Shigeru Hanano

The Molecular Basis of Temperature Compensation in the Arabidopsis Circadian Clock

Circadian clocks maintain robust and accurate timing over a broad range of physiological temperatures, a characteristic termed temperature compensation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ambient temperature affects the rhythmic accumulation of transcripts encoding the clock components TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION1 (TOC1), GIGANTEA (GI), and the partially redundant genes CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1 (CCA1) and LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY). The amplitude and peak levels increase for TOC1 and GI RNA rhythms as the temperature increases (from 17 to 27°C), whereas they decrease for LHY. However, as temperatures decrease (from 17 to 12°C), CCA1 and LHY RNA rhythms increase in amplitude and peak expression level. At 27°C, a dynamic balance between GI and LHY allows temperature compensation in wild-type plants, but circadian function is impaired in lhy and gi mutant plants. However, at 12°C, CCA1 has more effect on the buffering mechanism than LHY, as the cca1 and gi mutations impair circadian rhythms more than lhy at the lower temperature. At 17°C, GI is apparently dispensable for free-running circadian rhythms, although partial GI function can affect circadian period. Numerical simulations using the interlocking-loop model show that balancing LHY/CCA1 function against GI and other evening-expressed genes can largely account for temperature compensation in wild-type plants and the temperature-specific phenotypes of gi mutants.

The TIME FOR COFFEE gene maintains the amplitude and timing of Arabidopsis circadian clocks

Plants synchronize developmental and metabolic processes with the earths 24-h rotation through the integration of circadian rhythms and responses to light. We characterize the time for coffee (tic) mutant that disrupts circadian gating, photoperiodism, and multiple circadian rhythms, with differential effects among rhythms. TIC is distinct in physiological functions and genetic map position from other rhythm mutants and their homologous loci. Detailed rhythm analysis shows that the chlorophyll a/b-binding protein gene expression rhythm requires TIC function in the mid to late subjective night, when human activity may require coffee, in contrast to the function of EARLY-FLOWERING3 (ELF3) in the late day to early night. tic mutants misexpress genes that are thought to be critical for circadian timing, consistent with our functional analysis. Thus, we identify TIC as a regulator of the clock gene circuit. In contrast to tic and elf3 single mutants, tic elf3 double mutants are completely arrhythmic. Even the robust circadian clock of plants cannot function with defects at two different phases.

Multiple phytohormones influence distinct parameters of the plant circadian clock

Circadian systems coordinate endogenous events with external signals. In mammals, hormone‐clock feedbacks are a well‐known integration system. Here, we investigated phytohormone effects on plant‐circadian rhythms via the promoter:luciferase system. We report that many hormones control specific features of the plant‐circadian system, and do so in distinct ways. In particular, cytokinins delay circadian phase, auxins regulate circadian amplitude and clock precision, and brassinosteroid and abscisic acid modulate circadian periodicity. We confirmed the pharmacology in hormone synthesis and perception mutants, as rhythmic expression is predictably altered in an array of hormone‐related mutants. We genetically dissected one mechanism that integrates hormone signals into the clock, and showed that the hormone‐activated ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR 4 and the photoreceptor phytochrome B are elements in the input of the cytokinin signal to circadian phase. Furthermore, molecular‐expression targets of this signal were found. Collectively, we found that plants have multiple input/output feedbacks, implying that many hormones can function on the circadian system to adjust the clock to external signals to properly maintain the clock system.

Forward Genetic Analysis of the Circadian Clock Separates the Multiple Functions of ZEITLUPE

The circadian system of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) includes feedback loops of gene regulation that generate 24-h oscillations. Components of these loops remain to be identified; none of the known components is completely understood, including ZEITLUPE (ZTL), a gene implicated in regulated protein degradation. ztl mutations affect both circadian and developmental responses to red light, possibly through ZTL interaction with PHYTOCHROME B (PHYB). We conducted a large-scale genetic screen that identified additional clock-affecting loci. Other mutants recovered include 11 new ztl alleles encompassing mutations in each of the ZTL protein domains. Each mutation lengthened the circadian period, even in dark-grown seedlings entrained to temperature cycles. A mutation of the LIGHT, OXYGEN, VOLTAGE (LOV)/Period-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domain was unique in retaining wild-type responses to red light both for the circadian period and for control of hypocotyl elongation. This uncoupling of ztl phenotypes indicates that interactions of ZTL protein with multiple factors must be disrupted to generate the full ztl mutant phenotype. Protein interaction assays showed that the ztl mutant phenotypes were not fully explained by impaired interactions with previously described partner proteins Arabidopsis S-phase kinase-related protein 1, TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1, and PHYB. Interaction with PHYB was unaffected by mutation of any ZTL domain. Mutation of the kelch repeat domain affected protein binding at both the LOV/PAS and the F-box domains, indicating that interaction among ZTL domains leads to the strong phenotypes of kelch mutations. Forward genetics continues to provide insight regarding both known and newly discovered components of the circadian system, although current approaches have saturated mutations at some loci.

