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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Crops Pathology and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #300764
Title: A knotted1-like homeobox protein regulates abscission in tomato by modulating the auxin pathway

Author
item MA, CHAO - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item MEIR, SHIMON - Volcani Center (ARO)
item XIAO, LANGTAO - Hunan Agricultural University
item TONG, JIANHUA - Hunan Agricultural University
item LIU, QING - Hunan Agricultural University
item REID, MICHAEL - University Of California
item Jiang, Cai-Zhong

Submitted to: Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/30/2014
Publication Date: 1/5/2015
Publication URL: http://www.plantphysiology.org/content/167/3/844.full
Citation: Ma, C., Meir, S., Xiao, L., Tong, J., Liu, Q., Reid, M.S., Jiang, C. 2015. A knotted1-like homeobox protein regulates abscission in tomato by modulating the auxin pathway. Plant Physiology. 167(3):844-853.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: KD1, a gene encoding a KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX transcription factor is known to be involved, in tomato, in ontogeny of the compound leaf. KD1 is also highly expressed in both leaf and flower abscission zones. Reducing abundance of transcripts of this gene in tomato, using both virus induced gene silencing and stable transformation with a silencing construct driven under an abscission-specific promoter, resulted in a striking retardation of pedicel and petiole abscission. In addition, Pts, a semi-dominant KD1 mutant showed earlier pedicel and petiole abscission. cDNA microarray and RT-PCR analysis indicated that regulation of abscission by KD1 was based on the responses of auxin signaling and transport genes. Auxin content and a DR5::GUS auxin reporter assay confirmed that KD1 modulated the auxin level and response in the abscission zone.