Plant Physiol. email content delivery
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Plant Physiology Preview
Published on October 16, 2009; 10.1104/pp.109.144956

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (Plant Physiology Preview (PDF))
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Arend, M.
Right arrow Articles by Fromm, J.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Arend, M.
Right arrow Articles by Fromm, J.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Arend, M.
Right arrow Articles by Fromm, J.

Received July 17, 2009
Accepted October 9, 2009

Expression of the Arabidopsis mutant abi1 gene alters ABA sensitivity, stomatal development and growth morphology in Grey poplars (Populus x canescens (Ait.) Sm.)

Matthias Arend *, Jorg-Peter Schnitzler , Barbara Ehlting , Robert Hansch , Theo Lange , Heinz Rennenberg , Axel Himmelbach , Erwin Grill , and Jorg Fromm

Section of Wood Biology, Technische Universitat Munchen, Winzererstrasse 45, D-80797 Munchen, Germany; Research Centre Karlsruhe, Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstrasse 19, D-82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Institute for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 053/054, D-79110 Freiburg, Germany; Institute of Plant Biology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Humboldtstraße 1, D-38106 Braunschweig; Institute of Plant Biology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, D-38206 Braunschweig, Germany; Botany Department, Technische Universitat Munchen, Am Hochanger 4, D-85354 Freising, Germany

* Corresponding author; email: matthias.arend{at}wsl.ch.

The consequences of altered ABA sensitivity in grey poplar development (Populus x canescens (Ait.) Sm.) were examined by ectopic expression of Arabidopsis mutant abi1 gene. The expression resulted in an ABA-insensitive phenotype revealed by a strong tendency of abi1 poplars to wilt, impaired responsiveness of their stomata to ABA, and an ABA-resistant bud outgrowth. These plants therefore required cultivation under very humid conditions to prevent drought stress symptoms. Morphological alterations became evident when comparing abi1 poplars with poplars expressing Arabidopsis non-mutant ABI1 or wild type (wt) plants. abi1 poplars showed increased stomatal size, enhanced shoot growth and retarded leaf and root development. The increased stomatal size and its reversion to the size of wt plants by exogenous ABA indicate a role for ABA in regulating stomatal development. Enhanced shoot growth and retarded leaf and root development support the hypothesis that ABA acts independently from drought stress as a negative regulator of growth in shoots and as a positive regulator of growth in leaves and roots. In shoots, we observed an interaction of ABA with ethylene: abi1 poplars exhibited elevated ethylene production, and the ethylene perception inhibitor Ag+ antagonised the enhanced shoot growth. Thus, we provide evidence that ABA acts as negative regulator of shoot growth in non-stressed poplars by restricting ethylene production. Furthermore, we show that ABA has a role in regulating shoot branching by inhibiting lateral bud outgrowth.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
ASPB Publications PLANT PHYSIOLOGY® THE PLANT CELL
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Plant Biologists