The <i>Arabidopsis</i> transcription factor ABIG1 relays ABA signaled growth inhibition and drought induced senescence.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27697148.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.13768 and PMC identifier 5050019.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Drought inhibits plant growth and can also induce premature senescence. Here we identify a transcription factor, ABA INSENSITIVE GROWTH 1 (ABIG1) required for abscisic acid (ABA) mediated growth inhibition, but not for stomatal closure. <i>ABIG1</i> mRNA levels are increased both in response to drought and in response to ABA treatment. When treated with ABA, <i>abig1</i> mutants remain greener and produce more leaves than comparable wild-type plants. When challenged with drought, <i>abig1</i> mutants have fewer yellow, senesced leaves than wild-type. Induction of ABIG1 transcription mimics ABA treatment and regulates a set of genes implicated in stress responses. We propose a model in which drought acts through ABA to increase <i>ABIG1</i> transcription which in turn restricts new shoot growth and promotes leaf senescence. The results have implications for plant breeding: the existence of a mutant that is both ABA resistant and drought resistant points to new strategies for isolating drought resistant genetic varieties.
Medical subject headings
- Arabidopsis
- Arabidopsis Proteins
- Droughts
- Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
- Plant Development
- Stress, Physiological
- Transcription Factors
- Transcription, Genetic