Innovation, conservation, and repurposing of gene function in root cell type development.

Plant species have evolved myriads of solutions, including complex cell type development and regulation, to adapt to dynamic environments. To understand this cellular diversity, we profiled tomato root cell type translatomes. Using xylem differentiation in tomato, examples of functional innovation, repurposing, and conservation of transcription factors are described, relative to the model plant Arabidopsis. Repurposing and innovation of genes are further observed within an exodermis regulatory network and illustrate its function. Comparative translatome analyses of rice, tomato, and Arabidopsis cell populations suggest increased expression conservation of root meristems compared with other homologous populations. In addition, the functions of constitutively expressed genes are more conserved than those of cell type/tissue-enriched genes. These observations suggest that higher order properties of cell type and pan-cell type regulation are evolutionarily conserved between plants and animals.

Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology.

The field of developmental biology has declined in prominence in recent decades, with off-shoots from the field becoming more fashionable and highly funded. This has created inequity in discovery and opportunity, partly due to the perception that the field is antiquated or not cutting edge. A 'think tank' of scientists from multiple developmental biology-related disciplines came together to define specific challenges in the field that may have inhibited innovation, and to provide tangible solutions to some of the issues facing developmental biology. The community suggestions include a call to the community to help 'rebrand' the field, alongside proposals for additional funding apparatuses, frameworks for interdisciplinary innovative collaborations, pedagogical access, improved science communication, increased diversity and inclusion, and equity of resources to provide maximal impact to the community.

Molecular mechanisms underlying leaf development, morphological diversification, and beyond.

The basic mechanisms of leaf development have been revealed through a combination of genetics and intense analyses in select model species. The genetic basis for diversity in leaf morphology seen in nature is also being unraveled through recent advances in techniques and technologies related to genomics and transcriptomics, which have had a major impact on these comparative studies. However, this has led to the emergence of new unresolved questions about the mechanisms that generate the diversity of leaf form. Here, we provide a review of the current knowledge of the fundamental molecular genetic mechanisms underlying leaf development with an emphasis on natural variation and conserved gene regulatory networks involved in leaf development. Beyond that, we discuss open questions/enigmas in the area of leaf development, how recent technologies can best be deployed to generate a unified understanding of leaf diversity and its evolution, and what untapped fields lie ahead.

Spatial transcriptional signatures define margin morphogenesis along the proximal-distal and medio-lateral axes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves.

Leaf morphogenesis involves cell division, expansion, and differentiation in the developing leaf, which take place at different rates and at different positions along the medio-lateral and proximal-distal leaf axes. The gene expression changes that control cell fate along these axes remain elusive due to difficulties in precisely isolating tissues. Here, we combined rigorous early leaf characterization, laser capture microdissection, and transcriptomic sequencing to ask how gene expression patterns regulate early leaf morphogenesis in wild-type tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and the leaf morphogenesis mutant trifoliate. We observed transcriptional regulation of cell differentiation along the proximal-distal axis and identified molecular signatures delineating the classically defined marginal meristem/blastozone region during early leaf development. We describe the role of endoreduplication during leaf development, when and where leaf cells first achieve photosynthetic competency, and the regulation of auxin transport and signaling along the leaf axes. Knockout mutants of BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 exhibited ectopic shoot apical meristem formation on leaves, highlighting the role of this gene in regulating margin tissue identity. We mapped gene expression signatures in specific leaf domains and evaluated the role of each domain in conferring indeterminacy and permitting blade outgrowth. Finally, we generated a global gene expression atlas of the early developing compound leaf.

Heinz-resistant tomato cultivars exhibit a lignin-based resistance to field dodder (Cuscuta campestris) parasitism.

Cuscuta species (dodders) are agriculturally destructive, parasitic angiosperms. These parasitic plants use haustoria as physiological bridges to extract nutrients and water from hosts. Cuscuta campestris has a broad host range and wide geographical distribution. While some wild tomato relatives are resistant, cultivated tomatoes are generally susceptible to C. campestris infestations. However, some specific Heinz tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) hybrid cultivars exhibit resistance to dodders in the field, but their defense mechanism was previously unknown. Here, we discovered that the stem cortex in these resistant lines responds with local lignification upon C. campestris attachment, preventing parasite entry into the host. Lignin Induction Factor 1 (LIF1, an AP2-like transcription factor), SlMYB55, and Cuscuta R-gene for Lignin-based Resistance 1, a CC-NBS-LRR (CuRLR1) are identified as factors that confer host resistance by regulating lignification. SlWRKY16 is upregulated upon C. campestris infestation and potentially negatively regulates LIF1 function. Intriguingly, CuRLR1 may play a role in signaling or function as an intracellular receptor for receiving Cuscuta signals or effectors, thereby regulating lignification-based resistance. In summary, these four regulators control the lignin-based resistance response in specific Heinz tomato cultivars, preventing C. campestris from parasitizing resistant tomatoes. This discovery provides a foundation for investigating multilayer resistance against Cuscuta species and has potential for application in other essential crops attacked by parasitic plants.

LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 25 functions as a key regulator of haustorium development in dodders.

