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  1. Summary

    In seed plants, 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC) is the precursor of the plant hormone ethylene but also has ethylene‐independent signaling roles. Nonseed plants produce ACC but do not efficiently convert it to ethylene. InArabidopsis thaliana, ACC is transported by amino acid transporters, LYSINE HISTIDINE TRANSPORTER 1 (LHT1) and LHT2. In nonseed plants,LHThomologs have been uncharacterized.

    Here, we isolated an ACC‐insensitive mutant (Mpain) that is defective in ACC uptake in the liverwortMarchantia polymorpha. Mpaincontained a frameshift mutation (1 bp deletion) in the MpLHT1coding sequence, and was complemented by expression of a wild‐type MpLHT1transgene. Additionally, ACC insensitivity was re‐created in CRISPR/Cas9‐Mplht1knockout mutants. We found that MpLHT1 can also transportl‐hydroxyproline andl‐histidine.

    We examined the physiological functions of MpLHT1in vegetative growth and reproduction based on mutant phenotypes. Mpainand Mplht1plants were smaller and developed fewer gemmae cups compared to wild‐type plants. Mplht1mutants also had reduced fertility, and archegoniophores displayed early senescence.

    These findings reveal that MpLHT1 serves as an ACC and amino acid transporter inM. polymorphaand has diverse physiological functions. We propose that MpLHT1 contributes to homeostasis of ACC and other amino acids inM. polymorphagrowth and reproduction.

     
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  2. Abstract

    The phytohormone ethylene has numerous effects on plant growth and development. Its immediate precursor, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), is a non-proteinogenic amino acid produced by ACC SYNTHASE (ACS). ACC is often used to induce ethylene responses. Here, we demonstrate that ACC exhibits ethylene-independent signaling inArabidopsis thalianareproduction. By analyzing anacsoctuple mutant with reduced seed set, we find that ACC signaling in ovular sporophytic tissue is involved in pollen tube attraction, and promotes secretion of the pollen tube chemoattractant LURE1.2. ACC activates Ca2+-containing ion currents via GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE (GLR) channels in root protoplasts. In COS-7 cells expressing mossPpGLR1, ACC induces the highest cytosolic Ca2+elevation compared to all twenty proteinogenic amino acids. In ovules, ACC stimulates transient Ca2+elevation, and Ca2+influx in octuple mutant ovules rescues LURE1.2 secretion. These findings uncover a novel ACC function and provide insights for unraveling new physiological implications of ACC in plants.

     
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  3. Summary

    We investigated the molecular basis and physiological implications of anion transport during pollen tube (PT) growth inArabidopsis thaliana(Col‐0).

    Patch‐clamp whole‐cell configuration analysis of pollen grain protoplasts revealed three subpopulations of anionic currents differentially regulated by cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt). We investigated the pollen‐expressed proteinsAtSLAH3,AtALMT12,AtTMEM16 andAtCCCas the putative anion transporters responsible for these currents.

    AtCCCGFPwas observed at the shank andAtSLAH3‐GFPat the tip and shank of thePTplasma membrane. Both are likely to carry the majority of anion current at negative potentials, as extracellular anionic fluxes measured at the tip ofPTs with an anion vibrating probe were significantly lower inslah3−/−andccc−/−mutants, but unaffected inalmt12−/−andtmem16−/−. We further characterised the effect ofpHandGABAby patch clamp. Strong regulation by extracellularpHwas observed in the wild‐type, but not intmem16−/−. Our results are compatible withAtTMEM16 functioning as an anion/H+cotransporter and therefore, as a putativepHsensor.GABApresence: (1) inhibited the overall currents, an effect that is abrogated in thealmt12−/−and (2) reduced the current inAtALMT12 transfectedCOS‐7 cells, strongly suggesting the direct interaction ofGABAwithAtALMT12.

    Our data show thatAtSLAH3 andAtCCCactivity is sufficient to explain the major component of extracellular anion fluxes, and unveils a possible regulatory system linkingPTgrowth modulation bypH,GABA, and [Ca2+]cytthrough anionic transporters.

     
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  4. null (Ed.)
  5. Nitric oxide (NO) is a key signaling molecule that regulates diverse biological processes in both animals and plants. In animals, NO regulates vascular wall tone, neurotransmission and immune response while in plants, NO is essential for development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses [1–3]. Interestingly, NO is involved in the sexual reproduction of both animals and plants mediating physiological events related to the male gamete [2, 4]. In animals, NO stimulates sperm motility [4] and binding to the plasma membrane of oocytes [5] while in plants, NO mediates pollen-stigma interactions and pollen tube guidance [6, 7]. NO generation in pollen tubes (PTs) has been demonstrated [8] and intracellular responses to NO include cytosolic Ca2+ elevation, actin organization, vesicle trafficking and cell wall deposition [7, 9]. However, the NO-responsive proteins that mediate these responses are still elusive. Here we show that PTs of Arabidopsis lacking the pollen-specific Diacylglycerol Kinase 4 (DGK4) grow slower and become insensitive to NO-dependent growth inhibition and re-orientation responses. Recombinant DGK4 protein yields NO-responsive spectral and catalytic changes in vitro which are compatible with a role in NO perception and signaling in PTs. NO is a fast, diffusible gas and, based on our results, we hypothesize it could serve in long range signaling and/or rapid cell-cell communication functions mediated by DGK4 downstream signaling during the progamic phase of angiosperm reproduction. 
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