Antisense Expression of a Cell Wall-associated Protein Kinase, WAK4, Inhibits Cell Elongation and Alters Morphology

Overview

Journal Plant Cell

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialties Biology
Cell Biology

Date 2001 Jun 13

PMID 11402163

Citations 99

Authors

D Lally

P Ingmire

H Y Tong

Z H He

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Arabidopsis cell wall-associated receptor-like kinase (WAK) gene family contains five highly related members whose products are suited for exchanging signals between the intracellular and extracellular compartments. WAK members are expressed in specific organs and regulated differentially by various biotic and abiotic factors. To gain further insight into how WAKs function during development, we used a glucocorticoid-inducible system to express ectopically the WAK4 antisense gene. The induced expression of the WAK4 antisense gene resulted in a significant decrease of WAK proteins. Ninety-six hours after the induction of WAK4 antisense expression, WAK proteins became undetectable. Cell elongation was impaired, and lateral root development was blocked. The level of WAK protein could be controlled by the concentration of the applied inducer, dexamethasone, and was correlated with the severity of the cell elongation inhibition phenotype. These results suggest that the WAKs serve a vital role in cell elongation and are required for plant development.

Citing Articles

Function of WAKs in Regulating Cell Wall Development and Responses to Abiotic Stress.

Yao X, Humphries J, Johnson K, Chen J, Ma Y Plants (Basel). 2025; 14(3).

PMID: 39942905 PMC: 11820136. DOI: 10.3390/plants14030343.

Genome-wide identification of the wall-associated kinase gene family and their expression patterns under various abiotic stresses in soybean ( (L.) Merr).

Li X, Qi S, Meng L, Su P, Sun Y, Li N Front Plant Sci. 2025; 15:1511681.

PMID: 39886685 PMC: 11779729. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1511681.

Characterization of the wall-associated kinase (WAK) gene family in Gossypium barbadense reveals the positive role of GbWAK5 in salt tolerance.

Zhang Z, Ma W, Wang H, Ren Z, Liu Y, He K Plant Cell Rep. 2024; 44(1):18.

PMID: 39738693 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03407-4.

, a novel cell wall-associated receptor kinase gene from , promotes growth but reduces cold tolerance in .

Wu Q, Jiao X, Liu D, Sun M, Tong W, Ruan X Front Plant Sci. 2024; 15:1420431.

PMID: 39670271 PMC: 11634587. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1420431.

The TaWAK2-TaNAL1-TaDST pathway regulates leaf width via cytokinin signaling in wheat.

Du D, Li Z, Yuan J, He F, Li X, Wang N Sci Adv. 2024; 10(35):eadp5541.

PMID: 39196932 PMC: 11352840. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp5541.

References

Tang G, Luscher M, Sturm A . Antisense repression of vacuolar and cell wall invertase in transgenic carrot alters early plant development and sucrose partitioning. Plant Cell. 1999; 11(2):177-89. PMC: 144160. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.11.2.177. View

Stenberg Y, Muranyi A, Steen C, Thulin E, Drakenberg T, Stenflo J . EGF-like module pair 3-4 in vitamin K-dependent protein S: modulation of calcium affinity of module 4 by module 3, and interaction with factor X. J Mol Biol. 1999; 293(3):653-65. DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1999.3139. View

Kim G, Tsukaya H, Saito Y, Uchimiya H . Changes in the shapes of leaves and flowers upon overexpression of cytochrome P450 in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999; 96(16):9433-7. PMC: 17800. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.16.9433. View

McNellis T, Mudgett M, Li K, Aoyama T, Horvath D, Chua N . Glucocorticoid-inducible expression of a bacterial avirulence gene in transgenic Arabidopsis induces hypersensitive cell death. Plant J. 1998; 14(2):247-57. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1998.00106.x. View

He Z, He D, Kohorn B . Requirement for the induced expression of a cell wall associated receptor kinase for survival during the pathogen response. Plant J. 1998; 14(1):55-63. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1998.00092.x. View

Roberts K . The plant extracellular matrix: in a new expansive mood. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1994; 6(5):688-94. DOI: 10.1016/0955-0674(94)90095-7. View

Torii K . Receptor kinase activation and signal transduction in plants: an emerging picture. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2000; 3(5):361-7. DOI: 10.1016/s1369-5266(00)00097-2. View

Pitts R, Cernac A, Estelle M . Auxin and ethylene promote root hair elongation in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 1999; 16(5):553-60. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1998.00321.x. View

Kennerdell J, Carthew R . Use of dsRNA-mediated genetic interference to demonstrate that frizzled and frizzled 2 act in the wingless pathway. Cell. 1999; 95(7):1017-26. DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81725-0. View

10.

Carpita N, McCann M, Griffing L . The plant extracellular matrix: news from the cell's frontier. Plant Cell. 1996; 8(9):1451-63. PMC: 161290. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.8.9.1451. View

11.

DAoust M, Yelle S, Nguyen-Quoc B . Antisense inhibition of tomato fruit sucrose synthase decreases fruit setting and the sucrose unloading capacity of young fruit. Plant Cell. 1999; 11(12):2407-18. PMC: 144148. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.11.12.2407. View

12.

Braam J . If walls could talk. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 1999; 2(6):521-4. DOI: 10.1016/s1369-5266(99)00029-1. View

13.

Lee M, Schiefelbein J . WEREWOLF, a MYB-related protein in Arabidopsis, is a position-dependent regulator of epidermal cell patterning. Cell. 1999; 99(5):473-83. DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81536-6. View

14.

Yoshizumi T, Nagata N, Shimada H, Matsui M . An Arabidopsis cell cycle -dependent kinase-related gene, CDC2b, plays a role in regulating seedling growth in darkness. Plant Cell. 1999; 11(10):1883-96. PMC: 144097. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.11.10.1883. View

15.

Appella E, Robinson E, Ullrich S, Stoppelli M, Corti A, Cassani G . The receptor-binding sequence of urokinase. A biological function for the growth-factor module of proteases. J Biol Chem. 1987; 262(10):4437-40. View

16.

Schiefelbein J, Masucci J, Wang H . Building a root: the control of patterning and morphogenesis during root development. Plant Cell. 1997; 9(7):1089-98. PMC: 156982. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.9.7.1089. View

17.

Kang H, Fang Y, Singh K . A glucocorticoid-inducible transcription system causes severe growth defects in Arabidopsis and induces defense-related genes. Plant J. 1999; 20(1):127-33. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1999.00575.x. View

18.

Baskin T, Wilson J, Cork A, Williamson R . Morphology and microtubule organization in Arabidopsis roots exposed to oryzalin or taxol. Plant Cell Physiol. 1994; 35(6):935-42. View

19.

Kohorn B . Plasma membrane-cell wall contacts. Plant Physiol. 2000; 124(1):31-8. PMC: 1539276. DOI: 10.1104/pp.124.1.31. View

20.

Jones A . Auxin transport: down and out and up again. Science. 1999; 282(5397):2201-3. DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5397.2201. View