A petunia ABC protein controls strigolactone-dependent symbiotic signalling and branching
The Petunia hybrida ABC transporter PDR1 functions in strigolactone export from the roots and is important for regulating symbiosis and axillary branch development. Phytohormone transporter identified The strigolactones are plant hormones that regulate shoot branching; they are required for the esta...
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Published in | Nature (London) Vol. 483; no. 7389; pp. 341 - 344 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Nature Publishing Group UK
15.03.2012
Nature Publishing Group |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The
Petunia hybrida
ABC transporter PDR1 functions in strigolactone export from the roots and is important for regulating symbiosis and axillary branch development.
Phytohormone transporter identified
The strigolactones are plant hormones that regulate shoot branching; they are required for the establishment of widespread plant–fungus symbionts known as mycorrhizae. Here, Kretzschmar
et al
. report the discovery of a strigolactone transporter protein. The ABC transporter PDR1 from
Petunia hybrida
is required for the regulation of shoot branching, mycorrhization and interactions with parasitic weeds.
Strigolactones were originally identified as stimulators of the germination of root-parasitic weeds
1
that pose a serious threat to resource-limited agriculture
2
. They are mostly exuded from roots and function as signalling compounds in the initiation of arbuscular mycorrhizae
3
, which are plant–fungus symbionts with a global effect on carbon and phosphate cycling
4
. Recently, strigolactones were established to be phytohormones that regulate plant shoot architecture by inhibiting the outgrowth of axillary buds
5
,
6
. Despite their importance, it is not known how strigolactones are transported. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, however, are known to have functions in phytohormone translocation
7
,
8
,
9
. Here we show that the
Petunia hybrida
ABC transporter PDR1 has a key role in regulating the development of arbuscular mycorrhizae and axillary branches, by functioning as a cellular strigolactone exporter.
P. hybrida pdr1
mutants are defective in strigolactone exudation from their roots, resulting in reduced symbiotic interactions. Above ground,
pdr1
mutants have an enhanced branching phenotype, which is indicative of impaired strigolactone allocation. Overexpression of
Petunia axillaris PDR1
in
Arabidopsis thaliana
results in increased tolerance to high concentrations of a synthetic strigolactone, consistent with increased export of strigolactones from the roots. PDR1 is the first known component in strigolactone transport, providing new opportunities for investigating and manipulating strigolactone-dependent processes. |
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ISSN: | 0028-0836 1476-4687 |
DOI: | 10.1038/nature10873 |