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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wenatchee, Washington » Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408432
Research Project: Uncovering Rootstock Disease Resistance Mechanisms in Deciduous Tree Fruit Crops and Development of Genetics-Informed Breeding Tools for Resistant Germplasm

Location: Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research

Title: Peach LAZY1 and DRO1 protein-protein interactions and co-expression with PRAF/RLD family support conserved gravity-related protein interactions across plants

Author
item Waite, Jessica
item HOLLENDER, COURTNEY - Michigan State University
item Eilers, Jon
item Burchard, Erik
item Dardick, Christopher - Chris

Submitted to: microPublication Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2023
Publication Date: 1/10/2024
Citation: Waite, J.M., Hollender, C.H., Eilers, J.R., Burchard, E.A., Dardick, C.D. 2024. Peach LAZY1 and DRO1 protein-protein interactions and co-expression with PRAF/RLD family support conserved gravity-related protein interactions across plants. microPublication Biology. 10. Article 17912. https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.000995.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.000995

Interpretive Summary: Tree shape, or architecture, is an important aspect of agricultural production for tree crops. The angle at which tree branches grow is an part of architecture that is governed in part by a family of proteins called the IGT/LAZY proteins. In fruit trees, we investigated what other proteins the IGT/LAZY proteins interact with, which is an important step in understanding how they govern tree branch angle. Using a technique called yeast-two-hybrid, we found that peach IGT/LAZY proteins interact with another family of proteins, the PH, RCC1, AND FYVE/RCC1-LIKE DOMAIN (PRAF/RLD) proteins. These have previously been found to interact with IGT/LAZY proteins in other species like rice and Arabidopsis, and we compare these proteins to see similarities across plant species. This finding suggests that some of the molecular mechanisms that control branch angle in field crops and small herbs may be very similar in woody perennial crops like peach and other tree crops.

Technical Abstract: IGT/LAZY genes play a central role in determining gravitropic set point angle and orientation of lateral organs across plant species. Recent work in model systems has demonstrated that interactions between IGT/LAZY genes and BREVIS RADIX (BRX)-domain containing proteins, such as PH, RCC1, AND FYVE/RCC1-LIKE DOMAIN (PRAF/RLD), and BREVIS RADIX LIKE (BRXL) family members, are mechanistically important for setting gravitropic set point angle. Here, we identified peach PRAF/RLD proteins as interactors of the peach IGT/LAZY proteins PpeLAZY1 and DEEPER ROOTING 1 (PpeDRO1) from a yeast-two-hybrid screen. We also show that the BRX domains of these interacting proteins have high sequence similarity with PRAF/RLD and BRX family proteins from rice and Arabidopsis. Further, PpeLAZY1 and the peach PRAF/RLD interactors are all expressed at relatively high levels in leaf, meristem, and shoot tip tissues. Together, this evidence supports the importance and conservation of IGT/LAZY-BRX-domain interactions in setting gravitropic set point angle across angiosperms.