RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A Synthetic Peptide Encoded by a Random DNA Sequence Inhibits Discrete Red Light Responses
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 669564
DO 10.1101/669564
A1 Tautvydas Shuipys
A1 Raquel F. Carvalho
A1 Maureen A. Clancy
A1 Zhilong Bao
A1 Kevin M. Folta
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/06/13/669564.abstract
AB We have identified a synthetic peptide that interrupts discrete aspects of seedling development under red light. Previous reports have demonstrated that plants transformed with random DNA sequences produce synthetic peptides that affect plant biology. In this report one specific peptide is characterized that inhibits discrete aspects of red-light-mediated Arabidopsis thaliana development during photomorphogenesis. Seedlings expressing the PEP6-32 peptide presented longer hypocotyls and diminished cotyledon expansion when grown under red light. Other red-light-mediated seedling processes such as induction of Lhcb (cab) transcripts or loss of vertical growth remained unaffected. Long-term responses to red light in PEP6-32 expressing plants, such as repression of flowering time, did not show defects in red light signaling or integration. A synthesized peptide applied exogenously induced the long-hypocotyl phenotype under red light in non-transformed seedlings. The results indicate that the PEP6-32 peptide causes discrete cell expansion defects during early seedling development in red light, mimicking weak phyB alleles in some aspects of seedling photomorphogenesis. The findings demonstrate that new chemistries derived from random peptide expression can modulate specific facets of plant growth and development.One Sentence Summary A plant line expressing random DNA sequence expresses a synthetic peptide that affects specific red-light responses in a developing seedling.