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The ethylene receptor regulates Typha angustifolia leaf aerenchyma morphogenesis and cell fate

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Ethylene receptor is crucial for PCD and aerenchyma formation in Typha angustifolia leaves. Not only does it receive and deliver the ethylene signal, but it probably can determine the cell fate during aerenchyma morphogenesis, which is due to the receptor expression quantity.

Abstract

Aquatic plant oxygen delivery relies on aerenchyma, which is formed by a programmed cell death (PCD) procedure. However, cells in the outer edge of the aerenchyma (palisade cells and septum cells) remain intact, and the mechanism is unclear. Here, we offer a hypothesis: cells that have a higher content of ethylene receptors do not undergo PCD. In this study, we investigated the leaf aerenchyma of the aquatic plant Typha angustifolia. Ethephon and pyrazinamide (PZA, an inhibitor of ACC oxidase) were used to confirm that ethylene is an essential hormone for PCD of leaf aerenchyma cells in T. angustifolia. That the ethylene receptor was an indispensable factor in this PCD was confirmed by 1-MCP (an inhibitor of the ethylene receptor) treatment. Although PCD can be avoided by blocking the ethylene receptor, excessive ethylene receptors also protect cells from PCD. TaETR1, TaETR2 and TaEIN4 in the T. angustifolia leaf were detected by immunofluorescence (IF) using polyclonal antibodies. The result showed that the content of ethylene receptors in PCD-unsusceptible cells was 4–14 times higher than that one in PCD-susceptible cells, suggesting that PCD-susceptible cells undergo the PCD programme, while PCD-unsusceptible cells do not due to the content difference in the ethylene receptor in different cells. A higher level of ethylene receptor content makes the cells insensitive to ethylene, thereby avoiding cell death and degradation.

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Abbreviations

1-MCP:

1-Methylcyclopropene

ACC:

1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate

ACO:

1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase

CTR:

Constitutive Triple Response

EIN:

Ethylene insensitive

ETR:

Ethylene receptor

IF:

Immunofluorescence

PCD:

Programmed cell death

PZA:

Pyrazinamide

TUNEL:

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China [31770413, 31660045]. The authors wish to thank Dr. Danyang Wang for advice on experimental design, and Dr. Guolun Jia, Dr. Qing Zhang and Dr. Huaquan Xu for experimental guidance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Ministry of Education, Xi’an, 710069, China

    Huidong Liu, Nan Hao, Yuhuan Jia, Xingqian Liu, Meng Wang & Wenzhe Liu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Seedling Bioengineering, Ningxia Forestry Institute, Yinchuan, 750004, China

    Xilu Ni

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  1. Huidong Liu
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  2. Nan Hao
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  3. Yuhuan Jia
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  6. Meng Wang
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  7. Wenzhe Liu
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Correspondence to Wenzhe Liu.

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Liu, H., Hao, N., Jia, Y. et al. The ethylene receptor regulates Typha angustifolia leaf aerenchyma morphogenesis and cell fate. Planta 250, 381–390 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-019-03177-4

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