Plant Physiol. (1998) 116: 455-462
Auxin Transport Is Required for Hypocotyl Elongation in
Light-Grown but Not Dark-Grown Arabidopsis1
Philip J. Jensen*,
Roger P. Hangarter, and
Mark Estelle
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
47405
 |
ABSTRACT |
Many auxin responses are dependent on
redistribution and/or polar transport of indoleacetic acid. Polar
transport of auxin can be inhibited through the application of
phytotropins such as 1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). When
Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were grown in the light
on medium containing 1.0 µm NPA, hypocotyl and root
elongation and gravitropism were strongly inhibited. When grown in
darkness, however, NPA disrupted the gravity response but did not
affect elongation. The extent of inhibition of hypocotyl elongation by
NPA increased in a fluence-rate-dependent manner to a maximum of about
75% inhibition at 50 µmol m
2 s
1 of white
light. Plants grown under continuous blue or far-red light showed
NPA-induced hypocotyl inhibition similar to that of white-light-grown
plants. Plants grown under continuous red light showed less NPA-induced
inhibition. Analysis of photoreceptor mutants indicates the involvement
of phytochrome and cryptochrome in mediating this NPA response.
Hypocotyls of some auxin-resistant mutants had decreased sensitivity to
NPA in the light, but etiolated seedlings of these mutants were similar
in length to the wild type. These results indicate that light has a
significant effect on NPA-induced inhibition in Arabidopsis, and
suggest that auxin has a more important role in elongation responses in
light-grown than in dark-grown seedlings.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
The development of a plant is influenced by a variety of
environmental cues. Differences in light quantity and quality can lead
to dramatically different growth forms. Light signals are perceived by
a number of different photoreceptors, including the phytochromes and
the blue light receptors. Developmental processes under the control of
the phytochromes include stem elongation, hypocotyl hook unfolding,
leaf expansion, seed germination, and flower initiation (for review,
see von Arnim and Deng, 1996
). Blue light receptors have been shown to
be involved in phototropism, regulation of stem elongation,
stomatal opening, and the initiation of chloroplast development (for
review, see Senger and Schmidt, 1994
).
Many of the developmental processes that occur as a result of light
signals are dependent, at least in part, on the action of
phytohormones. For example, light has been shown to alter the levels of
IAA (Bandurski et al., 1977
; Jones et al., 1991
; Behringer and Davies,
1992
), GAs (Ross et al., 1992
; Foster and Morgan, 1995
), ABA
(Weatherwax et al., 1996
), cytokinins (Qamuruddin and Tillberg, 1989
;
Kraepiel et al., 1995
), and ethylene (Kathiresan et al., 1996
, and
refs. therein). Behringer and Davies (1992)
proposed that phytochrome
regulation of stem elongation is partly the result of changes in IAA
levels. Phytochrome-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis
thaliana require GAs to express the elongated phenotype of these
plants (Peng and Harberd, 1997
). Light regulation of BR levels or
sensitivity clearly plays a central role in light-regulated development, because Arabidopsis mutants with defects in BR
biosynthesis and response are severe dwarfs in both light and dark
conditions (Clouse et al., 1996
; Kauschmann et al., 1996
; Li et al.,
1996
; Szerkes et al., 1996
).
The phytohormone auxin is involved in diverse developmental processes,
many of which depend on regulated auxin transport (Went and Thimann,
1937
). For example, apical dominance is maintained by auxin produced in
the apical meristem and transported basipetally to the target tissues,
where it inhibits growth of lateral branches. In the case of tropic
responses, lateral redistribution of auxin gives rise to differential
growth rates, resulting in curvature of the growing organ. In addition,
a gradient in auxin concentration from tip to base is believed to be
responsible for differential elongation rates in different
regions of shoots (Went and Thimann, 1937
; Sanchez-Bravo et al.,
1992).
The formation and maintenance of auxin gradients is thought to occur
through the action of a specific polar auxin-transport system that
requires active efflux of auxin through an auxin-anion uniport (Sabater
and Rubery, 1987
). Auxin efflux is inhibited by synthetic phytotropins
such as NPA (Morgan, 1964
; Katekar and Giesler, 1980
; Jacobs and
Rubery, 1988
). The exact nature of this inhibition is not known, but
NPA and other auxin-transport inhibitors bind to a single
plasma-membrane protein (Lembi et al., 1971
; Muday et al., 1993
;
Bernasconi et al., 1996
). The endogenous auxin IAA does not compete
with NPA for this binding site (Lomax et al., 1995
). In the
tir3 mutant of Arabidopsis, reduced NPA binding is
associated with defects in auxin-regulated growth processes, suggesting
that the NPA-binding site is important for auxin transport (Ruegger et
al., 1997
).
