Erwin Heberle-Bors

Mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades in plants: a new nomenclature

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are universal signal transduction modules in eukaryotes, including yeasts, animals and plants. These protein phosphorylation cascades link extracellular stimuli to a wide range of cellular responses. In plants, MAPK cascades are involved in responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses, hormones, cell division and developmental processes. Completion of the Arabidopsis genome-sequencing project has revealed the existence of 20 MAPKs, 10 MAPK kinases and 60 MAPK kinase kinases. Here, we propose a simplified nomenclature for Arabidopsis MAPKs and MAPK kinases that might also serve as a basis for standard annotation of these gene families in all plants.

Initiation of microspore embryogenesis by stress

Microspores have the remarkable capacity to develop into haploid plants via embryogenesis in vitro . Stress treatment acts as a trigger for inducing this sporophytic pathway, preventing the development of fertile pollen (gametophytic pathway). The doubled haploids generated are completely homozygous, and represent an important tool for research in plant genetics and breeding. In addition, microspore embryogenesis can be used to study plant embryogenesis and phase transitions during the alternation of generations in plants. Microspore culture also allows stress to be analyzed in the novel context of cell cycle regulation and plant development.

Wounding Induces the Rapid and Transient Activation of a Specific MAP Kinase Pathway.

Mechanical injury in plants induces responses that are involved not only in healing but also in defense against a potential pathogen. To understand the intracellular signaling mechanism of wounding, we have investigated the involvement of protein kinases. Using specific antibodies, we showed that wounding alfalfa leaves specifically induces the transient activation of the p44MMK4 kinase, which belongs to the family of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Whereas activation of the MMK4 pathway is a post-translational process and was not blocked by [alpha]-amanitin and cycloheximide, inactivation depends on de novo transcription and translation of a protein factor(s). After wound-induced activation, the MMK4 pathway was subject to a refractory period of 25 min, during which time restimulation was not possible, indicating that the inactivation mechanism is only transiently active. After activation of the p44MMK4 kinase by wounding, transcript levels of the MMK4 gene increased, suggesting that the MMK4 gene may be a direct target of the MMK4 pathway. In contrast, transcripts of the wound-inducible MsWIP gene, encoding a putative proteinase inhibitor, were detected only several hours after wounding. Abscisic acid, methyl jasmonic acid, and electrical activity are known to mediate wound signaling in plants. However, none of these factors was able to activate the p44MMK4 kinase in the absence of wounding, suggesting that the MMK4 pathway acts independently of these signals.

CDK-related protein kinases in plants

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) form a conserved superfamily of eukaryotic serine-threonine protein kinases, which require binding to a cyclin protein for activity. CDK are involved in different aspects of cell biology and notably in cell cycle regulation. The comparison of nearly 50 plant CDK-related cDNAs with a selected set of their animal and yeast counterparts reveals five classes of these genes in plants. These are described here with respect to their phylogenetic, structural and functional properties. A plant-wide nomenclature of CDK-related genes is proposed, using a system similar to that of the plant cyclin genes. The most numerous class, CDKA, includes genes coding for CDK with the PSTAIRE canonical motif. CDKB makes up a class of plant-specific CDK divided into two groups: CDKB1 and CDKB2. CDKC, CDKD and CDKE form less numerous classes. The CDKD class includes the plant orthologues of metazoan CDK7, which correspond to the CDK-activating kinase (CAK). At present, no functional information is available in plants for CDKC and CDKE.

A MAP Kinase Is Activated Late in Plant Mitosis and Becomes Localized to the Plane of Cell Division

In eukaryotes, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are part of signaling modules that transmit diverse stimuli, such as mitogens, developmental cues, or various stresses. Here, we report a novel alfalfa MAPK, Medicago MAP kinase 3 (MMK3). Using an MMK3-specific antibody, we detected the MMK3 protein and its associated activity only in dividing cells. The MMK3 protein could be found during all stages of the cell cycle, but its protein kinase activity was transient in mitosis and correlated with the timing of phragmoplast formation. Depolymerization of microtubules by short treatments with the drug amiprophosmethyl during anaphase and telophase abolished MMK3 activity, indicating that intact microtubules are required for MMK3 activation. During anaphase, MMK3 was found to be concentrated in between the segregating chromosomes; later, it localized at the midplane of cell division in the phragmoplast. As the phragmoplast microtubules were redistributed from the center to the periphery during telophase, MMK3 still localized to the whole plane of division; thus, phragmoplast microtubules are not required to keep MMK3 at this location. Together, these data strongly support a role for MMK3 in the regulation of plant cytokinesis.

