A new mutant of Arabidopsis designated bus1-1 (for bushy), which exhibited a bushy phenotype with crinkled leaves and retarded vascularization, was characterized. The phenotype was caused by an En-1 insertion in the gene CYP79F1. The deduced protein belongs to the cytochrome P450 superfamily. Because members of the CYP79 subfamily are believed to catalyze the oxidation of amino acids to aldoximes, the initial step in glucosinolate biosynthesis, we analyzed the level of glucosinolates in a CYP79F1 null mutant (bus1-1f) and in an overexpressing plant. Short-chain glucosinolates derived from methionine were completely lacking in the null mutant and showed increased levels in the overexpressing plant, indicating that CYP79F1 uses short-chain methionine derivatives as substrates. In addition, the concentrations of indole-3-ylmethyl-glucosinolate and the content of the auxin indole-3-acetic acid and its precursor indole-3-acetonitrile were increased in the bus1-1f mutant. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the formation of glucosinolates derived from methionine is mediated by CYP79F1 and that knocking out this cytochrome P450 has profound effects on plant growth and development.

KAT1 is a voltage-dependent inward rectifying K+ channel cloned from the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana [Anderson, J. A., Huprikar, S. S., Kochian, L. V., Lucas, W. J. & Gaber, R. F. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89,[3736][3737][3738][3739][3740]. It is related to the Shaker superfamily of K+ channels characterized by six transmembrane spanning domains (S1-S6) and a putative pore-forming region between S5 and S6 (H5). The H5 region between Pro-247 and Pro-271 in KAT1 contains 14 additional amino acids when compared with Shaker [Aldrich, R. W. (1993) Nature (London) 362, 107-108]. We studied various point mutations introduced into H5 to determine whether voltage-dependent plant and animal K+ channels share similar pore structures. Through heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes and voltage-clamp analysis combined with phenotypic analysis involving a potassium transport-defective Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, we investigated the selectivity filter of the mutants and their susceptibility toward inhibition by cesium and calcium ions. With respect to electrophysiological properties, KAT1 mutants segregated into three groups: (i) wild-type-like channels, (ii) channels modified in selectivity and Cs+ or Ca2+ sensitivity, and (iii) a group that was additionally affected in its voltage dependence. Despite the additional 14 amino acids in H5, this motif in KAT1 is also involved in the formation of the ion-conducting pore because amino acid substitutions at Leu-251, Thr-256, Thr-259, and Thr-260 resulted in functional channels with modified ionic selectivity and inhibition. Creation of Ca2+ sensitivity and an increased susceptibility to Cs+ block through mutations within the narrow pore might indicate that both blockers move deeply into the channel. Furthermore, mutations close to the rim of the pore affecting the half-activation potential (Ui12) indicate that amino acids within the pore either interact with the voltage sensor or ion permeation feeds back on gating.KAT1 was cloned from an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA library by functional complementation of a yeast mutant deficient in K+ uptake (1, 2). Using the oocyte-expression system, Schachtman et al. (3) were the first who demonstrated that KAT1 carries a voltage-dependent inward-rectifying K+ current. Further studies have shown that KAT1, the "green" inward rectifier, gains its voltage dependence through an intrinsic voltage sensor (4) rather than a block through cytoplasmic Mg2+ as shown for its animal counterpart (5). With respect to the gating mechanism, KAT1 is therefore more closely related to the outward-rectifying Shaker-type channels. In common with Shaker, KAT1, a member of the plant inward rectifiers, shares an overall molecular structure of six hydrophobic domains (S1-S6), one of which is positively charged (S4), and an amphiphilic stretch of amino acids (H5) between S5 and S6 (Fig. 1A) (7). The latter two, motifs are very likely to be part of the voltage sensor (S4) and part of the ion permeation pathway (H5) (8, ¶, 11). So far, howeve...

A new mutant of Arabidopsis designated bus1-1 (for bushy ), which exhibited a bushy phenotype with crinkled leaves and retarded vascularization, was characterized. The phenotype was caused by an En-1 insertion in the gene CYP79F1 . The deduced protein belongs to the cytochrome P450 superfamily. Because members of the CYP79 subfamily are believed to catalyze the oxidation of amino acids to aldoximes, the initial step in glucosinolate biosynthesis, we analyzed the level of glucosinolates in a CYP79F1 null mutant ( bus1-1f ) and in an overexpressing plant. Short-chain glucosinolates derived from methionine were completely lacking in the null mutant and showed increased levels in the overexpressing plant, indicating that CYP79F1 uses short-chain methionine derivatives as substrates. In addition, the concentrations of indole-3-ylmethyl-glucosinolate and the content of the auxin indole-3-acetic acid and its precursor indole-3-acetonitrile were increased in the bus1-1f mutant. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the formation of glucosinolates derived from methionine is mediated by CYP79F1 and that knocking out this cytochrome P450 has profound effects on plant growth and development.

Rho GTPases are implicated in a multitude of cellular processes regulated by membrane receptors, such as cytoskeletal rearrangements, gene transcription and cell growth and motility. Activation of these GTPases is under the direct control of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), the Dbl family proteins. By searching protein databases we have identified a novel Rho-GEF, termed p114-Rho-GEF, which similarly to other Rho-GEFs contains a Dbl homology domain followed by a pleckstrin homology domain. p114-Rho-GEF interacted specifically with RhoA, in its nucleotide-free and guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate-bound states, but not with Rac1 and Cdc42, and efficiently catalysed guanine nucleotide exchange of RhoA. Consistent with these results in vitro was our finding that the overexpression of p114-Rho-GEF in J82 and HEK-293 cells induced the formation of actin stress fibres and stimulated serum-response-factor-mediated gene transcription in a Rho-dependent manner. Rho-mediated transcriptional activation induced by M(3) muscarinic acetylcholine and lysophosphatidic acid receptors was enhanced by p114-Rho-GEF, suggesting that the activity of this novel Rho-GEF, which is widely expressed in human tissues, can be controlled by G-protein-coupled receptors.

Rho GTPases are implicated in a multitude of cellular processes regulated by membrane receptors, such as cytoskeletal rearrangements, gene transcription and cell growth and motility. Activation of these GTPases is under the direct control of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), the Dbl family proteins. By searching protein databases we have identified a novel Rho-GEF, termed p114-Rho-GEF, which similarly to other Rho-GEFs contains a Dbl homology domain followed by a pleckstrin homology domain. p114-Rho-GEF interacted specifically with RhoA, in its nucleotide-free and guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate-bound states, but not with Rac1 and Cdc42, and efficiently catalysed guanine nucleotide exchange of RhoA. Consistent with these results in vitro was our finding that the overexpression of p114-Rho-GEF in J82 and HEK-293 cells induced the formation of actin stress fibres and stimulated serum-response-factor-mediated gene transcription in a Rho-dependent manner. Rho-mediated transcriptional activation induced by M(3) muscarinic acetylcholine and lysophosphatidic acid receptors was enhanced by p114-Rho-GEF, suggesting that the activity of this novel Rho-GEF, which is widely expressed in human tissues, can be controlled by G-protein-coupled receptors.