Arabidopsis MYB68 in development and responses to environmental cues

The Arabidopsis MYB68 gene encodes a MYB family protein with N-terminal R2R3 DNA-binding domains. Analyses of MYB68 expression by RNA blot and a transposant gene-trap MYB68::GUS reporter indicated that MYB68 is expressed specifically in root pericycle cells. Root cultures of the myb68 mutant, caused by the gene trap insertion in the first MYB68 exon, produced increased biomass and lignin levels compared to wild type. Under high temperature regimes, MYB68::GUS activity was elevated in roots, while vegetative growth of myb68 mutants was reduced compared to wild type. These data suggest that MYB68 is involved in some step(s) in root development. The closest MYB68 homolog, MYB84, exhibited an overlapping expression pattern in pericycle cells, suggesting that their functions may be partly redundant. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.