About
71
Publications
73,447
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
8,630
Citations
Introduction
Current institution
Additional affiliations
November 2015 - April 2016
July 2013 - May 2016
Publications
Publications (71)
During leaf senescence, plants degrade chlorophyll to colorless linear tetrapyrroles that are stored in the vacuole of senescing cells. The early steps of chlorophyll breakdown occur in plastids. To date, five chlorophyll catabolic enzymes (CCEs), NONYELLOW COLORING1 (NYC1), NYC1-LIKE, pheophytinase, pheophorbide a oxygenase (PAO), and red chloroph...
Plants initiate senescence to shed photosynthetically inefficient leaves. Light deprivation induces leaf senescence, which involves massive transcriptional reprogramming to dismantle cellular components and remobilize nutrients. In darkness, intermittent pulses of red light can inhibit senescence, likely via phytochromes. However, the precise molec...
Phosphorus (P) is a key macronutrient whose availability has a profound effect on plant growth and productivity. The understanding of the mechanism underlying P availability-responsive P acquisition has expanded largely in the past decade; however, effects of other environmental factors on P acquisition and utilization remain elusive. Here, by imag...
In most plants, abscisic acid (ABA) induces premature leaf senescence; however, the mechanisms of ABA signaling during leaf senescence remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the rice (Oryza sativa) NAM/ATAF½/CUC2 (NAC) transcription factor ONAC054 plays an important role in ABA-induced leaf senescence. onac054 knockout mutants maintained green...
Nitrogen (N) deficiency responses are essential for plant survival and reproduction. Here, via an expression genome-wide association study (eGWAS), we reveal a mechanism that regulates microRNA (miRNA) dynamics necessary for N deficiency responses in Arabidopsis. Differential expression levels of three NAC transcription factor (TF) genes involved i...
Potassium (K) is a key nutrient essential for plant growth, and its deficiency induces various adaptative responses in plants; however, the mechanisms underlying these responses remain unclear. In the present study, we explored the natural variation in K deficiency responses among 100 naturally occurring accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana and then...
DNA-binding with one-finger (Dof) proteins are a family of plant-specific transcription factors distinguished by the highly conserved Dof DNA-binding domain. Various members play crucial roles in diverse plant biological processes. However, it remains unclear how the Dof domain recognizes a restricted set of promoters for gene regulation by binding...
Rice HRS1 HOMOLOG3 (OsHHO3) acts as a transcriptional repressor of AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER1 (OsAMT1) genes in rice; thus, reduced OsHHO3 expression in nitrogen (N)-deficient environments promotes ammonium uptake. In this study, we show that OsHHO3 also functions as a repressor of a specific subset of phosphate (Pi) transporter (PT) genes involved in t...
Elucidating the mechanisms regulating nitrogen (N) deficiency responses in plants is of great agricultural importance. Previous studies revealed that decreased expression of NITRATE‐INDUCIBLE GARP‐TYPE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSOR1 (NIGT1) transcriptional repressor genes upon N deficiency is involved in N deficiency‐inducible gene expression in Arabid...
Senescence is a highly regulated process driven by developmental age and environmental factors. Although leaf senescence is accelerated by nitrogen (N) deficiency, the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we reveal that BBX14, a previously uncharacterized BBX-type transcription factor in Arabidopsis, is cruci...
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient acquired from soil as phosphate (Pi), and its deficiency severely reduces plant growth and crop yield. Here, we show that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL TRANSFER PROTEIN7 (AtPITP7) locus, which encodes a chloroplastic Sec14-like protein, are associated with genetic diversity re...
In plants, nitrate is the dominant nitrogen (N) source and a critical nutrient signal regulating various physiological and developmental processes.1, 2, 3, 4 Nitrate-responsive gene regulatory networks are widely believed to control growth, development, and life cycle in addition to N acquisition and utilization,1, 2, 3, 4 and NIN-LIKE PROTEIN (NLP...
Drought stress negatively affects plant growth and development, thus reducing plant productivity. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying drought stress responses is essential for crop improvement. The plant-specific NAM/ATAF1,2/CUC2 (NAC) transcription factors play important roles in the drought stress response. Here, we show...
Nitrogen (N), a macronutrient, is often a limiting factor in plant growth, development, and productivity. To adapt to N-deficient environments, plants have developed elaborate N starvation responses. Under N-deficient conditions, older leaves exhibit yellowing, owing to the degradation of proteins and chlorophyll pigments in chloroplasts and subseq...
