RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Control of stem cell niche and fruit development in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> by <em>AGO10/ZWL</em> requires the bHLH transcription factor <em>INDEHISCENT</em>
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.11.25.397513
DO 10.1101/2020.11.25.397513
A1 Manoj Valluru
A1 Karim Sorefan
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/26/2020.11.25.397513.abstract
AB Background The shoot apical meristem (SAM) in plants is composed of a small mound of pluripotent stem cells that generate new organs. ARGONAUTE10 (AGO10) is known to be critical for maintenance of the embryonic SAM by regulating the expression of Class III HOMEODOMAIN-LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIP III) transcription factors, which then modulate downstream responses to the key phytohormone auxin. However, we do not understand how AGO10 modulates auxin responses after embryogenesis in the mature plant.Results Here we show that AGO10 regulates auxin responses in the post-embryonic SAM via the bHLH transcription factor INDEHISCENT (IND). IND directly regulates auxin responses in the SAM regulating the auxin transporter PIN1 via direct transcriptional regulation of PINOID kinase. We show that a loss of function ind mutation significantly restores ago10zwl-3 mutant SAM and fruit phenotypes. ago10zwl-3 mutants overexpress IND and overexpression of IND phenocopies the ago10zwl-3 SAM phenotypes, and regulates auxin transport and responses in the SAM. AGO10 also regulates post-embryonic development in the fruit via a similar genetic pathway.Conclusions We characterise a molecular mechanism that is conserved during post embryonic development linking AGO10 directly to auxin responses.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.SAMShoot apical meristemAGO10zwl-3ZWILLE-3 in Ler background.AGO10-4AGO10-4 in Col background.INDINDEHISCENTSPTSPATULAYFPyellow fluorescent proteinGFPgreen fluorescent proteinLerLandsberg erectaqRT-PCRquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactionHD-ZIP IIIHOMEODOMAIN LEUCINE ZIPPER class IIIREVREVOLUTAPHBPHABULOSAPHVPHAVALUTAPIDPINOIDGUSbeta-GlucuronidaseDEXdexamethasoneGRglucocorticoid receptorChIPChromatin immunoprecipitationNPANaphthylphthalamic acidGSEAgene set enrichment analysis.