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Updated: Sep 28, 2025
09:41
Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification TRAP to Investigate Arabidopsis thaliana Root Development at a Cell Type-Specific Scale
Published on: May 14, 2020
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PLETHORA-WOX5 interaction and subnuclear localization control Arabidopsis root stem cell maintenance
Rebecca C Burkart1, Vivien I Strotmann1, Gwendolyn K Kirschner1
1Institute for Developmental Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
EMBO Reports
|April 4, 2022
Summary
Arabidopsis root stem cell niche homeostasis relies on coordinated WOX5 and PLETHORA (PLT) transcription factor regulation. PLT proteins, with prion-like domains, form complexes with WOX5, influencing quiescent center and columella stem cell fate.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental biology
- Molecular genetics
Background:
- The Arabidopsis root stem cell niche (SCN) is crucial for root growth and development.
- The quiescent center (QC) maintains stemness, regulated by transcription factors (TFs) WOX5 and PLETHORAs (PLTs).
- WOX5 and PLTs are key regulators of QC and columella stem cell (CSC) fate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mutual regulation between WOX5 and PLTs in the Arabidopsis root SCN.
- To elucidate the role of PLT intrinsically disordered prion-like domains (PrDs) in TF complex formation and function.
- To understand the mechanism of PLT-WOX5 complex localization within the nucleus.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of transcriptional and protein interaction levels of WOX5 and PLTs.
- Application of a novel SCN staining method to assess homeostasis.
- Characterization of PLT PrDs and their role in WOX5 complex formation and nuclear body localization.
Main Results:
- WOX5 and PLTs exhibit concerted mutual regulation at transcriptional and protein levels.
- Both WOX5 and PLTs are essential for maintaining root SCN homeostasis, controlling QC quiescence and CSC fate interdependently.
- PLT intrinsically disordered prion-like domains are critical for WOX5 complex formation and recruitment to nuclear bodies in CSCs.
Conclusions:
- The interaction between WOX5 and PLTs is vital for Arabidopsis root stem cell niche maintenance.
- PLT prion-like domains facilitate the formation of functional PLT-WOX5 complexes.
- Localization of PLT-WOX5 complexes to nuclear bodies, potentially via phase separation, is important for CSC fate determination.
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