The RWP-RK protein family is a group of transcription factors containing the RWP-RK DNA-binding domain. The RWP-RK DNA-binding domain is an ancient motif that emerged before the establishment of the Viridiplantae (green plants), which consist of green algae and land plants. This domain is mostly absent in other kingdoms but widely distributed in Vi...
Nitrate is a nutrient signal that regulates growth and development through NLP transcription factors in plants. Here we identify the L-aspartate oxidase gene (AO) necessary for de novo NAD+ biosynthesis as an NLP target in Arabidopsis. We investigated the physiological significance of nitrate-induced AO expression by expressing AO under the control...
Light is the primary regulator of various biological processes during the plant life cycle. Although plants utilize photosynthetically active radiation to generate chemical energy, they possess several photoreceptors that perceive light of specific wavelengths and then induce wavelength-specific responses. Light is also one of the key determinants...
Identification of genes and their alleles capable of improving plant growth under low nitrogen (N) conditions is key for developing sustainable agriculture. Here, we show that a genome-wide association study using Arabidopsis thaliana accessions suggested an association between different magnitudes of N deficiency responses and diversity in NRT1.1/...
Homeostasis of phosphorus (P), an essential macronutrient, is vital for plant growth under diverse environmental conditions. Although plants acquire P from the soil as inorganic phosphate (Pi), its availability is generally limited. Therefore, plants employ mechanisms involving various Pi transporters that facilitate efficient Pi uptake against a s...
Fine-tuning of nutrient uptake and response is indispensable for maintenance of nutrient homeostasis in plants, but the details of underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. NITRATE-INDUCIBLE GARP-TYPE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSOR 1 (NIGT1) family proteins are plant-specific transcriptional repressors that function as an important hub in the nutri...
Phosphorus (P) is a macronutrient essential for plant growth and productivity. Plants uptake P as inorganic phosphate (Pi); however, in the natural ecosystem, Pi availability is frequently a severe limiting factor for plant growth. Thus, plants have evolved several mechanisms, such as the expression of Pi starvation-responsive genes, to adapt to Pi...
Leaf senescence is the final stage of leaf development and an important step that relocates nutrients for grain filling in cereal crops. Senescence occurs in an age-dependent manner and under unfavorable environmental conditions such as deep shade, water deficit, and high salinity stresses. Although many transcription factors that modulate leaf sen...
Dof (DNA-binding with one finger) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors closely associated with a variety of physiological processes. Here, we show a novel function of the Dof protein family in Arabidopsis. Disruption of Dof2.1, a jasmonate (JA)-inducible gene, led to a marked reduction in promotion of leaf senescence and inhibition of...
MYB-type transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant growth and development, and in the rapid responses to unfavorable environmental conditions. We recently reported the isolation and characterization of a rice (Oryza sativa) MYB TF, OsMYB102, which is involved in the regulation of leaf senescence by downregulating abscisic acid (ABA)...
MYB-type transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant growth and development, and in the responses to several abiotic stresses. In rice (Oryza sativa), the roles of MYB-related TFs in leaf senescence are not well documented. Here, we examined the rice MYB TF gene OsMYB102 and found that an OsMYB102 T-DNA activation-tagged line (termed...
The stay-green mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, ore10 forms stable light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) aggregates during dark-induced senescence, which showed a single base deletion (G1351) in the coding region of the pheophytinase (PPH) gene. PPH specifically dephytylates the Mg-free chlorophyll (Chl) pigment pheophytin, yielding pheophorbide. In b...
Nitrate is a nutrient signal that triggers complex regulation of transcriptional networks to modulate nutrient-dependent growth and development in plants. This includes time- and nitrate concentration-dependent regulation of nitrate-related gene expression. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we identify NIGT1 transcri...
High salinity, one of the most severe abiotic stresses encountered by land plants, often results from water deficit and also induces whole-plant senescence. Thus, salt treatment provides a useful technique for stress-mediated induction of senescence in plants. In this chapter, we describe the procedures to induce senescence in Arabidopsis (Arabidop...
The previously published version of this Article contained errors in Figure 5. In panel c, the second and fourth blot images were incorrectly labeled 'α-Myc' and should have been labelled 'α-HA'. These errors have been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Light is the foremost regulator of plant growth and development, and the critical role of light signalling in the promotion of nutrient uptake and utilisation was clarified in recent decades. Recent studies with Arabidopsis demonstrated the molecular mechanisms underlying such promotive effects and uncovered the pivotal role of the transcription fa...
