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Published on: May 12, 2023
Regulation of plant stem cell quiescence by a brassinosteroid signaling module
Josep Vilarrasa-Blasi1, Mary-Paz González-García1, David Frigola2
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
The quiescent center (QC) maintains the activity of the surrounding stem cells within the root stem cell niche, yet specific molecular players sustaining the low rate of QC cell division remain poorly understood. Here, we identified a R2R3-MYB transcription factor, BRAVO (BRASSINOSTEROIDS AT VASCULAR AND ORGANIZING CENTER), acting as a cell-specific repressor of QC divisions in the primary root of Arabidopsis. Ectopic BRAVO expression restricts overall root growth and ceases root regeneration upon damage of the stem cells, demonstrating the role of BRAVO in counteracting Brassinosteroid (BR)-mediated cell division in the QC cells. Interestingly, BR-regulated transcription factor BES1 (BRI1-EMS SUPRESSOR 1) directly represses and physically interacts with BRAVO in vivo, creating a switch that modulates QC divisions at the root stem cell niche. Together, our results define a mechanism for BR-mediated regulation of stem cell quiescence in plants.
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