ERECTA family signaling constrains CLAVATA3 and WUSCHEL to the center of the shoot apical meristem

The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a reservoir of stem cells that gives rise to all post-embryonic aboveground plant organs. The size of the SAM remains stable over time due to a precise balance of stem cell replenishment versus cell incorporation into organ primordia. The WUSCHEL (WUS)/CLAVATA (CLV) negative feedback loop is central to SAM size regulation. Its correct function depends on accurate spatial expression of WUS and CLV3. A signaling pathway, consisting of ERECTA family (ERf) receptors and EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR LIKE (EPFL) ligands, restricts SAM width and promotes leaf initiation. While ERf receptors are expressed throughout the SAM, EPFL ligands are expressed in its periphery. Our genetic analysis demonstrated that ERfs and CLV3 synergistically regulate the size of the SAM, and wus is epistatic to erfs. Furthermore, activation of ERf signaling with exogenous EPFLs resulted in a rapid decrease of CLV3 and WUS expression. ERf-EPFL signaling inhibits expression of WUS and CLV3 in the periphery of the SAM, confining them to the center. These findings establish the molecular mechanism for stem cell positioning along the radial axis.

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ERECTA family signaling constrains CLAVATA3 and WUSCHEL to the center of the shoot apical meristem

10.1101/2020.02.24.962787 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Liang Zhang ◽

Daniel DeGennaro ◽

Guangzhong Lin ◽

Jijie Chai ◽

Elena D. Shpak

Keyword(s):

Stem Cell ◽

Shoot Apical Meristem ◽

Feedback Loop ◽

Apical Meristem ◽

Rapid Decrease ◽

Plant Organs ◽

Correct Function ◽

Summary Statement ◽

Cell Positioning ◽

Radial Axis

AbstractThe shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a reservoir of stem cells that gives rise to all post-embryonic aboveground plant organs. The size of the SAM remains stable over time due to a precise balance of stem cell replenishment versus cell incorporation into organ primordia. The WUSCHEL (WUS)/CLAVATA (CLV) negative feedback loop is central to SAM size regulation. Its correct function depends on accurate spatial expression of WUS and CLV3. A signaling pathway, consisting of ERECTA family (ERf) receptors and EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR LIKE (EPFL) ligands, restricts SAM width and promotes leaf initiation. While ERf receptors are expressed throughout the SAM, EPFL ligands are expressed in its periphery. Our genetic analysis demonstrated that ERfs and CLV3 synergistically regulate the size of the SAM, and wus is epistatic to erfs. Furthermore, activation of ERf signaling with exogenous EPFLs resulted in a rapid decrease of CLV3 and WUS expression. ERf-EPFL signaling inhibits expression of WUS and CLV3 in the periphery of the SAM, confining them to the center. These findings establish the molecular mechanism for stem cell positioning along the radial axis.Summary statementERf signaling restricts the width of the shoot apical meristem, a structure which generates aboveground plant organs, by inhibiting expression of two principal regulators, CLV3 and WUS, at its periphery.

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WUSCHEL in the shoot apical meristem: old player, new tricks

Journal of Experimental Botany ◽

10.1093/jxb/eraa572 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Filipa Lopes ◽

Carlos Galvan-Ampudia ◽

Benoit Landrein

Keyword(s):

Stem Cell ◽

Cell Fate ◽

Shoot Apical Meristem ◽

Feedback Loop ◽

Apical Meristem ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Central Zone ◽

Environmental Signals ◽

Plant Environment ◽

Organizing Center

Abstract The maintenance of the stem cell niche in the shoot apical meristem, the structure that generates all of the aerial organs of the plant, relies on a canonical feedback loop between WUSCHEL (WUS) and CLV3 (CLV3). WUS is a homeodomain transcription factor expressed in the organizing center that moves to the central zone to promote stem cell fate. CLAVATA3 is a peptide whose expression is induced by WUS in the central zone that can move back to the organizing center to inhibit WUS expression. Within the last 20 years since the initial formulation of the CLV/WUS feedback loop, the mechanisms of stem cell maintenance have been intensively studied and the function of WUS has been redefined. In this review, we will highlight the most recent advances in our comprehension of the molecular mechanisms of WUS function, of its interaction with other transcription factors and with hormonal signals and of its connection to environmental signals. Through this, we will show how WUS can integrate both internal and external cues to adapt meristem function to the plant environment.

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