In Arabidopsis thaliana, CONSTANS (CO) plays an essential role in the regulation of photoperiodic flowering under long-day conditions. CO protein is stable only in the afternoon of long days, when it induces the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), which promotes flowering. The blue-light photoreceptor FLAVIN-BINDING, KELCH REPEAT, F-BOX1 (FKF1) i...
The loss of green coloration via chlorophyll (Chl) degradation typically occurs during leaf senescence. To date, many Chl catabolic enzymes have been identified and shown to interact with light harvesting complex II to form a Chl degradation complex in senescing chloroplasts; this complex might metabolically channel phototoxic Chl catabolic interme...
Arabidopsis EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3) functions in modulating light input to the circadian clock, as a component of ELF3-ELF4-LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) evening complex. However, the role of ELF3 in stress responses remains largely unknown. In this study, we show that ELF3 enhances plants’ resilience to salt stress: ELF3-overexpressing (ELF3-OX) plants are...
Rice (Oryza sativa) Phytochrome-Interacting Factor-Like1 (OsPIL1), a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, plays an important role in the elongation of internode cells. Recently, we found that OsPIL1 participates in chlorophyll biosynthesis by directly upregulating several genes encoding components of the photosystem apparatus. Here, we show...
These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract In phototrophic plants, the highly conserved and tightly regulated process of chlorophyll (Chl) biosynthesis comprises multi-step reactions involving more than 15 enzymes. Since the efficiency of Chl biosynthesis strongly affects plant productivity , understanding the underlying regulatory me...
In Arabidopsis, EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3) has pivotal roles in controlling circadian rhythm and photoperiodic flowering. In addition, ELF3 negatively regulates leaf senescence by repressing the transcription of PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4) and PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR5 (PIF5); elf3 mutants senesce earlier and ELF3-overexpressing (ELF3...
Gibberellins (GAs) and brassinosteroids (BRs) are important phytohormones that control plant development and responses to environmental cues by involving DELLA proteins and BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT1 (BZR1) respectively as key transcription factors. Here, we reveal a new role for JUNGBRUNNEN1 (JUB1) as a transcriptional regulator of GA/BR signalling i...
In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring au...
In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monit...
Key message
TheArabidopsistranscriptional factor NAC016 directly activates chlorophyll degradation during leaf senescence by binding to the promoter ofSGR1and upregulating its transcription.
Abstract
During leaf senescence or abiotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana, STAYGREEN1 (SGR1) promotes chlorophyll (Chl) degradation, acting with Chl catabolic...
In Arabidopsis, CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC/DE-ETIOLATED/FUSCA (COP/DET/FUS) genes act in repression of photomorphogenesis in darkness, and recent reports revealed that some of these genes, such as COP1 and DET1, also have important roles in controlling flowering time and circadian rhythm. The COP/DET/FUS protein COP10 interacts with DET1 and DNA...
NAM/ATAF1/ATAF2/CUC2 (NAC) is a plant-specific transcription factor (TF) family, and NACs participate in many diverse processes
during the plant life cycle. Several Arabidopsis thaliana NACs have important roles in positively or negatively regulating leaf senescence, but in other plant species, including rice,
the senescence-associated NACs (senNAC...
Light regulates leaf senescence and light deprivation causes large-scale transcriptional reprogramming to dismantle cellular components and remobilize nutrients to sink organs, such as seeds and storage tissue. We recently reported that in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), Phytochrome-Interacting Factor4 (PIF4) and PIF5 promote dark-induced senes...
Lesion mimic mutants commonly display spontaneous cell death in pre-senescent green leaves under normal conditions, without
pathogen attack. Despite molecular and phenotypic characterization of several lesion mimic mutants, the mechanisms of the
spontaneous formation of cell death lesions remain largely unknown. Here, the rice lesion mimic mutant s...
Drought and other abiotic stresses negatively affect plant growth and development and thus reduce productivity. The plant-specific NAM/ATAF1/2/CUC2 (NAC) transcription factors have important roles in abiotic stress-responsive signaling. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana NAC016 is involved in drought stress responses; nac016 mutants have high...
Degradation of chlorophyll (Chl) by Chl catabolic enzymes (CCEs) causes the loss of green color that typically occurs during senescence of leaves. In addition to CCEs, STAYGREEN1 (SGR1) functions as a key regulator of Chl degradation. Although sgr1 mutants in many plant species exhibit a staygreen phenotype, the biochemical function of the SGR1 pro...
