α-expansins in the semiaquatic ferns Marsilea quadrifolia and Regnellidium diphyllum: Evolutionary aspects and physiological role in rachis elongation

J. H. Kim, H. T. Cho, H. Kende

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

To investigate the evolutionary history of expansins and their role in cell elongation in early land plants, we isolated two α-expansin genes, Mq-EXP1 and Rd-EXP1, respectively, from the semiaquatic ferns Marsilea quadrifolia L. and Regnellidium diphyllum Lindm. The deduced amino acid sequences of the fern expansins exhibit a high degree of identity to those of seed plants, showing that expansin genes were conserved during the evolution of vascular plants. Gel-blot analysis of M. quadrifolia and R. diphyllum genomic DNA indicated that, in both ferns, α-expansins are encoded by multigene families. Expression of α-expansin genes probed with Mq-EXP1 was confined to the elongating region of the Marsilea rachis. Cell-wall proteins of M. quadrifolia induced in-vitro extension of acidified cucumber cell walls. In R. diphyllum, expression of Rd-EXP1 increased when elongation of the rachis was enhanced by submergence or ethylene. These results indicate that α-expansins act as wall-loosening proteins in ferns, as has been proposed for angiosperms. In addition, Rd-EXP1 may play a role in mediating elongation of the rachis in submerged plants.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)85-92
Number of pages8
JournalPlanta
Volume212
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2000

Keywords

  • Ethylene
  • Expansin
  • Marsilea
  • Rachis elongation
  • Regnellidium
  • Submergence

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'α-expansins in the semiaquatic ferns Marsilea quadrifolia and Regnellidium diphyllum: Evolutionary aspects and physiological role in rachis elongation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this