During the course of genetic studies on auxin transport in Arabidopsis,
we noticed that NPA is a potent inhibitor of hypocotyl elongation in
light-grown seedlings. In contrast, several recent reports suggest that
NPA has little effect on hypocotyl elongation in dark-grown Arabidopsis
seedlings (Garbers et al., 1996
; Lehman et al., 1996
). To
further investigate the role of auxin and auxin transport in hypocotyl
elongation, we have examined the effects of NPA on hypocotyl
elongation under a variety of light conditions and in several different
mutants. Our results suggest that auxin is required for hypocotyl
elongation during photomorphogenesis, but has a limited role during
elongation in the dark.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Arabidopsis thaliana seeds were surface
sterilized for 20 min in 20% (v/v) commercial bleach and 0.1% Triton
X-100, rinsed four times with sterile, distilled water, and chilled for
2 d at 4°C. Sterile seeds were placed in square Petri plates on
medium containing nutrient salts, 8 g L
1
agar, and 10 g L
1 Suc (Lincoln et al.,
1990
). NPA was added to the medium after autoclaving from a stock
dissolved in ethanol. All plants were ecotype Columbia unless stated
otherwise. Petri plates were placed vertically and the seedlings were
grown at 22°C in darkness or in continuous light for 7 d. In
experiments with the photoreceptor mutants, the seeds were given
16 h of white light to ensure germination before placement in the
experimental light conditions. Seeds of the mutants analyzed in this
study were obtained from in-house stocks or from the Arabidopsis
Biological Resource Center (Ohio State University, Columbus). Seeds of
det2 were a gift from J. Chory (Salk Institute, San Diego,
CA). Seeds of the transgenic 35S-iaaL plants were obtained
from Charles Romano and Harry Klee (University of Florida,
Gainesville).
Light Sources
White light at up to 150 µmol
m
2 s
1 was obtained with
mixed cool-white and warm-fluorescent light bulbs. Blue light up to 30 µmol m
2 s
1 was
obtained by filtering light from a bank of cool-white fluorescent bulbs
through blue plexiglass (no. 2424, Rohm and Hass, Darmstadt, Ger-many). Red and far-red light up to 30 µmol
m
2 s
1 was provided by a
solid-state light-emitting diode system (Qbeam 220, Quantum Devices,
Barnevel, WI). Neutral-density screens were used to vary the fluence
rates. Fluence rates of white, blue, and red light were measured with a
quantum photometer (model LI-189, Li-Cor, Lincoln, NE) and fluence
rates of far-red light were measured with a spectroradiometer
(model LI-1800, Li-Cor).
Growth Measurement
Measurements were made after 7 d of growth. The
hypocotyls were straightened with a forceps if necessary and the plates
were placed in a photographic enlarger and projected. Magnified images of the hypocotyls were then measured to the nearest 0.1 mm with a
ruler. Root lengths were measured to the nearest 0.5 mm by placing the
seedlings directly onto a ruler.
To quantify the gravity response, images of undisturbed
seedlings on agar plates were captured using a digital imaging system (IS-1000, Innotech Scientific, San Leandro, CA). The orientation angles
of the hypocotyls and roots were measured relative to the gravity
vector with National Institutes of Health imaging software (see:
http://rsb.info.nih.gov/nih-image/), and the sd was calculated as a measure of the randomness of growth.
 |
RESULTS |
Light Dependence of the NPA Response
NPA dose-response curves for inhibition of hypocotyl
elongation are shown in Figure 1. In
dark-grown seedlings there was negligible inhibition of hypocotyl
elongation with concentrations up to 5.0 µm NPA (Fig.
1A). In contrast, we observed strong inhibition of elongation in plants
grown in the light, with 50% inhibition occurring at approximately 0.5 µm NPA. In roots inhibition of elongation by NPA was not
as strong as in the hypocotyl, but the inhibition was greater in
light-grown than in dark-grown seedlings (Fig. 1B).

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| Figure 1.
The effect of light on NPA-induced inhibition of
elongation of hypocotyls (A) and roots (B). Growth is normalized to
that of seedlings grown without NPA. The fluence rate of the white light was 50 µmol m 2 s 1.