SGRLphysically interacts with NOL by two hybrid (View interaction)
SGRLphysically interacts with HCAR by two hybrid (View interaction)
SGRLphysically interacts with RCCR by two hybrid (View interaction)
SGR1physically interacts with RCCR, PAO, NOL and NYC1 by pull down (View interaction)
SGRLphysically interacts with NYC1, PAO, RCCR and NOL by pull...
Jasmonic acid (JA) functions in plant development, including senescence and immunity. Arabidopsis thaliana CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 encodes a JA receptor and functions in the JA-responsive signaling pathway. The Arabidopsis genome harbors a single COI gene, but the rice (Oryza sativa) genome harbors three COI homologs, OsCOI1a, OsCOI1b, and OsCOI2....
Chlorophyll (Chl) degradation causes leaf yellowing during senescence or under stress conditions. For Chl breakdown, STAY-GREEN1 (SGR1) interacts with Chl catabolic enzymes (CCEs) and light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) at the thylakoid membrane, possibly to allow metabolic channeling of potentially phototoxic Chl breakdown intermediates. Among the...
Plant autophagy, one of the essential proteolysis systems, balances proteome and nutrient levels in cells of the whole plant.
Autophagy has been studied by analysing Arabidopsis thaliana autophagy-defective atg mutants, but the relationship between autophagy and chlorophyll (Chl) breakdown during stress-induced leaf yellowing remains
unclear. Durin...
The highly ordered process of senescence forms the final stage of leaf development; a large set of senescence-associated genes
(SAGs) execute this orderly dismantling of the photosynthetic apparatus and remobilization of cellular components. A number
of transcription factors (TFs) modulate SAG expression to promote or delay senescence. Here we show...
NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) catalyzes photoreduction of protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) to chlorophyllide in chlorophyll (Chl) synthesis and is required for prolamellar body (PLB) formation in etioplasts. Rice faded green leaf (fgl) mutants develop yellow/white leaf variegation and necrotic lesions during leaf elongation in field-g...
During natural or dark-induced senescence, chlorophyll degradation causes leaf yellowing. Recent evidence indicates that chlorophyll catabolic enzymes (CCEs) interact with the photosynthetic apparatus; for example, five CCEs (NYC1, NOL, PPH, PAO and RCCR) interact with LHCII. STAY-GREEN (SGR) and CCEs interact with one another in senescing chloropl...
Leaf senescence is a developmentally and environmentally regulated process which includes global changes in gene expression.
Using Arabidopsis as a model, we modified Chl arrangement in photosystems by overexpressing the catalytic domain (the C domain)
of chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO) fused with the linker domain (the B domain) of CAO and green...
In field conditions, the zebra2 (z2) mutant in rice (Oryza sativa) produces leaves with transverse pale-green/yellow stripes. It was recently reported that ZEBRA2 encodes carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO) and that low levels of lutein, an essential carotenoid for non-photochemical quenching, cause leaf variegation in z2 mutants. However, we found that...
Chl b is one of the major light-harvesting pigments in land plants. The synthesis of Chl b is strictly regulated in response to light conditions in order to control the antenna size of photosystems. Regulation of Chl b also affects its distribution as it occurs preferentially in the peripheral antenna complexes. However, it has not been experimenta...
Chlorophyll b is one of the major photosynthetic pigments of plants. The regulation of chlorophyll b biosynthesis is important for plants in order to acclimate to changing environmental conditions. In the chloroplast, chlorophyll b is synthesized from chlorophyll a by chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO), a Rieske-type monooxygenase. The activity of th...
Chlorophyll
b is one of the major light-harvesting pigments produced by land plants, green algae and several cyanobacterial species. It is synthesized from chlorophyll a by chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO), which in higher plants consists of three domains, namely, A, B, and C. We previously demonstrated that the C domain exhibits a catalytic functi...
Chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO) catalyzes the conversion of chlorophyll(ide) a to chlorophyll(ide) b. This enzyme controls accumu-lation of chlorophyll b in chloroplast. The CAO protein in higher plants consists of three domains (A, B and C domains). The C domain exhibits a catalytic function, while the A domain regu-lates the cellular level of CA...
Higher plants acclimate to various light environments by changing the antenna size of a light-harvesting photosystem. The antenna size of a photosystem is partly determined by the amount of chlorophyll b in the light-harvesting complexes. Chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO) converts chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b in a two-step oxygenation reaction. In...
Chlorophyll b is one of the major light-harvesting pigments in green plants and it is essential for optimal light harvesting. Chlorophyll b is synthesized from chlorophyll a by chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO) which consists of A, B and C domains. Previously, we demonstrated that the C domain alone has a catalytic function, while the A and B domain...
