A position-dependent pattern of epidermal cell types is produced during root development in Arabidopsis thaliana. This pattern is reflected in the expression pattern of GLABRA2 (GL2), a homeobox gene that regulates cell differentiation in the root epidermis. GL2 promoter::GUS fusions were used to show that the TTG gene, a regulator of root epidermis development, is necessary for maximal GL2 activity but is not required for the pattern of GL2 expression. Furthermore, GL2-promoter activity is influenced by expression of the myc-like maize R gene (35S::R) in Arabidopsis but is not affected by gl2 mutations. A position-dependent pattern of cell differentiation and GL2-promoter activity was also discovered in the hypocotyl epidermis that was analogous to the pattern in the root. Non-GL2-expressing cell files in the hypocotyl epidermis located outside anticlinal cortical cell walls exhibit reduced cell length and form stomata. Like the root, the hypocotyl GL2 activity was shown to be influenced by ttg and 35S::R but not by gl2. The parallel pattern of cell differentiation in the root and hypocotyl indicates that TTG and GL2 participate in a common position-dependent mechanism to control cell-type patterning throughout the apicalbasal axis of the Arabidopsis seedling.

The formation of the root epidermis in Arabidopsis thaliana provides a simple model to study mechanisms underlying patterning in plants. In this paper we have analyzed the relationships between cell fate specification and the pattern of cell division that occur in the root epidermis. Using clonal analysis, the two cell types of the developing root epidermis, trichoblasts and atrichoblasts, were distinguished by different rates of cell division, highest in trichoblasts. This character appears to be dependent on TTG which controls epidermal cell fate specification. The ability of epidermal cells to undergo longitudinal divisions which are involved in the control of the radial symmetry was shown to be controlled in a cell-specific manner by TTG. The control of the rate and the orientation of cell division in the root meristem epidermal layer thus appear to be under the control of cell fate specification mechanisms.

Oxidoreductases of the thioredoxin superfamily possess the C-X-X-C motif. The redox potentials vary over a wide range for these proteins. A crucial determinant of the redox potential has been attributed to the variation of the X-X dipeptide. Here, we substitute Lys for Gly at the first X of Escherichia coli thioredoxin to investigate how a positive charge would affect the redox potential. The substitution does not affect the protein's redox potential. The equilibrium constant obtained from pairwise reaction between the mutant and wild-type proteins equals 1.1, indicating that the replacement does not significantly affect the thiol-disulfide redox equilibrium. However, the catalytic efficiency of thioredoxin reductase on the G33K mutant decreases approximately 2.8 times compared to that of the wild type. The mutation mainly affects K(m), with little effect on k(cat). The mutation also inhibits thioredoxin's ability to reduce insulin disulfide by approximately one-half. Whether the mutant protein supports the growth of phages T3/7 and f1 was tested. The efficiency of plating (EOP) of T3/7 on the mutant strain decreases 5 times at 37 degrees C and 3 x 10(4) times at 42 degrees C relative to that of the wild-type strain, suggesting that interaction between phage gene 5 protein and thioredoxin is hindered. The mutation also reduces the EOP of phage f1 by 8-fold at 37 degrees C and 1.5-fold at 42 degrees C. The global structure of the mutant protein does not change when studied by CD and fluorescence spectra. Therefore, G33K does not significantly affect the overall structure or redox potential of thioredoxin, but primarily interferes with its interaction with other proteins. Together with the G33D mutation, the overall results show that a charged residue at the first X has a greater influence on the molecular interaction of the protein than the redox potential.

The color of red potato tubers is due to an accumulation of anthocyanins in periderm and peripheral cortex tissues. The objective of this study was to characterize changes in anthocyanin content and tuber surface color during tuber development. Using the red tuber-producing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar Norland, we observed that chroma (intensity of redness) and anthocyanin content per unit of surface area of greenhouse-grown tubers decreased as tuber weight increased. There was no increase in hue (tint) during the same developmental periods. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we determined that pelargonidin and peonidin are the major anthocyanidins (aglycones of anthocyanins) in the tuber periderm. Northern blot analyses indicated that steady-state mRNA levels of dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR), an anthocyanin biosynthetic enzyme, continued throughout tuber development. These results suggest that anthocyanins are synthesized throughout tuber development, and that cell division and/or enlargement contribute to a decline in chroma and anthocyanin concentration.

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