Journal Article

A Member of the PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE Family of ATP Binding Cassette Transporters Is Required for the Formation of a Functional Cuticle in Arabidopsis

Cao, Yan, Métraux, Jean-Pierre, Borel, Sandra, Nawrath, Christiane, Efremova, Nadia, Carraca, Luis, Bessire, Michael, Jetter, Reinhard, Yephremov, Alexander, Jacquat, Anne-Claude, Fabre, Guillaume

2011

Overview

Although the multilayered structure of the plant cuticle was discovered many years ago, the molecular basis of its formation and the functional relevance of the layers are not understood. Here, we present the permeable cuticlei (pec1) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, which displays features associated with a highly permeable cuticle in several organs. In ped flowers, typical cutin monomers, such as ω-hydroxylated fatty acids and 10,16-dihydroxypalmitate, are reduced to 40% of wild-type levels and are accompanied by the appearance of lipidie inclusions within the epidermal cell. The cuticular layer of the cell wall, rather than the cuticle proper, is structurally altered in ped petals. Therefore, a significant role for the formation of the diffusion barrier in petals can be attributed to this layer. Thus, ped defines a new class of mutants. The phenotypes of the ped mutant are caused by the knockout of ATP BINDING CASSETTEG32 (ABCG32), an ABC transporter from the PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE family that is localized at the plasma membrane of epidermal cells in a polar manner toward the surface of the organs. Our results suggest that ABCG32 is involved in the formation of the cuticular layer of the cell wall, most likely by exporting particular cutin precursors from the epidermal cell.

• Publisher: American Society of Plant Biologists
• Subject: ABC transporters / adenosine triphosphate / Animal cuticle / Arabidopsis / Arabidopsis - genetics / Arabidopsis - metabolism / Arabidopsis - ultrastructure / Arabidopsis Proteins / Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics / Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism / Arabidopsis thaliana / ATP / ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 / ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G / ATP binding cassette transporters / ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - genetics / ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - metabolism / Cell Membrane / Cell Wall / Cell Wall - metabolism / cell walls / corolla / cutin / Drug resistance / Epidermal cells / fatty acids / Flowers / Flowers - genetics / Flowers - metabolism / Flowers - ultrastructure / Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / genetics / Genotype / knockout mutants / Membrane Lipids / Membrane Lipids - metabolism / metabolism / Monomers / Permeability / Petals / Phenotype / Plant cells / Plant cuticle / Plant Epidermis / Plant Epidermis - metabolism / Plant Leaves / Plant Leaves - genetics / Plant Leaves - metabolism / Plant Leaves - ultrastructure / Plants / Plants, Genetically Modified / Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics / Plants, Genetically Modified - metabolism / plasma membrane / Sequence Deletion / Stems / ultrastructure