Ubiquitin Lysine 63 Chain–Forming Ligases Regulate Apical Dominance in Arabidopsis

Lys-63–linked multiubiquitin chains play important roles in signal transduction in yeast and in mammals, but the functions for this type of chain in plants remain to be defined. The RING domain protein RGLG2 (for RING domain Ligase2) from Arabidopsis thaliana can be N-terminally myristoylated and localizes to the plasma membrane. It can form Lys-63–linked multiubiquitin chains in an in vitro reaction. RGLG2 has overlapping functions with its closest sequelog, RGLG1, and single mutants in either gene are inconspicuous. rglg1 rglg2 double mutant plants exhibit loss of apical dominance and altered phyllotaxy, two traits critically influenced by the plant hormone auxin. Auxin and cytokinin levels are changed, and the plants show a decreased response to exogenously added auxin. Changes in the abundance of PIN family auxin transport proteins and synthetic lethality with a mutation in the auxin transport regulator BIG suggest that the directional flow of auxin is modulated by RGLG activity. Modification of proteins by Lys-63–linked multiubiquitin chains is thus important for hormone-regulated, basic plant architecture.

A systematic survey in Arabidopsis thaliana of transcription factors that modulate circadian parameters

BackgroundPlant circadian systems regulate various biological processes in harmony with daily environmental changes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the underlying clock mechanism is comprised of multiple integrated transcriptional feedbacks, which collectively lead to global patterns of rhythmic gene expression. The transcriptional networks are essential within the clock itself and in its output pathway.ResultsHere, to expand understanding of transcriptional networks within and associated to the clock, we performed both an in silico analysis of transcript rhythmicity of transcription factor genes, and a pilot assessment of functional phenomics on the MYB, bHLH, and bZIP families. In our in silico analysis, we defined which members of these families express a circadian waveform of transcript abundance. Up to 20% of these families were over-represented as clock-controlled genes. To detect members that contribute to proper oscillator function, we systematically measured rhythmic growth via an imaging system in hundreds of misexpression lines targeting members of the transcription-factor families. Three transcription factors were found that conferred aberrant circadian rhythms when misexpressed: MYB3R2, bHLH69, and bHLH92.ConclusionTranscript abundance of many transcription factors in Arabidopsis oscillates in a circadian manner. Further, a developed pipeline assessed phenotypic contribution of a panel of transcriptional regulators in the circadian system.

Mind the Clock

Recent progress in plant genomics allows us to investigate genetic and physiological changes in genome-wide gene expression.1,2 In the past years, a large-scale service for the global expression profiling in Arabidopsis, AtGenExpress, has been designed and coordinated.2,3 By using these multiple datasets, questions about complicated biological networks are being resolved in powerful ways. For example, microarray analyses reveal orchestrated transcript expressions during circadian and diurnal time courses.4-6 It was estimated in this work that up to 20% of transcripts are circadian regulated, implying that the clock impacts most botanical processes, including light, temperature, and hormone signalling, and much of cellular metabolism.4,6 In turn, external cues are well-known to affect the circadian system.7,8 For example, we reported phytohormone regulation.9 Thus, we imagined that in the AtGenExpress datasets inclusive of stress- and hormone-treated experiments, clock genes might be altered in expression levels.

The Arabidopsis TAC Position Viewer: a high‐resolution map of transformation‐competent artificial chromosome (TAC) clones aligned with the Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia‐0 genome

We present a high-resolution map of genomic transformation-competent artificial chromosome (TAC) clones extending over all Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) chromosomes. The Arabidopsis genomic TAC clones have been valuable genetic tools. Previously, we constructed an Arabidopsis genomic TAC library consisting of more than 10,000 TAC clones harboring large genomic DNA fragments extending over the whole Arabidopsis genome. Here, we determined 13,577 end sequences from 6987 Arabidopsis TAC clones and mapped 5937 TAC clones to precise locations, covering approximately 90% of the Arabidopsis chromosomes. We present the large-scale data set of TAC clones with high-resolution mapping information as a Java application tool, the Arabidopsis TAC Position Viewer, which provides ready-to-go transformable genomic DNA clones corresponding to certain loci on Arabidopsis chromosomes. The TAC clone resources will accelerate genomic DNA cloning, positional walking, complementation of mutants and DNA transformation for heterologous gene expression.