Early symbiotic responses induced by Sinorhizobium meliloti iIvC mutants in alfalfa.

A mutation in the ilvC gene of Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 determines a symbiotically defective phenotype. ilvC mutants obtained from different S. meliloti wild-type strains are able to induce root hair deformation on alfalfa roots and show variable activation of the common nodulation genes nodABC. All of these mutants are noninfective. The presence of extra copies of nodD3-syrM in an IlvC- background does not promote nod expression but allows the detection of low levels of Nod factor production. The sulphation of the Nod factor metabolites, however, is not affected. Furthermore, IlvC- strains induce a specific pattern of starch accumulation on alfalfa roots as well as of early nodulin expression. Hence, the pleiotropic action of the ilvC gene in S. meliloti may reveal novel complexities involved in the symbiotic interaction.

Expression profiles of 22 novel molecular markers for organogenetic pathways acting in alfalfa nodule development.

During symbiotic nodule development, a variety of molecular signals of rhizobia and plant origin are likely to be involved in the control of the expression of specific genes in the legume Medicago sativa (alfalfa). Twenty-two new, nodule-associated Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs, MsNod clones) as well as 16 clones for previously reported alfalfa nodulins were identified by cold-plaque screening. Protein homologs were found for 10 of the 22 MsNod-encoded polypeptides, revealing putative novel functions associated with this symbiosis. Expression of these MsNod genes was investigated in spontaneous nodules (generated in the absence of bacteria), in nodules induced by a Sinorhizobium meliloti wild-type strain and Eps- and Bac- mutant derivatives, as well as in roots inoculated with a Nod- mutant strain. This analysis enabled us to correlate plant gene expression with the different stages of nodule ontogeny and invasion. The effect of phytohormones on MsNod gene expression was analyzed in cytokinin- and auxin-treated alfalfa roots. Cytokinin induced the accumulation of seven MsNod transcripts, four of them were also regulated by the synthetic auxin 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Comparison of MsNod expression profiles in wild-type and transgenic M. truncatula roots overexpressing the early nodulin Enod40 suggested that one clone, the M. sativa L3 ribosomal protein homolog (MsNod377), is a putative component of an Enod40-dependent pathway acting during nodule development. These novel molecular markers may help in the investigation of gene networks and regulatory circuits controlling nodule organogenesis.

enod40, a gene expressed during nodule organogenesis, codes for a non-translatable RNA involved in plant growth.

Rhizobium meliloti can interact symbiotically with Medicago plants, thereby inducing root nodules. However, certain Medicago plants can form nodules spontaneously, in the absence of rhizobia. A differential screening was performed using spontaneous nodule versus root cDNAs from Medicago sativa ssp. varia. Transcripts of a differentially expressed clone, Msenod40, were detected in all differentiating cells of nodule primordia and spontaneous nodules, but were absent in fully differentiated cells. Msenod40 showed homology to a soybean early nodulin gene, Gmenod40, although no significant open reading frame (ORF) or coding capacity was found in the Medicago sequence. Furthermore, in the sequences of cDNAs and a genomic clone (Mtenod40) isolated from Medicago truncatula, a species containing a unique copy of this gene, no ORFs were found either. In vitro translation of purified Mtenod40 transcripts did not reveal any protein product. Evaluation of the RNA secondary structure indicated that both msenod40 and Gmenod40 transcripts showed a high degree of stability, a property shared with known non-coding RNAs. The Mtenod40 RNA was localized in the cytoplasm of cells in the nodule primordium. Infection with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains bearing antisense constructs of Mtenod40 arrested callus growth of Medicago explants, while overexpressing Mtenod40 embryos developed into teratomas. These data suggest that the enod40 genes might have a role in plant development, acting as 'riboregulators', a novel class of untranslated RNAs associated with growth control and differentiation.

Alfalfa Enod12 genes are differentially regulated during nodule development by Nod factors and Rhizobium invasion.

MsEnod12A and MsEnod12B are two early nodulin genes from alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Differential expression of these genes was demonstrated using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction approach. MsEnod12A RNA was detected only in nodules and not in other plant tissues. In contrast, MsEnod12B transcripts were found in nodules and also at low levels in roots, flowers, stems, and leaves. MsEnod12B expression was enhanced in the root early after inoculation with the microsymbiont Rhizobium meliloti and after treatment with purified Nod factors, whereas MsEnod12A induction was detected only when developing nodules were visible. In situ hybridization showed that in nodules, MsEnod12 expression occurred in the infection zone. In empty Fix- nodules the MsEnod12A transcript level was much reduced, and in spontaneous nodules it was not detectable. These data indicate that MsEnod12B expression in roots is related to the action of Nod factors, whereas MsEnod12A expression is associated with the invasion process in nodules. Therefore, alfalfa possesses different mechanisms regulating MsEnod12A and MsEnod12B expression.

