Chaperones HSP90 as a stabilizer of plant growth and morphogenesis: a microevolutionary aspect

  • Л. Є. Козеко

Abstract

Aim. Chaperones HSP90 have been considered as a mechanism for buffering and accumulating genetic changes which could be important for developmental networks. An analysis of polymorphic Arabidopsis thaliana seeds was carried out to test this hypothesis. Methods. Seeds from a natural population as well as Col seeds irradiated with UV-B and gamma-rays and non-irradiated (control) were treated with an inhibitor of HSP90 geldanamycin (GDA). Seed germinability and seedling growth rates and morphological variation were analyzed. Results. GDA enhanced the growth rate and morphological diversity in polymorphic material and, at the same time, eliminated a part of the weaker organisms. Conclusions. The role of HSP90 in the concealment and release of genetic polymorphism, support of homeostasis and stabilization ("canalization") of plant growth and morphogenesis may be an important mechanism for morphological evolution.

Keywords: heat shock protein 90, Arabidopsis thaliana, polymorphism, phenotype, morphological evolution.