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Kanamycin reveals the role played by glutamate receptors in shaping plant resource allocation.

  • Guy Grant
    ,
  • Christian Dubos
    ,
  • Janet Willment
    ,
  • David J. Huggins
    ,
  • Malcolm M. Campbell
  • University of Oxford
    ,
  • University of Toronto
    ,
  • University of Cape Town
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) play important roles in neurotransmission in animals. There is growing evidence that iGluRs also play important roles in plants. Using a chemical genetics approach, which combined a pH-homeostasis mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana (de-etiolated3), several different iGluR agonists, molecular modelling, and reporter gene expression in transgenic plants, we provide evidence that iGluR agonism can induce dramatic changes in plant development and metabolism. Systematic hypothesis testing revealed a signalling circuit that integrates amino acid and sugar signals to affect elongation growth and the deposition of carbon into starch and lignins. The data show that aminoglycoside antibiotics, such as kanamycin, and polyamines impinge upon this circuit. These findings provide a mechanism for the conversion of amino acid and sugar signals into an appropriate response at the gene expression level, and underline the similarities in iGluR agonism between animals and plants.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 348-355

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Plant Journal (Volume 43, Issue 3)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 01/08/2005

Publication status

Published - 01/08/2005

ISSN

0960-7412

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/294526
  • Scopus: 27644530140

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