Dataset Information

The FANTASTIC FOUR proteins influence shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Throughout their lives plants produce new organs from groups of pluripotent cells called meristems, located at the tips of the shoot and the root. The size of the shoot meristem is tightly controlled by a feedback loop, which involves the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) and the CLAVATA (CLV) proteins. This regulatory circuit is further fine-tuned by morphogenic signals such as hormones and sugars. RESULTS: Here we show that a family of four plant-specific proteins, encoded by the FANTASTIC FOUR (FAF) genes, has the potential to regulate shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis thaliana. FAF2 and FAF4 are expressed in the centre of the shoot meristem, overlapping with the site of WUS expression. Consistent with a regulatory interaction between the FAF gene family and WUS, our experiments indicate that the FAFs can repress WUS, which ultimately leads to an arrest of meristem activity in FAF overexpressing lines. The finding that meristematic expression of FAF2 and FAF4 is under negative control by CLV3 further supports the hypothesis that the FAFs are modulators of the genetic circuit that regulates the meristem. CONCLUSION: This study reports the initial characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana FAF gene family. Our data indicate that the FAF genes form a plant specific gene family, the members of which have the potential to regulate the size of the shoot meristem by modulating the CLV3-WUS feedback loop.

SUBMITTER: Wahl V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3023791 | biostudies-other | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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The FANTASTIC FOUR proteins influence shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Wahl Vanessa V Brand Luise H LH Guo Ya-Long YL Schmid Markus M

BMC plant biology 20101222

<h4>Background</h4>Throughout their lives plants produce new organs from groups of pluripotent cells called meristems, located at the tips of the shoot and the root. The size of the shoot meristem is tightly controlled by a feedback loop, which involves the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) and the CLAVATA (CLV) proteins. This regulatory circuit is further fine-tuned by morphogenic signals such as hormones and sugars.<h4>Results</h4>Here we show that a family of four plant-specific ...[more]

PMID: 21176196

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Project description:BACKGROUND:In plants, the shoot apical meristem (SAM) has two main functions, involving the production of all aerial organs on the one hand and self-maintenance on the other, allowing the production of organs during the entire post-embryonic life of the plant. Transcription factors, microRNA, hormones, peptides and forces have been involved in meristem function. Whereas phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs) have been involved in almost all biological functions, including stem cell maintenance and organogenesis in animals, the processes in meristem biology to which PIPs contribute still need to be delineated. RESULTS:Using biosensors for PI4P and PI(4,5)P2, the two most abundant PIPs at the plasma membrane, we reveal that meristem functions are associated with a stereotypical PIP tissue-scale pattern, with PI(4,5)P2 always displaying a more clear-cut pattern than PI4P. Using clavata3 and pin-formed1 mutants, we show that stem cell maintenance is associated with reduced levels of PIPs. In contrast, high PIP levels are signatures for organ-meristem boundaries. Interestingly, this pattern echoes that of cortical microtubules and stress anisotropy at the meristem. Using ablations and pharmacological approaches, we further show that PIP levels can be increased when the tensile stress pattern is altered. Conversely, we find that katanin mutant meristems, with increased isotropy of microtubule arrays and slower response to mechanical perturbations, exhibit reduced PIP gradients within the SAM. Comparable PIP pattern defects were observed in phospholipase A3β overexpressor lines, which largely phenocopy katanin mutants at the whole plant level. CONCLUSIONS:Using phospholipid biosensors, we identified a stereotypical PIP accumulation pattern in the SAM that negatively correlates with stem cell maintenance and positively correlates with organ-boundary establishment. While other cues are very likely to contribute to the final PIP pattern, we provide evidence that the patterns of PIP, cortical microtubules and mechanical stress are positively correlated, suggesting that the PIP pattern, and its reproducibility, relies at least in part on the mechanical status of the SAM.

Dataset Information

The FANTASTIC FOUR proteins influence shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Publications

The FANTASTIC FOUR proteins influence shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis thaliana.

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