First published online August 29, 2002; 10.1104/pp.005405
Plant Physiol, September 2002, Vol. 130, pp. 102-110
The Circadian Clock That Controls Gene Expression in Arabidopsis
Is Tissue Specific1
Simon C.
Thain,2
Giovanni
Murtas,3
James R.
Lynn,
Robert. B.
McGrath, and
Andrew J.
Millar*
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry
CV4 7AL, United Kingdom (S.C.T., G.M., A.J.M.); Horticulture Research
International, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, United Kingdom (J.R.L.);
and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021 (R.B.M.)
The expression of CHALCONE SYNTHASE
(CHS) expression is an important control step in the
biosynthesis of flavonoids, which are major photoprotectants in
plants. CHS transcription is regulated by endogenous
programs and in response to environmental signals. Luciferase
reporter gene fusions showed that the CHS promoter is
controlled by the circadian clock both in roots and in aerial organs of
transgenic Arabidopsis plants. The period of rhythmic CHS expression differs from the previously described
rhythm of chlorophyll a/b-binding protein
(CAB) gene expression, indicating that
CHS is controlled by a distinct circadian clock. The
difference in period is maintained in the wild-type Arabidopsis
accessions tested and in the de-etiolated 1 and
timing of CAB expression 1 mutants. These
clock-affecting mutations alter the rhythms of both CAB
and CHS markers, indicating that a similar (if not
identical) circadian clock mechanism controls these rhythms. The
distinct tissue distribution of CAB and
CHS expression suggests that the properties of the
circadian clock differ among plant tissues. Several animal organs also
exhibit heterogeneous circadian properties in culture but are believed
to be synchronized in vivo. The fact that differing periods are
manifest in intact plants supports our proposal that spatially
separated copies of the plant circadian clock are at most weakly
coupled, if not functionally independent. This autonomy has apparently
permitted tissue-specific specialization of circadian timing.
1
This work was supported by the Biotechnology and
Biological Science Research Council (graduate studentship to S.C.T. and
grant no. BI11209 to A.J.M.). The Warwick imaging facility is supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Royal Society, and the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (grants to
A.J.M.).
2
Present address: Division of Environmental and Applied
Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN,
Scotland, UK.
3
Present address: Biogemma, Napoli, Italy.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail Andrew.Millar{at}warwick.ac.uk; fax
44-24-7652-3701.
© 2002 American Society of Plant Physiologists
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