Gibberellin and abscisic acid signalling in aleurone

The plant hormones gibberellin and abscisic acid regulate gene expression, secretion and cell death in aleurone. The emerging picture is of gibberellin perception at the plasma membrane whereas abscisic acid acts at both the plasma membrane and in the cytoplasm - although gibberellin and abscisic acid receptors have yet to be identified. A range of downstream-signalling components and events has been implicated in gibberellin and abscisic acid signalling in aleurone. These include the G(alpha) subunit of a heterotrimeric G protein, a transient elevation in cGMP, Ca2+-dependent and Ca2+-independent events in the cytoplasm, reversible protein phosphorylation, and several promoter cis-elements and transcription factors, including GAMYB. In parallel, molecular genetic studies on mutants of Arabidopsis that show defects in responses to these hormones have identified components of gibberellin and abscisic acid signalling. These two approaches are yielding results that raise the possibility that specific gibberellin and abscisic acid signalling components perform similar functions in aleurone and other tissues.