The glucocorticoid-inducible GVG system causes severe growth defects in both root and shoot of the model legume Lotus japonicus.

During the past decade, the legume Lotus japonicus has emerged as an important model system for study of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Controlled expression of genes involved in symbiosis from an inducible promoter at specific time points would be a valuable tool for investigating gene function in L. japonicus. We have attempted to study the function of the putative transcription factors LjNDX and LjCPP1 by expression from the GVG inducible system. This study showed that the GVG system itself causes growth disturbances in L. japonicus. Shoot internode elongation and root pericycle cell division are affected when the chimeric GVG transcription factor is activated. We suggest that deficient auxin signaling could cause the phenotype observed and conclude that the GVG inducible system is not well suited for use in the model legume L. japonicus.