title: Cryptochrome 1 regulates growth and development in Brassica through alteration in the expression of genes involved in light, phytohormone and stress signalling.
abstract: The blue light photoreceptors cryptochromes are ubiquitous in higher plants and are vital for regulating plant growth and development. In spite of being involved in controlling agronomically important traits like plant height and flowering time, cryptochromes have not been extensively characterized from agriculturally important crops. Here we show that overexpression of CRY1 from Brassica napus (BnCRY1), an oilseed crop, results in short-statured Brassica transgenics, likely to be less prone to wind and water lodging. The overexpression of BnCRY1 accentuates the inhibition of cell elongation in hypocotyls of transgenic seedlings. The analysis of hypocotyl growth inhibition and anthocyanin accumulation responses in BnCRY1 overexpressors substantiates that regulation of seedling photomorphogenesis by cry1 is dependent on light intensity. This study highlights that the photoactivated cry1 acts through coordinated induction and suppression of specific downstream genes involved in phytohormone synthesis or signalling, and those involved in cell wall modification, during de-etiolation of Brassica seedlings. The microarray-based transcriptome profiling also suggests that the overexpression of BnCRY1 alters abiotic/biotic stress signalling pathways; the transgenic seedlings were apparently oversensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) and mannitol.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre for Plant Genomics and Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, 110021, India.
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Mithu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Naini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Burman
authors.forename: Jitendra P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Khurana
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000378:metabolism; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D018548:Cotyledon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D056931:Cryptochromes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D018546:Hypocotyl / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D063245:Plant Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D036226:Seedlings / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D056931:Cryptochromes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D000040:Abscisic Acid
keywords: abiotic stress; anthocyanin; hypocotyl; microarray; photomorphogenesis