Abstract
The timely removal of end-of-purpose flowering organs is as essential for reproduction and plant survival as timely flowering. Despite much progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of floral organ abscission, little is known about how various environmental factors are integrated into developmental programmes that determine the timing of abscission. Here, we investigated whether reactive oxygen species (ROS), mediators of various stress-related signalling pathways, are involved in determining the timing of abscission and, if so, how they are integrated with the developmental pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. MSD2, encoding a secretory manganese superoxide dismutase, was preferentially expressed in the abscission zone of flowers, and floral organ abscission was accelerated by the accumulation of ROS in msd2 mutants. The expression of the genes encoding the receptor-like kinase HAESA (HAE) and its cognate peptide ligand INFLORESCENCE DEFICIENT IN ABSCISSION (IDA), the key signalling components of abscission, was accelerated in msd2 mutants, suggesting that MSD2 acts upstream of IDA-HAE. Further transcriptome and pharmacological analyses revealed that abscisic acid and nitric oxide facilitate abscission by regulating the expression of IDA and HAE during MSD2-mediated signalling. These results suggest that MSD2-dependent ROS metabolism is an important regulatory point integrating environmental stimuli into the developmental programme leading to abscission.