Arabidopsis IQD1, a novel calmodulin-binding nuclear protein, stimulates glucosinolate accumulation and plant defense

Plant J. 2005 Jul;43(1):79-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2005.02435.x.

Abstract

Glucosinolates are a class of secondary metabolites with important roles in plant defense and human nutrition. To uncover regulatory mechanisms of glucosinolate production, we screened Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA activation-tagged lines and identified a high-glucosinolate mutant caused by overexpression of IQD1 (At3g09710). A series of gain- and loss-of-function IQD1 alleles in different accessions correlates with increased and decreased glucosinolate levels, respectively. IQD1 encodes a novel protein that contains putative nuclear localization signals and several motifs known to mediate calmodulin binding, which are arranged in a plant-specific segment of 67 amino acids, called the IQ67 domain. We demonstrate that an IQD1-GFP fusion protein is targeted to the cell nucleus and that recombinant IQD1 binds to calmodulin in a Ca(2+)-dependent fashion. Analysis of steady-state messenger RNA levels of glucosinolate pathway genes indicates that IQD1 affects expression of multiple genes with roles in glucosinolate metabolism. Histochemical analysis of tissue-specific IQD1::GUS expression reveals IQD1 promoter activity mainly in vascular tissues of all organs, consistent with the expression patterns of several glucosinolate-related genes. Interestingly, overexpression of IQD1 reduces insect herbivory, which we demonstrated in dual-choice assays with the generalist phloem-feeding green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), and in weight-gain assays with the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), a generalist-chewing lepidopteran. As IQD1 is induced by mechanical stimuli, we propose IQD1 to be novel nuclear factor that integrates intracellular Ca(2+) signals to fine-tune glucosinolate accumulation in response to biotic challenge.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Aphids
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / physiology*
  • Calcium Signaling
  • Calmodulin / metabolism
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / physiology*
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Glucosinolates / biosynthesis*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Binding
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Tissue Distribution

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Calmodulin
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins
  • Glucosinolates
  • IQD1 protein, Arabidopsis

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AY827468