title: Acetylglutamate kinase is required for both gametophyte function and embryo development in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: The specific functions of the genes encoding arginine biosynthesis enzymes in plants are not well characterized. We report the isolation and characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana N-acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK), which catalyzes the second step of arginine biosynthesis. NAGK is a plastid-localized protein and is expressed during most developmental processes in Arabidopsis. Heterologous expression of the Arabidopsis NAGK gene in a NAGK-deficient Escherichia coli strain fully restores bacterial growth on arginine-deficient medium. nagk mutant pollen tubes grow more slowly than wild type pollen tubes and the phenotype is restored by either specifically through complementation by NAGK in pollen, or exogenous supplementation of arginine. nagk female gametophytes are defective in micropylar pollen tube guidance due to the fact that female gametophyte cell fate specification was specifically affected. Expression of NAGK in synergid cells rescues the defect of nagk female gametophytes. Loss-of-function of NAGK results in Arabidopsis embryos not developing beyond the four-celled embryo stage. The embryo-defective phenotype in nagk/NAGK plants cannot be rescued by watering nagk/NAGK plants with arginine or ornithine supplementation. In conclusion, our results reveal a novel role of NAGK and arginine in regulating gametophyte function and embryo development, and provide valuable insights into arginine transport during embryo development.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Hailong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Liyao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Mengxiang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Xiongbo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000502:physiology*; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism; D056771:Ovule / Q000502:physiology*; D017851:Phosphotransferases (Carboxyl Group Acceptor) / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053205:Pollen Tube / Q000502:physiology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D001120:Arginine; D017851:Phosphotransferases (Carboxyl Group Acceptor); C018721:acetylglutamate kinase