Vacuolar Ca2+/H+ Transport Activity Is Required for Systemic Phosphate Homeostasis Involving Shoot-to-Root Signaling in Arabidopsis
Calcium ions (Ca2+) and Ca2+-related proteins mediate a wide array of downstream processes involved in plant responses to abiotic stresses. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), disruption of the vacuolar Ca2+/H+ transporters CAX1 and CAX3 causes notable alterations in the shoot ionome, including phosphate (Pi) content. In this study, we showed that the cax1/cax3 double mutant displays an elevated Pi level in shoots as a result of increased Pi uptake in a miR399/PHO2-independent signaling pathway. Microarray analysis of the cax1/cax3 mutant suggests the regulatory function of CAX1 and CAX3 in suppressing the expression of a subset of shoot Pi starvation-responsive genes, including genes encoding the PHT1;4 Pi transporter and two SPX domain-containing proteins, SPX1 and SPX3. Moreover, although the expression of several PHT1 genes and PHT1;1/2/3 proteins is not upregulated in the root of cax1/cax3, results from reciprocal grafting experiments indicate that the cax1/cax3 scion is responsible for high Pi accumulation in grafted plants, and that the pht1;1 rootstock is sufficient to moderately repress such Pi accumulation. Based on these findings, we propose that CAX1 and CAX3 mediate a shoot-derived signal that modulates the activity of the root Pi transporter system, likely in part via post-translational regulation of PHT1;1 Pi transporters.Tzyy-Jen Chiou
Distinguished Research Fellow
(02) 2787-2051
tjchiou@gate.sinica.edu.tw
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- 1995 Ph.D. Physiological and Molecular Plant Biology Program, Univ. of Illinois, USA
- 1995-1997 PDF Dept. of Plant Biology, Univ. of Illinois, USA
- 1997-1998 PDF Dept. of Food Science, Univ. of Illinois, USA
- 1998-2000 PDF Plant Biology Div., Noble Foundation, USA
- 2000-2007 Assistant Research Fellow Inst. of BioAgric. Sci., Academia Sinica
- 2007-2012 Associate Research Fellow
- 2012-2018 Research Fellow
- 2014-2016 Vice Director
- 2018-Distinguished Research Fellow
- 2018-Deputy Executive Secretary