To respond to physical signals and endogenous hormones, plants use specific signal transduction pathways. We and others have previously shown that second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P(3)] is used in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, and that some mutants with altered Ins(1,4,5)P(3) have altered responses to ABA. Specifically, mutants defective in the myo-inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatases (5PTases) 1 and 2 genes that hydrolyze 5-phosphates from Ins(1,4,5)P(3) and other PtdInsP and InsP substrates, have elevated Ins (1,4,5)P(3), and are ABA-hypersensitive. Given the antagonistic relationship between ABA and gibberellic acid (GA), we tested the response of these same mutants to a GA synthesis inhibitor, paclobutrazol (PAC). We report here that 5ptase1, 5ptase2 and 5ptase11 mutants are hypersensitive to PAC, suggesting a relationship between elevated Ins(1,4,5)P(3) and decreased GA signal transduction. These data provide insight into signaling cross-talk between ABA and GA pathways.
Keywords: gibberellic acid; inositol; inositol trisphosphate; paclobutrazol; phosphatidylinositol phosphate.