PLETHORA proteins as dose-dependent master regulators of Arabidopsis root development

Carla Galinha; Hugo Hofhuis; Marijn Luijten; Viola Willemsen; Ikram Blilou; Renze Heidstra; Ben Scheres

doi:10.1038/nature06206

PLETHORA proteins as dose-dependent master regulators of Arabidopsis root development

Carla Galinha, Hugo Hofhuis, Marijn Luijten, Viola Willemsen, Ikram Blilou, Renze Heidstra, Ben Scheres^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

677 Scopus citations

Abstract

Factors with a graded distribution can program fields of cells in a dose-dependent manner, but no evidence has hitherto surfaced for such mechanisms in plants. In the Arabidopsis thaliana root, two PLETHORA (PLT) genes encoding AP2-domain transcription factors have been shown to maintain the activity of stem cells. Here we show that a clade of four PLT homologues is necessary for root formation. Promoter activity and protein fusions of PLT homologues display gradient distributions with maxima in the stem cell area. PLT activities are largely additive and dosage dependent. High levels of PLT activity promote stem cell identity and maintenance; lower levels promote mitotic activity of stem cell daughters; and further reduction in levels is required for cell differentiation. Our findings indicate that PLT protein dosage is translated into distinct cellular responses.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1053-1057
Number of pages	5
Journal	NATURE
Volume	449
Issue number	7165
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06206
State	Published - Oct 25 2007
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Acknowledgements We thank the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (M.L.) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (C.G.) for funding, A. Shimotohno and J. M. Perez-Perez for sharing data and Frits Kindt for photography.

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title = "PLETHORA proteins as dose-dependent master regulators of Arabidopsis root development",

abstract = "Factors with a graded distribution can program fields of cells in a dose-dependent manner, but no evidence has hitherto surfaced for such mechanisms in plants. In the Arabidopsis thaliana root, two PLETHORA (PLT) genes encoding AP2-domain transcription factors have been shown to maintain the activity of stem cells. Here we show that a clade of four PLT homologues is necessary for root formation. Promoter activity and protein fusions of PLT homologues display gradient distributions with maxima in the stem cell area. PLT activities are largely additive and dosage dependent. High levels of PLT activity promote stem cell identity and maintenance; lower levels promote mitotic activity of stem cell daughters; and further reduction in levels is required for cell differentiation. Our findings indicate that PLT protein dosage is translated into distinct cellular responses.",

author = "Carla Galinha and Hugo Hofhuis and Marijn Luijten and Viola Willemsen and Ikram Blilou and Renze Heidstra and Ben Scheres",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (M.L.) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (C.G.) for funding, A. Shimotohno and J. M. Perez-Perez for sharing data and Frits Kindt for photography.",

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AU - Galinha, Carla

AU - Hofhuis, Hugo

AU - Luijten, Marijn

AU - Willemsen, Viola

AU - Blilou, Ikram

AU - Heidstra, Renze

AU - Scheres, Ben

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (M.L.) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (C.G.) for funding, A. Shimotohno and J. M. Perez-Perez for sharing data and Frits Kindt for photography.

PY - 2007/10/25

Y1 - 2007/10/25

N2 - Factors with a graded distribution can program fields of cells in a dose-dependent manner, but no evidence has hitherto surfaced for such mechanisms in plants. In the Arabidopsis thaliana root, two PLETHORA (PLT) genes encoding AP2-domain transcription factors have been shown to maintain the activity of stem cells. Here we show that a clade of four PLT homologues is necessary for root formation. Promoter activity and protein fusions of PLT homologues display gradient distributions with maxima in the stem cell area. PLT activities are largely additive and dosage dependent. High levels of PLT activity promote stem cell identity and maintenance; lower levels promote mitotic activity of stem cell daughters; and further reduction in levels is required for cell differentiation. Our findings indicate that PLT protein dosage is translated into distinct cellular responses.

AB - Factors with a graded distribution can program fields of cells in a dose-dependent manner, but no evidence has hitherto surfaced for such mechanisms in plants. In the Arabidopsis thaliana root, two PLETHORA (PLT) genes encoding AP2-domain transcription factors have been shown to maintain the activity of stem cells. Here we show that a clade of four PLT homologues is necessary for root formation. Promoter activity and protein fusions of PLT homologues display gradient distributions with maxima in the stem cell area. PLT activities are largely additive and dosage dependent. High levels of PLT activity promote stem cell identity and maintenance; lower levels promote mitotic activity of stem cell daughters; and further reduction in levels is required for cell differentiation. Our findings indicate that PLT protein dosage is translated into distinct cellular responses.

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PLETHORA proteins as dose-dependent master regulators of Arabidopsis root development

Abstract

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