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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

A Pipeline to Investigate the Structures and Signaling Pathways of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptors
Published on: June 8, 2022
The possible involvement of a phosphate-induced transcription factor encoded by phi-2 gene from tobacco in
Toshio Sano1, Toshiyuki Nagata
1Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan.
Abstract:
A novel phosphate-induced gene, phi-2, has been identified by its induction on addition of phosphate to phosphate-starved tobacco BY-2 cells. The predicted gene product of phi-2 has significant homology to a group of bZIP proteins involved in ABA-signaling pathways, and phi-2 also responded to ABA treatment. A previously isolated phosphate-induced gene, phi-1, (Sano et al. (1999) Plant Cell Physiol. 40: 1) was also responsive to ABA. Although phosphate addition induced semi-synchronous cell division in phosphate-starved tobacco BY-2 cells, ABA adversely affected cell division. Detailed examination revealed that the high levels of phosphate required to induce semi-synchronous cell division seemed to be perceived as indicators of stress by the cells. One of the stress indicators perceived by the cells is a cytoplasmic pH change, to which phi-2 and phi-1 genes respond. The different components of the cell's response to phosphate induction are discussed.

