis of these results a possible functional correlation in the control of LHRH-secreting neurons between growth factors and gonadal steroids will be discussed and proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Melcangi
- Department of Endocrinology and Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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Abstract
The present review summarizes observations obtained in our laboratories which underline the importance of neuroactive steroids (i.e., progesterone (PROG), dihydroprogesterone (5alpha-DH PROG), tetrahydroprogesterone (3alpha, 5alpha-TH PROG), testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 5alpha-androstan-3alpha,17beta-diol (3alpha-diol)) in the control of the gene expression of myelin proteins (i.e. glycoprotein Po (Po) and the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22)) in the peripheral nervous system. Utilizing different in vivo (aged and adult male rats) and in vitro (Schwann cell cultures) experimental models, we have observed that neuroactive steroids are able to stimulate the mRNA levels of Po and PMP22. The effects of these neuroactive steroids, which are able to interact with classical (progesterone receptor, PR, and androgen receptor, AR) and non-classical (GABA(A) receptor) steroid receptors is further supported by our demonstration in sciatic nerve and/or Schwann cells of the presence of these receptors. On the basis of the observations obtained in the Schwann cells cultures, we suggest that the stimulatory effect of neuroactive steroids on Po is acting through PR, while that on PMP22 needs the GABA(A) receptor. The present findings might be of importance for the utilization of specific receptor ligands as new therapeutical approaches for the rebuilding of the peripheral myelin, particularly in those situations in which the synthesis of Po and PMP22 is altered (i.e. demyelinating diseases like Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A and type 1B, hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies and the Déjérine-Sottas syndrome, aging, and after peripheral injury).
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Affiliation(s)
- V Magnaghi
- Department of Endocrinology and Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Melcangi
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Via G. Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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Abstract
The present article summarizes recent observations obtained in our laboratory which clearly indicate that sex steroids exert relevant effects on the peripheral nervous system. In particular, the following important points have emerged: (1) Steroids exert stimulatory actions on the synthesis of the proteins proper of the peripheral myelin (e.g., glycoprotein Po and peripheral myelin protein 22) in vivo and on the Schwann cells in culture; (2) in many cases the actions of hormonal steroids are not due to their native molecular forms but rather to their metabolites (e.g., dihydroprogesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone in the case of progesterone; dihydrotestosterone and 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol in the case of testosterone); (3) the mechanism of action of the various steroidal molecules may involve both classical (progesterone and androgen receptors) and nonclassical steroid receptors (GABA(A) receptor); and finally, (4) the stimulatory action of steroid hormones on the proteins of the peripheral myelin might have clinical significance in cases in which the rebuilding of myelin is needed (e.g., aging, peripheral injury, demyelinating diseases, and diabetic neuropathy).
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Melcangi
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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Galbiati M, Magnaghi V, Martini L, Melcangi RC. Hypothalamic transforming growth factor beta1 and basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA expression is modified during the rat oestrous cycle. J Neuroendocrinol 2001; 13:483-9. [PMID: 11412334 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2001.00659.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The present observations show that the mRNA levels of two growth factors, previously described to be involved in the control of neurones synthesizing the luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) [i.e. transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)], fluctuate in the hypothalamus of adult female rats during the oestrous cycle. In particular, the expression of TGFbeta1-mRNA shows a peak on the morning of the day of proestrus, which precedes the increased secretion of the two gonadotrophins that occurs on that day. In the case of bFGF, the peak is evident in the evening of the same day and is concomitant with that of the gonadotrophins. We evaluated the effects of ovariectomy and of exogenous oestrogens on the mRNA levels of these two growth factors in the hypothalamus. The data indicate that 3 weeks of ovariectomy are not able to change the hypothalamic messenger levels of the two growth factors considered, which remain at the levels found in diestrus 1, and that 17beta-oestradiol is able to induce a significant increase of both TGFbeta1- and of bFGF-mRNA levels in the hypothalamus of the ovariectomized rat. The present in vivo observations support the concept, previously proposed on the basis of in vitro data, that growth factors, such as TGFbeta1 and bFGF, play a role in the hypothalamic control of reproduction, and suggest that the control of LHRH dynamics involves a strict cooperation between gonadal steroids and growth factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Galbiati
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, 20133 Milan, Italy
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Melcangi RC, Magnaghi V, Galbiati M, Ghelarducci B, Sebastiani L, Martini L. The action of steroid hormones on peripheral myelin proteins: a possible new tool for the rebuilding of myelin? J Neurocytol 2000; 29:327-39. [PMID: 11424949 DOI: 10.1023/a:1007105121765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The present paper summarizes recent results we have obtained while studying the effect of sex steroids on the gene expression of two peripheral myelin proteins, the glycoprotein Po (Po) and the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22). In particular, we have analyzed the effect of progesterone (P), testosterone (T) and their 5alpha- and 3alpha-5alpha-reduced derivatives [respectively, dihydrotestosterone (DHTT) and 5alpha-androstan-3alpha, 17beta-diol (3alpha-diol) for T, and dihydroprogesterone (DHP) and tetrahydroprogesterone (THP) for P]. The data obtained, utilizing different in vivo and in vitro experimental models, have indicated that: a) DHP is able to enhance the low messenger levels of Po present in the sciatic nerve of aged male rats; b) P, DHP and THP treatments stimulate the gene expression of Po in the sciatic nerve of adult male rats or in cultures of rat Schwann cells, while only THP is effective on PMP22; c) P and DHP are also able to increase the low messenger levels of Po present in transected sciatic nerve; d) the removal of circulating androgens by castration is able to decrease the mRNA levels of Po in the sciatic nerve, a phenomenon which is counteracted by the consequent treatment with DHT; e) the stimulatory effect of DHT on the gene expression of Po is also evident in cultures of rat Schwann cells, but in this case the effect seems to be due to the interaction of this steroid with the progesterone receptor; f) in cultures of Schwann cells PMP22 mRNA levels are stimulated only by 3alpha-diol treatment. Taken together, these observations showing the positive effects of sex steroid hormones on the gene expressions of Po and PMP22, suggest that a treatment with these molecules or their synthetic agonists may be useful in cases in which the rebuilding of myelin is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Melcangi
- Department of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Italy
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