Hennig, Lars
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Stem cells in plants and animals are maintained pluripotent by signals from adjacent niche cells. In plants, WUSCHEL HOMEOBOX (WOX) transcription factors are central regulators of stem cell maintenance in different meristem types, yet their molecular mode of action has remained elusive. Here we show that in the Arabidopsis root meristem, the WOX5 protein moves from the root niche organizer, the quiescent center, into the columella stem cells, where it directly represses the transcription factor gene CDF4. This creates a gradient of CDF4 transcription, which promotes differentiation opposite to the WOX5 gradient, allowing stem cell daughter cells to exit the stem cell state. We further show that WOX5 represses CDF4 transcription by recruiting TPL/TPR co-repressors and the histone deacetylase HDA19, which consequently induces histone deacetylation at the CDF4 regulatory region. Our results show that chromatin-mediated repression of differentiation programs is a common strategy in plant and animal stem cell niches.
Published in
Developmental Cell
2015, volume: 33, number: 5, pages: 576-588
Publisher: CELL PRESS
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Developmental Biology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2015.04.024
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/72372