When faced with the challenges of limited light conditions, plants have evolved various strategies to compete for survival. While some plants use the hormone gibberellin to adapt to low light, a recent study by Kyoto University researchers highlights a unique approach taken by the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.
Published in The Plant Cell journal, the study reveals that Marchantia polymorpha lacks the genes for gibberellin production but utilizes precursor molecules to create an unidentified signaling molecule. This molecule enables the liverwort to adjust its growth and reproductive strategies in response to shaded conditions.
Lead author Takayuki Kohchi from Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Biostudies explains that their research offers insight into how a metabolic pathway inherited from a common ancestor can diverge into distinct plant lineages.
Using genetic tools, including CRISPR-mediated editing, the research team created gibberellin synthesis-related mutants from different genes. These mutants exhibited a shared characteristic: a deficiency in the gibberellin biosynthesis pathway, which hindered the liverwort’s response to far-red enriched light. As a result, modified Marchantia polymorpha specimens did not exhibit the typical growth adjustments seen in response to low light conditions.
First author Rui Sun, also from the Graduate School of Biostudies, conducted RNA sequencing to analyze the gene expression changes influenced by gibberellin deficiencies.
The study’s findings shed light on the liverwort’s unique adaptation strategy in the absence of gibberellin production genes. Further research on the liverwort’s response to gibberellin precursor molecules may provide insights into the growth modulation mechanisms involving gibberellin-related compounds.
In summary, Marchantia polymorpha employs a distinctive survival strategy, relying on precursor molecules to produce a signaling molecule that facilitates growth adjustments in response to shaded conditions. This study underscores the diverse mechanisms by which plants adapt to their environments.