Sucrose Synthase Expression during Cold Acclimation in Wheat.

When wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings are exposed to a cold temperature (2-4 degrees C) above 0 degrees C, sucrose accumulates and sucrose synthase activity increases. The effect of a cold period on the level of sucrose synthase (SS) was investigated. Using antibodies against wheat germ SS, Western blots studies showed that the amount of the SS peptide increased during 14 days in the cold, when plants were moved from 23 degrees C to 4 degrees C. The level of SS diminished when plants were moved back to 23 degrees C. Northern blots of poly(A)(+) RNA, confirmed a five- to sixfold induction of SS in wheat leaves during cold acclimation. These results indicate that SS is involved in the plant response to a chilling stress.

Increment of DNA topoisomerases in chemically and virally transformed cells.

The activities of topoisomerases I and II were assayed in subcellular extracts obtained from nontumorigenic BALB/c 3T3 A31 and normal rat kidney (NRK) cell lines and from the same cells transformed by benzo[a]pyrene (BP-A31), Moloney (M-MSV-A31) and Kirsten (K-A31) sarcoma viruses, and simian virus 40 (SV-NRK). The enzymatic activity of topoisomerase I was monitored by the relaxation of negatively supercoiled pBR322 DNA and by the formation of covalent complexes between 32P-labeled DNA and topoisomerase I. Topoisomerase II activity was determined by decatenation of kinetoplast DNA (k-DNA). It was found that nuclear and cytoplasmic type I topoisomerase specific activities were higher in every transformed cell line than in the normal counterparts. These differences cannot be attributed to an inhibitory factor present in A31 cells. When chromatin was treated at increasing ionic strengths, the 0.4 M NaCl extract showed the highest topoisomerase I specific activity. Moreover, in this fraction the transformed cells exhibited the most significant increment in the enzymatic activity as compared with nontransformed cultures. Spontaneously transformed A31 cells showed topoisomerase I activity similar to that of extracts of cells transformed by benzo[a]pyrene. Topoisomerase II specific activity was also increased in SV-NRK cells, as judged by the assay for decatenation of k-DNA to yield minicircle DNA.

Effects of human transforming growth factors on topoisomerases from normal fibroblasts.

Normal rat kidney fibroblasts (NRK-B F49) treated at transforming doses with a gamma-like TGF, partially purified from human melanoma, showed a 3 to 5 fold increase in DNA type II topoisomerase activity. A similar effect was observed using EGF and a partially purified alfa TGF from rabbit fetuses. DNA type I topoisomerase activity, from the same cells, was not significantly modified by treatment with these growth factors. Topoisomerase II stimulation was dependent on mRNA synthesis. The possible role of topoisomerase II in phenotypical cell transformation induced by TGF is discussed.

DNA topoisomerase I from Leydig cells is modulated by luteinizing hormone and cyclic adenosine monophosphate.

The action of luteinizing hormone on topoisomerase I activity from rat Leydig cells was studied. Stimulation of the enzyme was observed after long-term (24 and 48 h) gonadotrophin treatment in in vivo experiments. No change could be detected for shorter times than 12 h using two different experimental approaches. Topoisomerase I was stimulated by cAMP in a whole cell extract in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. These results suggest that topoisomerase I could be a target for nuclear events induced by peptide hormone action.

Mitoxantrone affects topoisomerase activities in human breast cancer cells.

The effects of mitoxantrone, an antineoplastic DNA intercalator, on topoisomerase I and II were studied in two human breast cancer cell lines. A large increase of topoisomerase I activity was found when cells were exposed to various doses of mitoxantrone. Maximal effect was achieved with 20 and 40 ng/mL in T47D and MCF-7 cells respectively. The enhancement on topoisomerase I activity seemed to be reversible, to be dependent on time of exposure to the drug and to require cellular integrity. Type II topoisomerase was inhibited in T47D cells after treatment for one hour with 10 ng/mL of mitoxantrone and enzyme activity was undetectable at higher doses (40 ng/mL). This inhibitory effect did not take place in vitro unless the concentration of the intercalator was increased to 400-500 ng/mL.