Efficient microspore embryogenesis in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) induced by starvation at high temperature

We have established an efficient method to induce embryo formation from isolated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) microspores. Culture of excised anthers under starvation and heat shock conditions induced the formation of embryogenic microspores at high frequency in nine Austrian winter wheat genotypes, including cultivars that had been considered as recalcitrant in anther culture. Percoll gradient centrifugation of the mechanically isolated microspores allowed us to obtain homogeneous populations of embryogenic microspores in all genotypes which, after transfer to a rich medium containing immature ovaries for conditioning, divided and produced globular embryos. Thousands of embryos were produced in one petri dish. Many of these embryos developed into plantlets after transfer to a solid medium without ovaries.

Alfalfa heat shock genes are differentially expressed during somatic embryogenesis

We have isolated two cDNA clones (Mshsp18-1; Mshsp18-2) from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) which encode for small heat shock proteins (HSPs) belonging to the hsp17 subfamily. The predicted amino acid sequences of the two alfalfa proteins are 92% identical and a similar degree of homology (90%) can be detected between Mshsp 18-2 and the pea hsp 17. In comparison to various members of small HSPs from soybean amino acid sequence similarities of 80–86% were identified. The alfalfa HSPs share a homologous stretch of amino acids in the carboxy terminal region with hsp22, 23, 26 from Drosophila. This region contains the GVLTV motif which is characteristic of several members of small HSPs. At room temperature alfalfa hsp 18 mRNAs were not detectable in root and leaf tissues but northern analysis showed a low level of expression in microcallus suspension (MCS). The transcription of Mshsp 18 genes is induced by elevated temperature, CdCl2 treatment and osmotic shock in cultured cells. In alfalfa somatic embryos derived from MCS a considerable amount of hsp 18 mRNA can be detected during the early embryogenic stages under normal culture conditions. The differential expression of these genes during embryo development suggests a specific functional role for HSPs in plant cells at the time of the developmental switch in vitro.

The microspore: A haploid multipurpose cell

Abstract The microspore is at the centre of a variety of topics in modern plant science and breeding. Isolated microspore cultures have the remarkable quality of resembling the alternation of generations in the life cycle of angiosperms, i.e. the change between the diploid sporophytec and the haploid gametophytec generation. Although the natural destination of microspore development is to differentiate into mature pollen and accomplish fertilization, isolated and in vitro cultured microspores or young pollen grains can either differentiate into mature, fertile pollen (the male gametophytes) by culture in a rich medium without stress, or divide repeatedly and develop into embryos (sporophytes) after a stress treatment. As experimental systems, microspore cultures are used to investigate pollen development and pollination, embryogenesis, totipotency, cytodifferentiation, cell cycle, phase change and the role of stress in development. As a tool in genetic engineering, they can be used to produce doubled haploids (recombinant inbreds) for plant breeding and gene mapping, to overcome crossing barriers (male sterility and self-incompatibility), to induce and select for mutants and to create transgenic plants. In this review genetic, cell biological and molecular aspects of in vitro microspore development are presented and put in the context of current basic and applied plant science.

Alfalfa cyclins: differential expression during the cell cycle and in plant organs.

Cell division in eukaryotes is mediated by the action of the mitosis promoting factor, which is composed of the CDC2 protein kinase and one of the various mitotic cyclins. We have recently isolated a cdc2 gene from alfalfa. Here, we report the isolation of two cyclin genes, cycMs1 and cycMs2, from alfalfa. The cycMs2 gene shows highest similarity to type B cyclins. In contrast, the predicted amino acid sequence of the cycMs1 gene shows similar homology scores to cyclins of all types (25 to 35%). Both genes are expressed in dividing suspension cultured cells but cease to be expressed when the cells enter stationary phase. In synchronized alfalfa suspension cultured cells, the mRNAs of cycMs1 and cycMs2 show maximal expression in the G2 and M phases. Transcripts of cycMs2 are found only in late G2 and M phase cells, an expression pattern typical for cyclin B genes, whereas cycMs1 appears with the onset of G2. This pattern indicates that alfalfa cycMs1 and cycMs2 belong to different classes of cyclins. In young leaves, expression of both genes is high, whereas in mature leaves no transcripts can be detected, indicating that the two cyclin genes are true cell division markers at the mRNA level. In other organs, a more complex expression pattern of the two cyclin genes was found.

A developmentally regulated MAP kinase activated by hydration in tobacco pollen.

A novel mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathway has been identified in tobacco. This pathway is developmentally regulated during pollen maturation and is activated by hydration during pollen germination. Analysis of different stages of pollen development showed that transcriptional and translational induction of MAP kinase synthesis occurs at the mid-bicellular stage of pollen maturation. However, the MAP kinase is stored in an inactive form in the mature, dry pollen grain. Kinase activation is very rapid after hydration of the dry pollen, peaking at approximately 5 min and decreasing thereafter. Immunoprecipitation of the kinase activity by an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody is consistent with the activation of a MAP kinase. The kinetics of activation suggest that the MAP kinase plays a role in the activation of the pollen grain after hydration rather than in pollen tube growth.