Regulation of differential growth in the apical hook of Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis seedlings develop a hook-like structure at the apical part of t he hypocotyl when grown in darkness. Differential cell growth processes res ult in the curved hypocotyl hook. Time-dependent analyses of the hypocotyl showed that the apical hook is formed during an early phase of seedling gro wth and is maintained in a sequential phase by a distinct process, Based on developmental genetic analyses of hook-affected mutants, we show that the hookless mutants (hls1, cop2) are involved in an early aspect of hook devel opment. From time-dependent analyses of ethylene-insensitive mutants, later steps in hook maintenance were found to be ethylene sensitive. Regulation of differential growth was further studied through examination of the spati al pattern of expression of two hormone-regulated genes: an ethylene biosyn thetic enzyme and the ethylene receptor ETR1, Accumulation of mRNA for AtAC O2, a novel ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) oxidase gene, occur red within cells predominantly located on the outer-side of the hook and wa s tightly correlated with ethylene-induced exaggeration in the curvature of the hook. ETR1 expression in the apical hook, however, was reduced by ethy lene treatment. Based on the expression pattern of ETR1 and AtACO2 in the h ook-affected mutants, a model for hook development and maintenance is propo sed.