Values are the means ± sd from three
independent replicates, with at least 10 seedlings per replicate.
conc., Concentration.
|
|
NPA-induced inhibition of hypocotyl elongation was fluence-rate
dependent (Fig. 2). In the absence of
NPA, seedlings showed characteristic fluence-rate-dependent inhibition
of hypocotyl elongation in response to white light (Fig. 2A). When the
inhibition caused by 1.0 µm NPA was normalized to the
controls at the corresponding light levels, the fluence-rate dependence
of the NPA effect was evident and approached a maximum relative
inhibition of around 80% (Fig. 2C). The slight decrease in the
relative response to NPA at 150 µmol
m
2 s
1 was most likely
the result of the extreme inhibition caused by the light alone.
Although the lengths of hypocotyls from dark-grown plants were
unaffected by treatment with 1.0 µm NPA, NPA disrupted the gravity response (Fig. 3A).

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| Figure 2.
The effect of fluence rate on inhibition of
elongation by 1.0 µm NPA. A, Comparison of hypocotyl
lengths in 1.0 µm NPA-treated and untreated seedlings. B,
Comparison of root lengths in 1.0 µm NPA-treated and
untreated seedlings. C, Percentage inhibition of hypocotyl elongation
calculated as growth on 1.0 µm NPA compared with
untreated seedlings at the corresponding fluence rate. D, Percentage
inhibition of root elongation calculated as growth on 1.0 µm NPA compared with untreated seedlings (see C). Values are the means ± sd from three independent replicates,
with at least 10 seedlings per replicate.
|
|

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| Figure 3.
The effect of 1.0 µm NPA on the
gravity response of hypocotyls (A) and roots (B) of light- and
dark-grown seedlings. Data are presented as the sd of the
orientation angles of the hypocotyls and roots as a measure of the
randomness of orientation.
|
|
Roots also exhibited a light-dependent response to NPA (Fig. 2, B
and D). Untreated roots increased in length in seedlings grown with
increasing fluence rates, but 1.0 µm NPA prevented the
roots from elongating to control lengths. As with the hypocotyls, the
percentage inhibition of elongation caused by NPA increased with
increased fluence rates (Fig. 2D). However, the maximum response of the
roots was less than that of the hypocotyls (40% inhibition in roots
compared with 80% in hypocotyls). Again, although root elongation in
dark-grown plants was unaffected by NPA, the gravity response was still
disrupted (Fig. 3B).
Effect of Light Quality
Because growth in white light had a strong effect on NPA-induced
inhibition of hypocoytl elongation, we examined the response in
seedlings grown under various colors of light (Fig.
4). In continuous blue, red, or far-red
light, NPA inhibited hypocotyl elongation. The response to NPA under
blue and far-red light was similar in magnitude to that seen under
white light, but there was less effect under red light. Blue and
far-red fluence-rate dependence of the response to 1.0 µm
NPA (Fig. 5) was very similar to that
seen for white light (Fig. 2A). The fluence-rate dependence for red
light was not determined because red light was not as effective at
inhibiting hypocotyl elongation. The inhibition of root elongation
under the different colors of light was negligible compared with that
observed with white light, although a slight inhibition was observed
with blue light (data not shown).

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| Figure 4.
The effect of light quality on the inhibition of
hypocotyl elongation by 1.0 µm NPA. Seedlings were grown
under continuous white light (80 µmol m 2
s 1), blue light (30 µmol m 2
s 1), far-red light (10 µmol m 2
s 1), or red light (25 µmol m 2
s 1) for 7 d. Values are the means ± sd from three independent replicates, with at least 10 seedlings per replicate.
|
|

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| Figure 5.
The effect of blue and far-red light fluence rate
on inhibition of hypocotyl elongation by 1.0 µm NPA. The
percentage inhibition of elongation is calculated as growth on 1.0 µm NPA compared with untreated seedlings at the
corresponding fluence rate. Values are the means ± sd
from three independent replicates, with at least 10 seedlings per
replicate.
|
|
Mutant Analysis
The observation that growth in blue, red, and far-red light
resulted in NPA-induced inhibition of hypocotyl elongation suggested that multiple photoreceptors were functioning in this response. To
examine this further, several photoreceptor mutants were tested, including hy4, which is defective in CRY1-dependent
blue-light responses; phyA, which is defective in
PHYA-dependent responses; phyB, which is defective in
PHYB-dependent responses; and a phyA-phyB double
mutant designated phyA/B. When the mutants were grown in darkness, they behaved like the wild type and no appreciable effect of
NPA was observed in the hypocotyls (data not shown). When plants were
grown under white light, 1.0 µm NPA inhibited hypocotyl
elongation in all of the mutants (Fig.
