A quantitative hypermorphic CNGC allele confers ectopic calcium flux and impairs cellular development

Chiasson, David M. ; Haage, Kristina; Sollweck, Katharina; Brachmann, Andreas ; Dietrich, Petra and Parniske, Martin (21. September 2017): A quantitative hypermorphic CNGC allele confers ectopic calcium flux and impairs cellular development. In: Elife, Vol. 6, e25012: pp. 1-15

Abstract

The coordinated control of Ca2+ signaling is essential for development in eukaryotes. Cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (CNGC) family members mediate Ca2+ influx from cellular stores in plants (Charpentier et al., 2016;Gao et al., 2016;Frietsch et al., 2007;Urquhart et al., 2007). Here, we report the unusual genetic behavior of a quantitative gain-of-function CNGC mutation (brush) in Lotus japonicus resulting in a leaky tetrameric channel. brush resides in a cluster of redundant CNGCs encoding subunits which resemble metazoan voltage-gated potassium (Kv1-Kv4) channels in assembly and gating properties. The recessive mongenic brush mutation impaired root development and infection by nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. The brush allele exhibited quantitative behavior since overexpression of the cluster subunits was required to suppress the brush phenotype. The results reveal a mechanism by which quantitative competition between channel subunits for tetramer assembly can impact the phenotype of the mutation carrier.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Form of publication: Publisher's Version
• Faculties: Biology > Department Biology I
• Subjects: 500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
• ISSN: 2050-084X
• Language: English