Constitutive CKI1 activity modulates cytokinin signaling and regulates vascular tissue development in Arabidopsis.
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| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Cytokinins are essential in multiple aspects of plant development, such as regulation of cell division and vascular tissue development. While cytokinin signal is perceived by the three histidine kinase receptors AHK2, AHK3 and AHK4/CRE1/WOL, recent genetic analyses of ahk mutants indicate the presence of unknown cytokinin signaling pathway in Arabidopsis. We here show that CKI1, another member of Arabidopsis histidine kinase family, functions as a homodimer and constitutively activates the cytokinin signal transduction pathway. CKI1 induces the expression of cytokinin-responsive type-A ARRs and ARR2 phosphorylation in both cytokinin-de.cient and wild-type protoplasts. Dominant negative CKI1 alleles suppress AHK4/CRE1/WOL-dependent activation of ARR6, suggesting that CKI1 and AHK4/CRE1/WOL share downstream cytokinin signaling components. CKI1 is expressed in vascular tissues, the shoot apical meristem and root tip, and CKI1 transcription is hormone-regulated. Ectopic expression of CKI1 causes abnormal cell division and differentiation in the vascular bundles of in.orescence stems, and shoot apical and axillary meristems. Based on these results we propose a role for the hormone-dependent expression of a constitutively active histidine kinase CKI1 in vascular tissue development and meristem activity, providing a direct link between the cytokinin and other phytohormones, particularly auxin signaling. |
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