Topological properties accurately predict cell division events and organization of Arabidopsis thaliana's shoot apical meristem

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timon Werner Matz ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Ritika Kulshreshtha ◽  
Arun Sampathkumar ◽  
Zoran Nikoloski

Cell division and the resulting changes to the cell organization affect the shape and functionality of all tissues. Thus, understanding the determinants of the tissue-wide changes imposed by cell division is a key question in developmental biology. Here, we use a network representation of live cell imaging data from shoot apical meristems (SAMs) in Arabidopsis thaliana to predict cell division events and their consequences at a tissue level. We show that a classifier based on the SAM network properties is predictive of cell division events, with validation accuracy of 82%, on par with that based on cell size alone. Further, we demonstrate that the combination of topological and biological properties, including: cell size, perimeter, distance, and shared cell wall between cells, can further boost the prediction accuracy of resulting changes in topology triggered by cell division. Using our classifiers, we demonstrate the importance of microtubule mediated cell-to-cell growth coordination in influencing tissue-level topology. Altogether, the results from our network-based analysis demonstrates a feedback mechanism between tissue topology and cell division in A. thaliana's SAMs.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5739
Author(s):  
Joo Yeol Kim ◽  
Hyo-Jun Lee ◽  
Jin A Kim ◽  
Mi-Jeong Jeong

Sound waves affect plants at the biochemical, physical, and genetic levels. However, the mechanisms by which plants respond to sound waves are largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of sound waves on Arabidopsis thaliana growth. The results of the study showed that Arabidopsis seeds exposed to sound waves (100 and 100 + 9k Hz) for 15 h per day for 3 day had significantly longer root growth than that in the control group. The root length and cell number in the root apical meristem were significantly affected by sound waves. Furthermore, genes involved in cell division were upregulated in seedlings exposed to sound waves. Root development was affected by the concentration and activity of some phytohormones, including cytokinin and auxin. Analysis of the expression levels of genes regulating cytokinin and auxin biosynthesis and signaling showed that cytokinin and ethylene signaling genes were downregulated, while auxin signaling and biosynthesis genes were upregulated in Arabidopsis exposed to sound waves. Additionally, the cytokinin and auxin concentrations of the roots of Arabidopsis plants increased and decreased, respectively, after exposure to sound waves. Our findings suggest that sound waves are potential agricultural tools for improving crop growth performance.


mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Brzozowski ◽  
Brooke R. Tomlinson ◽  
Michael D. Sacco ◽  
Judy J. Chen ◽  
Anika N. Ali ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although many bacterial cell division factors have been uncovered over the years, evidence from recent studies points to the existence of yet-to-be-discovered factors involved in cell division regulation. Thus, it is important to identify factors and conditions that regulate cell division to obtain a better understanding of this fundamental biological process. We recently reported that in the Gram-positive organisms Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, increased production of YpsA resulted in cell division inhibition. In this study, we isolated spontaneous suppressor mutations to uncover critical residues of YpsA and the pathways through which YpsA may exert its function. Using this technique, we were able to isolate four unique intragenic suppressor mutations in ypsA (E55D, P79L, R111P, and G132E) that rendered the mutated YpsA nontoxic upon overproduction. We also isolated an extragenic suppressor mutation in yfhS, a gene that encodes a protein of unknown function. Subsequent analysis confirmed that cells lacking yfhS were unable to undergo filamentation in response to YpsA overproduction. We also serendipitously discovered that YfhS may play a role in cell size regulation. Finally, we provide evidence showing a mechanistic link between YpsA and YfhS. IMPORTANCE Bacillus subtilis is a rod-shaped Gram-positive model organism. The factors fundamental to the maintenance of cell shape and cell division are of major interest. We show that increased expression of ypsA results in cell division inhibition and impairment of colony formation on solid medium. Colonies that do arise possess compensatory suppressor mutations. We have isolated multiple intragenic (within ypsA) mutants and an extragenic suppressor mutant. Further analysis of the extragenic suppressor mutation led to a protein of unknown function, YfhS, which appears to play a role in regulating cell size. In addition to confirming that the cell division phenotype associated with YpsA is disrupted in a yfhS-null strain, we also discovered that the cell size phenotype of the yfhS knockout mutant is abolished in a strain that also lacks ypsA. This highlights a potential mechanistic link between these two proteins; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuya Fuchino ◽  
Helena Chan ◽  
Ling Chin Hwang ◽  
Per Bruheim

ABSTRACT The alphaproteobacterium Zymomonas mobilis exhibits extreme ethanologenic physiology, making this species a promising biofuel producer. Numerous studies have investigated its biology relevant to industrial applications and mostly at the population level. However, the organization of single cells in this industrially important polyploid species has been largely uncharacterized. In the present study, we characterized basic cellular behavior of Z. mobilis strain Zm6 under anaerobic conditions at the single-cell level. We observed that growing Z. mobilis cells often divided at a nonmidcell position, which contributed to variant cell size at birth. However, the cell size variance was regulated by a modulation of cell cycle span, mediated by a correlation of bacterial tubulin homologue FtsZ ring accumulation with cell growth. The Z. mobilis culture also exhibited heterogeneous cellular DNA content among individual cells, which might have been caused by asynchronous replication of chromosome that was not coordinated with cell growth. Furthermore, slightly angled divisions might have resulted in temporary curvatures of attached Z. mobilis cells. Overall, the present study uncovers a novel bacterial cell organization in Z. mobilis. IMPORTANCE With increasing environmental concerns about the use of fossil fuels, development of a sustainable biofuel production platform has been attracting significant public attention. Ethanologenic Z. mobilis species are endowed with an efficient ethanol fermentation capacity that surpasses, in several respects, that of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the most-used microorganism for ethanol production. For development of a Z. mobilis culture-based biorefinery, an investigation of its uncharacterized cell biology is important, because bacterial cellular organization and metabolism are closely associated with each other in a single cell compartment. In addition, the current work demonstrates that the polyploid bacterium Z. mobilis exhibits a distinctive mode of bacterial cell organization, likely reflecting its unique metabolism that does not prioritize incorporation of nutrients for cell growth. Thus, another significant result of this work is to advance our general understanding in the diversity of bacterial cell architecture.


Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 371 (6536) ◽  
pp. 1350-1355
Author(s):  
Weibing Yang ◽  
Sandra Cortijo ◽  
Niklas Korsbo ◽  
Pawel Roszak ◽  
Katharina Schiessl ◽  
...  

Mitogens trigger cell division in animals. In plants, cytokinins, a group of phytohormones derived from adenine, stimulate cell proliferation. Cytokinin signaling is initiated by membrane-associated histidine kinase receptors and transduced through a phosphorelay system. We show that in the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem (SAM), cytokinin regulates cell division by promoting nuclear shuttling of Myb-domain protein 3R4 (MYB3R4), a transcription factor that activates mitotic gene expression. Newly synthesized MYB3R4 protein resides predominantly in the cytoplasm. At the G2-to-M transition, rapid nuclear accumulation of MYB3R4—consistent with an associated transient peak in cytokinin concentration—feeds a positive feedback loop involving importins and initiates a transcriptional cascade that drives mitosis and cytokinesis. An engineered nuclear-restricted MYB3R4 mimics the cytokinin effects of enhanced cell proliferation and meristem growth.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeny Zatulovskiy ◽  
Daniel F. Berenson ◽  
Benjamin R. Topacio ◽  
Jan M. Skotheim

Cell size is fundamental to function in different cell types across the human body because it sets the scale of organelle structures, biosynthesis, and surface transport1,2. Tiny erythrocytes squeeze through capillaries to transport oxygen, while the million-fold larger oocyte divides without growth to form the ~100 cell pre-implantation embryo. Despite the vast size range across cell types, cells of a given type are typically uniform in size likely because cells are able to accurately couple cell growth to division3–6. While some genes whose disruption in mammalian cells affects cell size have been identified, the molecular mechanisms through which cell growth drives cell division have remained elusive7–12. Here, we show that cell growth acts to dilute the cell cycle inhibitor Rb to drive cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase in human cells. In contrast, other G1/S regulators remained at nearly constant concentration. Rb is a stable protein that is synthesized during S and G2 phases in an amount that is independent of cell size. Equal partitioning to daughter cells of chromatin bound Rb then ensures that all cells at birth inherit a similar amount of Rb protein. RB overexpression increased cell size in tissue culture and a mouse cancer model, while RB deletion decreased cell size and removed the inverse correlation between cell size at birth and the duration of G1 phase. Thus, Rb-dilution by cell growth in G1 provides a long-sought cell autonomous molecular mechanism for cell size homeostasis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yahya K. Al-Hinai ◽  
Teryl R. Roper

The effects of rootstock on growth of fruit cell number and size of `Gala' apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh) were investigated over three consecutive seasons (2000-02) growing on Malling 26 (M.26), Ottawa-3, Pajam-1, and Vineland (V)-605 rootstocks at the Peninsular Agricultural Research Station near Sturgeon Bay, WI. Fruit growth as a function of cell division and expansion was monitored from full bloom until harvest using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cell count and cell size measurements showed that rootstock had no affect on fruit growth and final size even when crop load effects were removed. Cell division ceased about 5 to 6 weeks after full bloom (WAFB) followed by cell expansion. Fruit size was positively correlated (r2 = 0.85) with cell size, suggesting that differences in fruit size were primarily a result of changes in cell size rather than cell number or intercellular space (IS).


Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (13) ◽  
pp. 3207-3217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Gallois ◽  
Claire Woodward ◽  
G. Venugopala Reddy ◽  
Robert Sablowski

Almost all aerial parts of plants are continuously generated at the shoot apical meristem (SAM). To maintain a steady pool of undifferentiated cells in the SAM while continuously generating new organs, it is necessary to balance the rate of cell division with the rate of entrance into differentiation pathways. In the Arabidopsis meristem, SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) and WUSCHEL (WUS) are necessary to keep cells undifferentiated and dividing. Here, we tested whether ectopic STM and WUS functions are sufficient to revert differentiation and activate cell division in differentiating tissues. Ectopic STM and WUS functions interacted non-additively and activated a subset of meristem functions, including cell division, CLAVATA1 expression and organogenesis, but not correct phyllotaxy or meristem self-maintenance. Our results suggest that WUS produces a non-cell autonomous signal that activates cell division in combination with STM and that combined WUS/STM functions can initiate the progression from stem cells to organ initiation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Carsten Sachs ◽  
Joachim Koepff ◽  
Wolfgang Wiechert ◽  
Alexander Grünberger ◽  
Katharina Nöh

1941 ◽  
Vol 19c (10) ◽  
pp. 371-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary MacArthur ◽  
R. H. Wetmore

Growth in the various tissues of the fruit of a McIntosh Red and a Wagener tree, both self-pollinated, is compared. For several days succeeding pollination no increase in fruit size is apparent. Fertilization is followed by general cell division and cell enlargement. The period of cell division varies with the tissue and with the variety. Final cell size is reached first by the cells of those tissues near the centre of the apple. Impressed upon the fundamental pattern of growth is the localized activity of the primary vascular bundles, the cambia of which add cells to the ground tissue. Angulation in the Wagener is accentuated by this activity. With the exception of cells of the epidermis, final cell size is approximately equal in comparable regions of the two varieties. Differences in regional extent are due to differences in numbers of cells in that region.


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