No abstract

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.Strigolactones are a new class of carotenoid-derived 10 phytohormone in land plants. In addition to their role in shoot branching, strigolactones are exuded into the rhizosphere under phosphorus-limiting conditions 5 and act as growth stimulants of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi 3 . To identify efflux carriers of arbuscular-mycorrhiza-promoting factors such as strigolactones, we used a degenerate primer approach ( Supplementary Fig. 2a) to isolate full-size PDR-type transporters (also known as ABC subtype G (ABCG) transporters) of P. hybrida that are abundant in phosphate-starved or mycorrhizal roots. The rationale behind the focus on these transporters, of which there are 15 in Arabidopsis 11 , 23 in Oryza sativa (rice) 11 and 23 putative factors in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) ( Supplementary Fig. 3a), was that they are plasma membrane proteins often found in roots 12 , they are implicated in below-ground plantmicrobe interactions 13,14 , and they have affinities for compounds that are structurally related to strigolactones 8,9,15 . Of six primary candidates, only P. hybrida PDR1 had increased expression in roots that were subjected to either phosphate starvation (Fig. 1a) or colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices (Fig. 1b). Furthermore, PDR1 transcript levels increased in response to treatment with the synthetic strigolactone analogue GR24 or the auxin analogue 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (Fig. 1c). Auxin has been shown to upregulate strigolactone-bi...

Carbohydrate import into seeds directly determines seed size and must have been increased through domestication. However, evidence of the domestication of sugar translocation and the identities of seed-filling transporters have been elusive. Maize ZmSWEET4c, as opposed to its sucrose-transporting homologs, mediates transepithelial hexose transport across the basal endosperm transfer layer (BETL), the entry point of nutrients into the seed, and shows signatures indicative of selection during domestication. Mutants of both maize ZmSWEET4c and its rice ortholog OsSWEET4 are defective in seed filling, indicating that a lack of hexose transport at the BETL impairs further transfer of sugars imported from the maternal phloem. In both maize and rice, SWEET4 was likely recruited during domestication to enhance sugar import into the endosperm.

The ability to link soil microbial diversity to soil processes requires technologies that differentiate active microbes from extracellular DNA and dormant cells. Here, we use BONCAT (bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging) to measure translationally active cells in soils. We compare the active population of two soil depths from Oak Ridge (Tennessee, USA) and find that a maximum of 25–70% of the extractable cells are active. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences from BONCAT-positive cells recovered by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) reveals that the phylogenetic composition of the active fraction is distinct from the total population of extractable cells. Some members of the community are found to be active at both depths independently of their abundance rank, suggesting that the incubation conditions favor the activity of similar organisms. We conclude that BONCAT-FACS is effective for interrogating the active fraction of soil microbiomes in situ and provides a new approach for uncovering the links between soil processes and specific microbial groups.

Strigolactones, first discovered as germination stimulants for parasitic weeds [1], are carotenoid-derived phytohormones that play major roles in inhibiting lateral bud outgrowth and promoting plant-mycorrhizal symbiosis [2-4]. Furthermore, strigolactones are involved in the regulation of lateral and adventitious root development, root cell division [5, 6], secondary growth [7], and leaf senescence [8]. Recently, we discovered the strigolactone transporter Petunia axillaris PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE 1 (PaPDR1), which is required for efficient mycorrhizal colonization and inhibition of lateral bud outgrowth [9]. However, how strigolactones are transported through the plant remained unknown. Here we show that PaPDR1 exhibits a cell-type-specific asymmetric localization in different root tissues. In root tips, PaPDR1 is co-expressed with the strigolactone biosynthetic gene DAD1 (CCD8), and it is localized at the apical membrane of root hypodermal cells, presumably mediating the shootward transport of strigolactone. Above the root tip, in the hypodermal passage cells that form gates for the entry of mycorrhizal fungi, PaPDR1 is present in the outer-lateral membrane, compatible with its postulated function as strigolactone exporter from root to soil. Transport studies are in line with our localization studies since (1) a papdr1 mutant displays impaired transport of strigolactones out of the root tip to the shoot as well as into the rhizosphere and (2) DAD1 expression and PIN1/PIN2 levels change in plants deregulated for PDR1 expression, suggestive of variations in endogenous strigolactone contents. In conclusion, our results indicate that the polar localizations of PaPDR1 mediate directional shootward strigolactone transport as well as localized exudation into the soil.