6A). However, with the exception of phyA, the inhibition was not as great as that observed for
the wild type of the corresponding ecotype.

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| Figure 6.
The effect of 1.0 µm NPA on the
hypocotyl elongation of photoreceptor mutants and wild types
(Ler and Rld). Values are the means ± sd from three independent replicates, with at least 10 seedlings per replicate. The percentage-inhibition values were calculated by determining the percentage inhibition for each
NPA-treated seedling using the average length of the appropriate
control seedlings. The values for each seedling were then averaged to
generate the data points ± sd. Seedlings were grown
as described in Figure 4.
|
|
Under blue light, hy4 and the phyA/B double
mutant showed only slight inhibition in the presence of NPA (Fig. 6B).
The phyA and phyB mutants showed greater
inhibition than hy4 and phyA/B, but less than
that of the corresponding wild-type seedlings. In far-red light the
phyA and the phyA/B double mutants showed no effects of NPA on elongation, whereas phyB, hy4,
and the wild type were strongly inhibited (Fig. 6C). In all of the
genotypes, less inhibition was observed under red light compared with
the other light treatments. However, the NPA response in red light was
similar in hy4, phyA, and the wild type, whereas
phyB showed only slight inhibition and phyA/B
showed none (Fig. 6D). All genotypes in all light treatments showed a
perturbation of the gravity response in the presence of NPA regardless
of the effect on elongation (data not shown).
In an attempt to gain some insight into the mechanism of the light
effect, we examined the NPA response in several hormone mutants,
including axr1-12 and axr1-3, which are allelic
mutants resistant to auxin; det2, which is defective in BR
biosynthesis and has a constitutive light phenotype; eto1-1,
which is an ethylene overproducer; and the ethylene-resistant mutant
etr1 (Table I). In addition,
we examined transgenic 35S-iaaL plants, which express an
enzyme that conjugates IAA to Lys, thereby causing a reduction in the
levels of free IAA compared with the wild type (C. Romano, M. Ruegger,
P.J. Jensen, G. Sandberg, and M.A. Estelle, unpublished data). The
phenotype of these transgenic plants is consistent with a reduction in
free IAA, including a reduction in overall plant size, leaf size,
apical dominance, and fertility. Tobacco plants containing the same
transgene have 5 times less free IAA (Romano et al., 1991
).
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|
Table I.
Effect of 1.0 µm NPA on hypocotyl
length ± sd of various hormone mutants grown for
7 d in darkness or white light (80 µmol m 2
s 1)
|
|
In white light (50 µmol m
2
s
1) the 35S-iaaL,
axr1-12, and axr1-3 plants were less sensitive to
NPA than the wild type, showing 45, 22, and 37% inhibition of
hypocoytl elongation, respectively. The response of det2 was
similar to that of 35S-iaaL and axr1-3 plants.
When grown in darkness there was only minor inhibition of hypocotyl
elongation in NPA-treated plants, with the exception of
axr1-12, which was inhibited by 56%. In white light both
eto1-1 and etr1 had NPA-induced hypocotyl
inhibition responses similar to the wild type, but in darkness both of
these mutants showed slight inhibition. Wild-type roots were inhibited
about 20% by NPA in light-grown seedlings but there was no inhibition
in darkness. The roots of all of the hormone mutants responded
similarly to the wild type (data not shown), except eto1-1,
which was inhibited by 42 and 32% in the light and dark, respectively.
Lateral Root Inhibition
The effect of NPA on lateral root formation was tested under three
different light conditions. In untreated plants lateral root production
increased with increasing fluence rates (Fig. 7). At a concentration of 0.5 µm, NPA almost abolished lateral root formation in dark
and in low-light conditions (Fig. 7). However, plants grown at higher
fluence rates were able to overcome partially the inhibitory affect of
NPA on lateral root formation.

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| Figure 7.
Inhibition of lateral root formation by 0.5 µm NPA at various fluence rates. Values are the
means ± sd from three independent replicates, with at
least 10 seedlings per replicate.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
Light Quantity and the Response to NPA
Plant growth and development are controlled by the coordinated
activities of numerous external and endogenous factors. Light is one of
the most important external factors controlling plant development, and
plant hormones are among the major endogenous regulators. Among the
plant hormones, auxin has important roles in developmental processes
including cell division, cell elongation, apical dominance, vascular
development, and tropisms. Moreover, the function of auxin is strongly
dependent on its controlled transport.
