title: The Arabidopsis Athb-10 (GLABRA2) is an HD-Zip protein required for regulation of root hair development.
abstract: Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) proteins are putative transcription factors identified only in plants. Related Arabidopsis homeobox genes, isolated by virtue of sequence conservation within the helix-3 region of the homeodomain, fall into four families based on sequence similarity. This paper reports the characterization of Athb-10, a 747 amino acid protein belonging to the fourth HD-ZIP family. The studies indicate that, although less conserved, the leucine zipper of Athb-10 can functionally replace that of Athb-2 in an in vitro DNA-binding assay. Gene mapping experiments and sequence comparison analysis revealed that Athb-10 corresponds to GLABRA2, a homeodomain protein involved in trichome development. The mRNA expression analysis revealed that Athb-10/GLABRA2 is expressed not only in trichome-bearing organs, but also in the root. The analysis of wild-type and mutant plants showed that the Athb-10/GLABRA2 gene expression in the aerial part of the plant and in the root is affected by mutations at the TTG locus. Morphological analysis of the g/2-1 mutant revealed that the gene is necessary not only for local outgrowth of the trichome, but also for the regulation of root hair development in a subset of epidermal cells. Interestingly, the development of root hair cells in a position normally occupied by non-hair cells is dependent upon the ethylene regime in which the gl2-1 plants are grown. Sequence analysis of the gl2-1 allele revealed that the mutant gene encodes a truncated protein that might still retain a partial activity responsible for the formation of aborted trichomes and for the ethylene-dependent regulation of root hair formation.
authors.affiliation: Unità di Nutrizione Sperimentale, Istituto Nazionale della Nutrizione, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Cristina
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sessa
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dolan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Linstead
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baima
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ruberti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morelli
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D005030:Ethylenes; C089991:GL2 protein, Arabidopsis; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018749:RNA, Plant; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C036216:ethylene