The Streptomyces volatile 3-octanone alters auxin/cytokinin and growth in Arabidopsis thaliana via the gene family KISS ME DEADLY

Abstract

Plants enhance their growth in the presence of particular soil bacteria due to volatile compounds affecting the homeostasis of plant growth hormones. However, the mechanisms of volatile compound signaling and plant perception has been unclear. This study identifies the bioactive volatile 3-octanone as a plant growth stimulating volatile, constitutively emitted by the soil bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor grown on a rich medium. When 3-octanone is applied to developing Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, a family-wide induction of the Kelch-repeat F-box genes known as KISS ME DEADLY (KMD) subsequently alters auxin/cytokinin homeostasis to promote the growth of lateral roots and inhibit the primary root. Loss of function of the KMD family or other alterations of auxin/cytokinin homeostasis suppresses the volatile-induced growth response. This reveals a function of KMDs in the pathway of microbial volatile perception and plant growth responses. Significance StatementVolatiles from soil microbes are profound stimulators of plant growth. This work identifies for the first time a plant hormone signaling regulator, the gene family KISS ME DEADLY (KMD), to be an early essential step in plant growth promotion by a soil bacterial volatile, 3-octanone. The KMD-regulated gene network alters the tissue sensitivity balance for the growth hormones auxin and cytokinin, modifying root growth rate and architecture. Previously, the Kelch repeat F-box gene family of KMDs have been shown to be important down-regulators of both positive cytokinin signaling and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, but upstream cues were unknown. This report places the KMD family regulation of plant growth and defense into its biotic context.