The Cytokinin-hypersensitive genes of Arabidopsis negatively regulate the cytokinin-signaling pathway for cell division and chloroplast development.

We isolated Arabidopsis thaliana mutants that respond more sensitively than the wild type to cytokinins. The calli produced from the mutants exhibit typical cytokinin responses, including rapid proliferation and chloroplast development in response to lower levels of cytokinins than in the wild type. The mutations are recessive and belong to two complementation groups designated ckh1 and ckh2 for cytokinin-hypersensitive. CKH1 and CKH2 were mapped to the top of chromosome I and the middle of chromosome II, respectively. The cytokinin levels in these mutants were not increased. We speculate that the CKH1 and CKH2 gene products negatively regulate the signaling pathway leading from cytokinin perception to cell proliferation and chloroplast development.