SummaryThe expression of the gene Osmyb4, detected at low level in rice (Oryza sativa) coleoptiles grown for 3 days at 298C, is strongly induced by treatments at 48C. At sublethal temperatures of 10 and 158C, its expression in rice seedlings is already evident, but this effect cannot be vicariated by other stresses or ABA treatment. We demonstrate by transient expression that Myb4 transactivates the PAL2, ScD9 SAD and COR15a coldinducible promoters. The Osmyb4 function in vivo is demonstrated overexpressing its cDNA in Arabidopsis thaliana plants (ecotype Wassilewskija) under the control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter. Myb4 overexpressing plants show a signi®cant increased cold and freezing tolerance, measured as membrane or Photosystem II (PSII) stability and as whole plant tolerance. Finally, in Osmyb4 transgenic plants, the expression of genes participating in different cold-induced pathways is affected, suggesting that Myb4 represents a master switch in cold tolerance.

In Arabidopsis, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) promotes flowering in response to long days in the photoperiod pathway, while signalling downstream gibberellin (GA) perception is critical for flowering under short days. Previously we have established that the TEMPRANILLO (TEM) genes have a pivotal role in the direct repression of FT. Here we show that TEM genes directly regulate the expression of the GA 4 biosynthetic genes GA 3-oxidase1 and 2 (GA3OX1 and GA3OX2). Plants overexpressing TEM genes resemble GA-deficient mutants, and conversely, TEM downregulation give rise to elongated hypocotyls perhaps as a result of an increase in GA content. We consistently find that TEm1 represses GA3OX1 and GA3OX2 by directly binding a regulatory region positioned in the first exon. our results indicate that TEM genes seem to link the photoperiod and GA-dependent flowering pathways, controlling floral transition under inductive and non-inductive day lengths through the regulation of the floral integrators.

KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX (KNOX) genes are important regulators of meristem function, and a complex network of transcription factors ensures tight control of their expression. Here, we show that members of the GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR (GRF) family act as players in this network. A yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) one-hybrid screen with the upstream sequence of the KNOX gene Oskn2 from rice (Oryza sativa) resulted in isolation of OsGRF3 and OsGRF10. Specific binding to a region in the untranslated leader sequence of Oskn2 was confirmed by yeast and in vitro binding assays. ProOskn2:b-glucuronidase reporter expression was down-regulated by OsGRF3 and OsGRF10 in vivo, suggesting that these proteins function as transcriptional repressors. Likewise, we found that the GRF protein BGRF1 from barley (Hordeum vulgare) could act as a repressor on an intron sequence in the KNOX gene Hooded/Barley Knotted3 (Bkn3) and that AtGRF4, AtGRF5, and AtGRF6 from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) could repress KNOTTED-LIKE FROM ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA2 (KNAT2) promoter activity. OsGRF overexpression phenotypes in rice were consistent with aberrant meristematic activity, showing reduced formation of tillers and internodes and extensive adventitious root/shoot formation on nodes. These effects were associated with down-regulation of endogenous Oskn2 expression by OsGRF3. Conversely, RNA interference silencing of OsGRF3, OsGRF4, and OsGRF5 resulted in dwarfism, delayed growth and inflorescence formation, and up-regulation of Oskn2. These data demonstrate conserved interactions between the GRF and KNOX families of transcription factors in both monocot and dicot plants.KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX (KNOX) class I homeobox genes play an essential role in the development and maintenance of the shoot apical and floral meristems (Hake et al

SUMMARYIn rice, inflorescence architecture is established at early stages of reproductive development and contributes directly to grain yield potential. After induction of flowering, the complexity of branching, and therefore the number of seeds on the panicle, is determined by the activity of different meristem types and the timing of transitions between them. Although some of the genes involved in these transitions have been identified, an understanding of the network of transcriptional regulators controlling this process is lacking. To address this we used a precise laser microdissection and RNA-sequencing approach in Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Nipponbare to produce quantitative data that describe the landscape of gene expression in four different meristem types: the rachis meristem, the primary branch meristem, the elongating primary branch meristem (including axillary meristems), and the spikelet meristem. A switch in expression profile between apical and axillary meristem types followed by more gradual changes during transitions in axillary meristem identity was observed, and several genes potentially involved in branching were identified. This resource will be vital for a mechanistic understanding of the link between inflorescence development and grain yield.

Plant trichomes are defensive specialized epidermal cells. In all accepted models, the epidermis is the layer involved in trichome formation, a process controlled by gibberellins (GAs) in Arabidopsis rosette leaves. Indeed, GA activates a genetic cascade in the epidermis for trichome initiation. Here we report that TEMPRANILLO (TEM) genes negatively control trichome initiation not only from the epidermis but also from the leaf layer underneath the epidermis, the mesophyll. Plants over-expressing or reducing TEM specifically in the mesophyll, display lower or higher trichome numbers, respectively. We surprisingly found that fluorescently labeled GA 3 accumulates exclusively in the mesophyll of leaves, but not in the epidermis, and that TEM reduces its accumulation and the expression of several newly identified GA transporters. This strongly suggests that TEM plays an essential role, not only in GA biosynthesis, but also in regulating GA distribution in the mesophyll, which in turn directs epidermal trichome formation. Moreover, we show that TEM also acts as a link between GA and cytokinin signaling in the epidermis by negatively regulating downstream genes of both trichome formation pathways. Overall, these results call for a reevaluation of the present theories of trichome formation as they reveal mesophyll essential during epidermal trichome initiation.