The NPA dose-response curves for seedlings grown in light and dark
conditions show that there was a light-dependent difference in response
to NPA. When grown in white light, 50% inhibition of hypocotyl
elongation was obtained with only 0.5 µm NPA. In dark-grown seedlings there was no NPA-induced inhibition of elongation up to 5.0 µm NPA, above which there was only slight
inhibition. Others have also noted a lack of response to NPA in
dark-grown plants. For example, when a ring of lanolin containing NPA
was applied just below the hook of dark-grown sunflower and mallow seedlings, there was no effect on hypocotyl elongation during a 5-h
experimental period (Tamimi and Firn, 1985
). It was suggested that in
the short term, elongation was not auxin limited. In their characterization of the rcn1 Arabidopsis mutant, Garbers et
al. (1996)
reported no inhibition of elongation in dark-grown wild type
(ecotype Wassilewskija) until a concentration of 100 µm
NPA was reached. Based on our findings we conclude that light is
necessary for NPA to inhibit hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis. It is unclear at this time whether this NPA response is directly mediated by
light or is a consequence of photomorphogenesis.
Light Quality and the Response to NPA
Our experiments with different colors of light and different
photoreceptor mutants indicate that PHYA, PHYB, and CRY1 are involved
in the light-dependent NPA effect on hypocotyl elongation (Figs. 4-6).
For example, under far-red light, NPA did not cause hypocotyl
inhibition in a phyA mutant, whereas hy4,
phyB, and the wild type strongly responded to NPA.
Similarly, NPA did not cause hypocotyl inhibition in the
phyB mutant grown under red light and the hy4
mutant grown under blue light, whereas the wild type and other
photoreceptor mutants were affected by NPA under red and blue light.
Therefore, it seems that multiple photoreceptors are able to induce the
changes that result in the light-dependent inhibition of hypocotyl
elongation caused by NPA. It appears that the response to blue light is
dependent on both CRY1 and phytochrome, because the hy4
mutant and the phyA/B double mutant are not responsive to
NPA in blue light. Indeed, the phyA/B double mutant behaves in many respects like the CRY1-deficient hy4 mutant.
This apparent co-action of phytochrome and cryptochrome has
recently been described for blue-light-dependent inhibition of hypocotyl elongation and anthocyanin production (Ahmad and Cashmore, 1997
). Thus, our data indicate that the light-induced inhibitory effect
of NPA on hypocotyl elongation is controlled by downstream events that
are shared among the different photoreceptor signal transduction
systems. Moreover, the data indicate that the NPA response described
here reflects a change in auxin physiology that is a fundamental part
of photomorphogenesis. Others have also reported light-dependent
changes in auxin physiology, including changes in auxin levels (Iino,
1982
; Jones et al., 1991
; Behringer and Davies, 1992
) and in the amount
of auxin-binding protein (Walton and Ray, 1981
; Jones et al., 1991
). In
addition, an examination of tobacco phytochrome mutants showed that
they have higher levels of free IAA than the wild type (Kraepiel et
al., 1995
).
Role of Auxin and Auxin Transport in Light- versus
Dark-Mediated Elongation
Because NPA is believed to act by inhibiting auxin transport, our
results indicate that basipetal auxin transport is not important for
hypocotyl elongation in dark-grown seedlings. This implies either that
auxin is synthesized in elongating tissue and does not need to be
transported, or that auxin is not important for elongation during
skotomorphogenesis. The phenotypes of the transgenic auxin
overproducers and underproducers are more consistent with the latter
possibility. The 35S-iaaL plants have decreased auxin levels, and the 19S-iaaM plants have 4 times greater free
IAA than the wild type, yet all three genotypes have hypocotyls of similar length when grown in the dark (Table I) (Romano et al., 1995
).
In contrast, when grown in the light, hypocotyls of axr1-12 and axr1-3 mutants and 35S-iaaL seedlings are
shorter than those of the wild type (Table I). Light-grown seedlings of
axr1-3 and 35S-iaaL also have a reduced
sensitivity to NPA, most likely because of their respective auxin
defects. In addition, light-grown seedlings of the 19S-iaaM
auxin overproducer have longer hypocotyls (Romano et al., 1995
). These
results suggest that auxin is not as important during dark elongation
as was previously believed, and highlights its importance in
light-grown plants, at least in Arabidopsis. It is not possible from
currently available data to determine if the light-dependent effects of
NPA are caused by changes in auxin levels, auxin sensitivity, or both.
