Differential regulation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase gene family and its role in phenotypic plasticity in Stellaria longipes

Using degenerate oligonucleotides that correspond to conserved amino acid residues of known 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthases, we cloned a genomic fragment that encodes ACC synthase in Stellaria longipes. Southern analysis suggests that ACC synthase is encoded by a small gene family comprising about 4 members. We isolated four unique ACC synthase cDNA clones under different growth conditions from alpine and prairie ecotypes of S. longipes. Northern analyses suggest that ACC synthase genes are differentially and synergistically regulated by photoperiod and temperature. Such differential regulation of ACC synthase genes positively correlate with the levels of ACC and ethylene. Since ethylene has previously been shown to partly control the stem elongation plasticity in S. longipes, we propose that differential regulation of ACC synthase genes may represent one of the underlying molecular mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity in S. longipes.