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08:53
Visualizing Cellular Gibberellin Levels Using the nlsGPS1 Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Biosensor
Published on: January 12, 2019
Evolutionary conservation of plant gibberellin signalling pathway components
Filip Vandenbussche1, Ana C Fierro, Gertrud Wiedemann
1Unit Plant Hormone Signaling & Bio-imaging, Department of Molecular Genetics, Ghent University, Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Filip.Vandenbussche@ugent.be
BMC Plant Biology
|December 1, 2007
Summary
The gibberellin (GA) signaling pathway is primarily found in vascular plants, with its evolutionary origins potentially in mosses like Physcomitrella patens. This pathway regulates key plant growth processes.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Evolution
- Hormone Signaling
Background:
- Gibberellins (GA) are crucial plant hormones regulating germination, growth, and sex determination in seed plants.
- The GA signaling pathway involves GID1 receptors, F-box proteins, and DELLA proteins, forming a concise signal transduction route.
- Understanding this pathway is key to comprehending plant development and responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary conservation and distribution of the gibberellin signaling pathway across diverse plant lineages.
- To identify the earliest evolutionary appearance of key GA signaling components.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomics: screening plant databases for homologs of Arabidopsis GA signaling genes.
- Phylogenetic analysis: constructing neighbor-joining trees to assess evolutionary relationships.
- Functional analysis: correlating the presence of signaling pathway components with observed GA responses.
Main Results:
- The classical GA signaling pathway is largely absent in protists and shows limited homology in the moss Physcomitrella patens.
- The lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii possesses potential orthologs for each component of the pathway.
- Homologs are predominantly found in vascular plants, with close relationships observed between gymnosperms, monocots, and dicots.
Conclusions:
- The GA signaling pathway is mainly conserved within vascular plants.
- The evolutionary origin of the GA signaling system may lie in early land plants like Physcomitrella patens, where GAs influence growth at higher concentrations.
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