CRISPR Reveals Role of Plant Hormone Gibberellin in Bryophytes

A research team at Kyoto University used CRISPR gene editing to study how the plant hormone gibberellin helps bryophytes—liverwort and mosses—adjust their shapes and reproductive strategies in restricted light conditions.

While grasses and flowers adjust to restricted light conditions with the help of the plant hormone gibberellin, bryophytes lack the genes to do this. They are known to produce gibberellin precursors, but their coping process is largely unknown. The researchers now revealed that the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha uses these precursors to produce a yet unidentified signaling molecule to readjust itself under shaded conditions.

Using genetic tools, including CRISPR-mediated editing, the team created multiple gibberellin synthesis-related mutants from different genes. They found that M. polymorpha responded to the precursors. The deficiency of the gibberellin biosynthesis pathway diminished the plant's response to far-red enriched light. The modified M. polymorpha specimens did not grow upwards and became slender, nor did they accelerate sexual reproduction like the normal type.

For more details about this study, read the news article in Kyoto University's Research News.