Light increases root production. Auxin from the shoot is a strong
inducer of lateral root formation (Wightman and Thimann, 1980
), as is
exogenous auxin. Because auxin is thought to be produced in
young, expanding leaves and light induces leaf growth, light should
result in an increased supply of auxin to roots. This is consistent
with the observation that increased fluence rates were able to restore
partially the lateral root formation in NPA-treated seedlings (Fig. 7),
and a reduction in IAA sensitivity causes a decrease in lateral root
formation (Hobbie and Estelle, 1995
).
Although hypocotyl elongation was not inhibited by NPA in dark-grown
plants, the gravity response was still blocked (Fig. 3A). Thus, NPA was
still active under these experimental conditions. Gravitropism is
generally thought to involve lateral movement of auxin across an organ,
whereas stem elongation is considered to be regulated by the transport
of auxin from the sites of production in the shoot apex. Our results
are consistent with the idea that there are two distinct transport
systems, as was previously suggested by Firn and Tamimi (1986)
.
According to this model, the cells involved in lateral IAA movement are
distinct from the cells involved in basipetal transport. Thus, even
under conditions in which NPA-induced inhibition of hypocotyl
elongation varies dramatically, such as light versus dark growth, the
effect of NPA on the gravity response is relatively constant.
Several recent studies demonstrated that BRs are necessary for
elongation of hypocotyls during skotomorphogenesis. Three Arabidopsis mutants have been identified with defects in BR biosynthesis
(Kauschmann et al., 1996
; Li et al., 1996
; Szerkes et al., 1996
), as
well as one that is insensitive to BRs (Clouse et al., 1996
). All of these mutants have short hypocotyls when grown in darkness. A variety
of experiments with these mutants show that BRs play a major role in
hypocotyl elongation in the light and dark. Although the hypocotyls of
the det2 mutant, which is defective in BR biosynthesis, were
very short, the addition of NPA caused further length reduction in
light-grown plants (Table I). However, the percentage inhibition was
less than that observed in wild type.
As with the other mutants tested, NPA had no effect on elongation in
dark-grown det2 plants. In a variety of bioassay systems, BR
and IAA were found to interact synergistically (Arteca, 1995
). The
effects of NPA in the det2 mutant, the auxin mutants, and the transgenic plants suggest that the roles of auxin and BR in hypocotyl elongation function independently, at least to some extent.
In addition to BR-auxin interactions, a role for ethylene in regulating
auxin transport has been proposed (Suttle, 1988
). Our results on the
NPA response in etr1 and eto1-1, the
ethylene-resistant and the ethylene-overproducing mutants,
respectively, failed to show any interaction in light-grown plants.
Our findings show that basipetal auxin transport is important in
hypocotyl elongation during light-dependent but not dark-dependent development. This is consistent with the recent demonstration that
hypocotyl elongation in light-grown Arabidopsis seedlings proceeds by a
different developmental program than in seedlings grown in darkness
(Gendreau et al., 1997
). Although our results indicate that basipetal
auxin transport does not play a significant role in regulating
hypocotyl elongation during etiolated development, our results are
consistent with auxin transport as being important in the gravity
response of dark-grown seedlings. At this time it is unclear if the
difference in the light-dependent response to NPA is the result of
light-induced changes in auxin levels, changes in auxin sensitivity, or
both.
Hypocotyl elongation is a complex developmental process regulated by
many factors. The findings presented here, along with those from other
studies of the roles of auxin, GAs, ethylene, BRs, and various
photoreceptors in hypocotyl elongation, attest to this fact. It is
evident that the actions of the various plant hormones are part of a
complex set of overlapping processes that are ultimately regulated
through the activity of multiple photoreceptors and other environmental
sensory systems.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
1
This work was supported by National Science
Foundation grants to M.E. (no. IBN-9604398) and R.P.H. (no.
IBN-9596186).
*
Corresponding author; e-mail phjensen{at}indiana.edu; fax
1-812-855-6705.
Received July 21, 1997;
accepted October 3, 1997.
 |
ABBREVIATIONS |
Abbreviations:
BR, brassinosteroid.
NPA, 1-naphthylphthalamic
acid.
 |
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