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Temperature compensation of auxin dependent developmental patterning

Nicholas J. Kaplinsky

The establishment of localized auxin gradients plays a central role in developmental patterning in plants. Auxin levels and responses have been shown to increase with temperature although developmental patterning is not affected. This suggests the existence of a homeostatic mechanism that ensures that patterning occurs normally over a range of temperatures. We recently described the cloning and characterization of BOBBER1 (BOB1), an Arabidopsis gene which encodes a small heat shock protein. BOB1 is required for the establishment of auxin gradients and for normal developmental patterning. BOB1 is also required for organismal thermotolerance and localizes to heat shock granules at elevated temperatures. Since BOB1 functions in both temperature responses and developmental patterning we propose that BOB1 may encode a component of a developmental temperature compensation mechanism.

Perez DE, Hoyer JS, Johnson AI, Moody ZR, Lopez J, Kaplinsky NJ. BOBBER1 is a non-canonical Arabidopsis small heat shock protein required for both development and thermotolerance. Plant Physiol 2009; In Press. & Jurkuta RJ, Kaplinsky NJ, Spindel JE, Barton MK. Partitioning the apical domain of the Arabidopsis embryo requires the BOBBER1 NudC domain protein. Plant Cell 2009; 21:1957-1971

Authors

Nicholas J. Kaplinsky

Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA, USA