This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data All Versions of this Article: 139/4/1795    most recent pp.105.070789v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in Plant Physiol. Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (16) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fiorani, F. Articles by Siedow, J. N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fiorani, F. Articles by Siedow, J. N. Agricola Articles by Fiorani, F. Articles by Siedow, J. N. Related Collections Reactive Oxygen Species

ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS AND ADAPTATION TO STRESS

The Alternative Oxidase of Plant Mitochondria Is Involved in the Acclimation of Shoot Growth at Low Temperature. A Study of Arabidopsis AOX1a Transgenic Plants^1,[W]

Developmental, Cell, and Molecular Biology Group/Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708–1000

The alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway of plant mitochondria uncouples respiration from mitochondrial ATP production and may ameliorate plant performance under stressful environmental conditions, such as cold temperatures, by preventing excess accumulation of reactive oxygen species. We tested this model in whole tissues by growing AtAOX1a-transformed Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants at 12°C. For the first time, to our knowledge, in plants genetically engineered for AOX, we identified a vegetative shoot growth phenotype. Compared with wild type at day 21 after sowing, anti-sense and overexpressing lines showed, on average, 27% reduced leaf area and 25% smaller rosettes versus 30% increased leaf area and 33% larger rosette size, respectively. Lines overexpressing a mutated, constitutively active AOX1a showed smaller phenotypic effects. These phenotypic differences were not the result of a major alteration of the tissue redox state because the changes in levels of lipid peroxidation products, reflecting oxidative damage, and the expression of genes encoding antioxidant and electron transfer chain redox enzymes did not correspond with the shoot phenotypes. However, the observed phenotypes were correlated with the amount of total shoot anthocyanin at low temperature and with the transcription of the flavonoid pathway genes PAL1 and CHS. These results demonstrate that (1) AOX activity plays a role in shoot acclimation to low temperature in Arabidopsis, and that (2) AOX not only functions to prevent excess reactive oxygen species formation in whole tissues under stressful environmental conditions but also affects metabolism through more pervasive effects, including some that are extramitochondrial.

² Present address: VIB-Ghent University, Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 927, B–9052 Ghent, Belgium.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Ann L. Umbach (umbacha{at}duke.edu).

^[W] The online version of this article contains Web-only data.

Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.105.070789.

^* Corresponding author; e-mail umbacha{at}duke.edu; fax 919–613–8177.

Received August 30, 2005; returned for revision October 18, 2005; accepted October 19, 2005.

Related articles in Plant Physiol.:

On the Inside

Peter V. Minorsky
Plant Physiol. 2005 139: 1571-1572. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. P. Lee, H. Eubel, N. O'Toole, and A. H. Millar Heterogeneity of the Mitochondrial Proteome for Photosynthetic and Non-photosynthetic Arabidopsis Metabolism Mol. Cell. Proteomics, July 1, 2008; 7(7): 1297 - 1316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Giraud, L. H.M. Ho, R. Clifton, A. Carroll, G. Estavillo, Y.-F. Tan, K. A. Howell, A. Ivanova, B. J. Pogson, A. H. Millar, et al. The Absence of ALTERNATIVE OXIDASE1a in Arabidopsis Results in Acute Sensitivity to Combined Light and Drought Stress Plant Physiology, June 1, 2008; 147(2): 595 - 610. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Bunce Direct and Acclimatory Responses of Dark Respiration and Translocation to Temperature Ann. Bot., July 1, 2007; 100(1): 67 - 73. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. R. Matos, C. Hourton-Cabassa, D. Cicek, N. Reze, J. D. Arrabaca, A. Zachowski, and F. Moreau Alternative Oxidase Involvement in Cold Stress Response of Arabidopsis thaliana fad2 and FAD3+ Cell Suspensions Altered in Membrane Lipid Composition Plant Cell Physiol., June 1, 2007; 48(6): 856 - 865. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. H.M. Ho, E. Giraud, R. Lister, D. Thirkettle-Watts, J. Low, R. Clifton, K. A. Howell, C. Carrie, T. Donald, and J. Whelan Characterization of the Regulatory and Expression Context of an Alternative Oxidase Gene Provides Insights into Cyanide-Insensitive Respiration during Growth and Development Plant Physiology, April 1, 2007; 143(4): 1519 - 1533. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Amirsadeghi, C. A. Robson, A. E. McDonald, and G. C. Vanlerberghe Changes in Plant Mitochondrial Electron Transport Alter Cellular Levels of Reactive Oxygen Species and Susceptibility to Cell Death Signaling Molecules Plant Cell Physiol., November 1, 2006; 47(11): 1509 - 1519. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]