A comparative molecular-physiological study of submergence response in lowland and deepwater rice

Survival of rice (Oryza sativa) upon an extreme rise of the water level dep ends on rapid stem elongation, which is mediated by ethylene. A genomic clo ne (OS-ACS5) encoding 1-aminocyelopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase, which catalyzes a regulatory step in ethylene biosynthesis, has been isola ted from cv IR36, a lowland rice variety. Expression was induced upon short - and long-term submergence in cv IR36 and in cv Plai Ngam, a Thai deepwate r rice variety. Under hypoxic conditions, abscisic acid and gibberellin had a reciprocal opposite effect on the activity of OS-ACS5. Gibberellin up-re gulated and abscisic acid down-regulated OS-ACS5 mRNA accumulation. Growth experiments indicated that lowland rice responded to submergence with a bur st of growth early on, but lacked the ability to sustain elongation growth. Sustained growth, characteristic for deepwater rice, was correlated with a prolonged induction of OS-ACS5. Ln addition, a more pronounced capacity to convert ACC to ethylene, a limited ACC conjugation, and a high level of en dogenous gibberellin,, were characteristic for the deepwater variety. An el evated level of OS-ACS5 messenger was found in cv IR36 plants treated with exogenous ACC. This observation was concomitant with an increase in the cap acity of converting ACC to ethylene and in elongation growth, and resulted in prolonged survival. In conclusion, OS-ACS5 is involved in the rapid elon gation growth of deepwater rice by contributing to the initial and long-ter m increase in ethylene levels. Our data also suggest that ACC limits surviv al of submerged lowland rice seedlings.