Mutant Name: rhd1(root hair defective1)

Gene Name RHD1
Protein Name UDP-glucose 4-epimerase
Mutagen EMS
Category forward genetics
Organism Arabidopsis thaliana
Ecotype Col
Donor
General Description 1. rhd1 mutant has dramatic bulging of root epidermal cells because of a deficiency of D-galactose in specific cell wall polymers.
2. rhd1 can be rescued by addition of D-Galactose.
3. Ethylene specifically suppresses the rhd1 phenotype and modulates the channeling of UDP-D-Gal into cell wall polymers.
4.The nucleotide substitutions in rhd1-1, -2, -3, and -4 mutant alleles were 1260G/A, 1833C/T, 436G/A, and 1023G/A and gave rise to the amino acid substitutions 186Gly/Glu, 250Ala/Val, 63Asp/Asn, and 135Trp/Stop, respectively.
Organ Specificity 1. RHD1 is ubiquitously expressed. rhd1 can be rescued by addition of D-Galactose.
Impact on Wall
Impact on Sugar Composition 1. Epidermal cell walls in the root expansion zone lack arabinosylated (1-6)-beta-D-galactan and galactosylated XG.
2. In cortical cells of rhd1, galactosylated XG is absent, but an arabinosylated (1-6)-beta-D-galactan is present.
3. rhd1 is partially deficient in cell wall arabinogalactan-protein.
Reference 1. Schiefelbein, J.W., and Somerville, C. (1990). Genetic Control of Root Hair Development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell 2, 235-243.

2. Seifert, G.J., Barber, C., Wells, B., Dolan, L., and Roberts, K. (2002). Galactose biosynthesis in Arabidopsis: Genetic evidence for substrate channeling from UDP-D-galactose into cell wall polymers. Curr. Biol. 12, 1840-1845.

3. Seifert GJ, Barber C, Wells B, Roberts K. Growth regulators and the control of nucleotide sugar flux. Plant Cell. 2004 Mar;16(3):723-30.