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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.05.13.593848

The brassinosteroid receptor gene BRI1 safeguards cell-autonomous brassinosteroid signaling across tissues

Blanco-Tourinan, N.·Rana, S.·Nolan, T. M.·Li, K.·Vukasinovic, N.·Hsu, C.-W.·Russinova, E.·Hardtke, C.
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Abstract

Brassinosteroid signaling is essential for plant growth as exemplified by the dwarf phenotype of loss-of-function mutants in BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1), a ubiquitously expressed Arabidopsis brassinosteroid receptor gene. Complementation of brassinosteroid-blind receptor mutants by BRI1 expression with various tissue-specific promoters implied that local brassinosteroid signaling may instruct growth non-cell-autonomously. Here we performed such rescues with a panel of receptor variants and promoters, in combination with tissue-specific transgene knockouts. Our experiments demonstrate that brassinosteroid receptor expression in several tissues is necessary but not sufficient for rescue. Moreover, complementation with tissue-specific promoters requires the genuine BRI1 gene body sequence, which confers ubiquitous expression of trace receptor amounts that are sufficient to promote brassinosteroid-dependent root growth. Our data, therefore, argue for a largely cell-autonomous action of brassinosteroid receptors.

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Blanco-Tourinan, N., Rana, S., Nolan, T. M., Li, K., Vukasinovic, N., Hsu, C.-W., Russinova, E., Hardtke, C.. 2024-05-13. The brassinosteroid receptor gene BRI1 safeguards cell-autonomous brassinosteroid signaling across tissues. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.13.593848

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