Parasitic plants reduce crop yield worldwide. Dodder (Cuscuta campestris) is a stem parasite that attaches to its host, using haustoria to extract nutrients and water. We analyzed the transcriptome of six C. campestris tissues and identified a key gene, LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 25 (CcLBD25), as highly expressed in prehaustoria and haustoria. Gene coexpression networks from different tissue types and laser-capture microdissection RNA-sequencing data indicated that CcLBD25 could be essential for regulating cell wall loosening and organogenesis. We employed host-induced gene silencing by generating transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) hosts that express hairpin RNAs to target and down-regulate CcLBD25 in the parasite. Our results showed that C. campestris growing on CcLBD25 RNAi transgenic tomatoes transited to the flowering stage earlier and had reduced biomass compared with C. campestris growing on wild-type (WT) hosts, suggesting that parasites growing on transgenic plants were stressed due to insufficient nutrient acquisition. We developed an in vitro haustorium system to assay the number of prehaustoria produced on strands from C. campestris. Cuscuta campestris grown on CcLBD25 RNAi tomatoes produced fewer prehaustoria than those grown on WT tomatoes, indicating that down-regulating CcLBD25 may affect haustorium initiation. Cuscuta campestris haustoria growing on CcLBD25 RNAi tomatoes exhibited reduced pectin digestion and lacked searching hyphae, which interfered with haustorium penetration and formation of vascular connections. The results of this study elucidate the role of CcLBD25 in haustorium development and might contribute to developing parasite-resistant crops.

Profiling of Accessible Chromatin Regions across Multiple Plant Species and Cell Types Reveals Common Gene Regulatory Principles and New Control Modules.

The transcriptional regulatory structure of plant genomes remains poorly defined relative to animals. It is unclear how many cis-regulatory elements exist, where these elements lie relative to promoters, and how these features are conserved across plant species. We employed the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (ATAC-seq) in four plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Medicago truncatula, Solanum lycopersicum, and Oryza sativa) to delineate open chromatin regions and transcription factor (TF) binding sites across each genome. Despite 10-fold variation in intergenic space among species, the majority of open chromatin regions lie within 3 kb upstream of a transcription start site in all species. We find a common set of four TFs that appear to regulate conserved gene sets in the root tips of all four species, suggesting that TF-gene networks are generally conserved. Comparative ATAC-seq profiling of Arabidopsis root hair and non-hair cell types revealed extensive similarity as well as many cell-type-specific differences. Analyzing TF binding sites in differentially accessible regions identified a MYB-driven regulatory module unique to the hair cell, which appears to control both cell fate regulators and abiotic stress responses. Our analyses revealed common regulatory principles among species and shed light on the mechanisms producing cell-type-specific transcriptomes during development.

Leaf shape is a predictor of fruit quality and cultivar performance in tomato.

Commercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely grown vegetable crops worldwide. Heirloom tomatoes retain extensive genetic diversity and a considerable range of fruit quality and leaf morphological traits. Here the role of leaf morphology was investigated for its impact on fruit quality. Heirloom cultivars were grown in field conditions, and BRIX by yield (BY) and other traits were measured over a 14-wk period. The complex relationships among these morphological and physiological traits were evaluated using partial least-squares path modeling, and a consensus model was developed. Photosynthesis contributed strongly to vegetative biomass and sugar content of fruits but had a negative impact on yield. Conversely leaf shape, specifically rounder leaves, had a strong positive impact on both fruit sugar content and yield. Cultivars such as Stupice and Glacier, with very round leaves, had the highest performance in both fruit sugar and yield. Our model accurately predicted BY for two commercial cultivars using leaf shape data as input. This study revealed the importance of leaf shape to fruit quality in tomato, with rounder leaves having significantly improved fruit quality. This correlation was maintained across a range of diverse genetic backgrounds and shows the importance of leaf morphology in tomato crop improvement.

Discovery of isoquinolinone and naphthyridinone-based inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) as anticancer agents: Structure activity relationship and preclinical characterization.

The exploitation of GLU988 and LYS903 residues in PARP1 as targets to design isoquinolinone (I & II) and naphthyridinone (III) analogues is described. Compounds of structure I have good biochemical and cellular potency but suffered from inferior PK. Constraining the linear propylene linker of structure I into a cyclopentene ring (II) offered improved PK parameters, while maintaining potency for PARP1. Finally, to avoid potential issues that may arise from the presence of an anilinic moiety, the nitrogen substituent on the isoquinolinone ring was incorporated as part of the bicyclic ring. This afforded a naphthyridinone scaffold, as shown in structure III. Further optimization of naphthyridinone series led to identification of a novel and highly potent PARP1 inhibitor 34, which was further characterized as preclinical candidate molecule. Compound 34 is orally bioavailable and displayed favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. Compound 34 demonstrated remarkable antitumor efficacy both as a single-agent as well as in combination with chemotherapeutic agents in the BRCA1 mutant MDA-MB-436 breast cancer xenograft model. Additionally, compound 34 also potentiated the effect of agents such as temozolomide in breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and Ewing's sarcoma models.

Nuclear Transcriptomes at High Resolution Using Retooled INTACT.

Isolated nuclei provide access to early steps in gene regulation involving chromatin as well as transcript production and processing. Here, we describe transfer of the isolation of nuclei from tagged specific cell types (INTACT) to the monocot rice (Oryza sativa L.). The purification of biotinylated nuclei was redesigned by replacing the outer nuclear-envelope-targeting domain of the nuclear tagging fusion (NTF) protein with an outer nuclear-envelope-anchored domain. This modified NTF was combined with codon-optimized Escherichia coli BirA in a single T-DNA construct. We also developed inexpensive methods for INTACT, T-DNA insertion mapping, and profiling of the complete nuclear transcriptome, including a ribosomal RNA degradation procedure that minimizes pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) transcripts. A high-resolution comparison of nuclear and steady-state poly(A)+ transcript populations of seedling root tips confirmed the capture of pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) and exposed distinctions in diversity and abundance of the nuclear and total transcriptomes. This retooled INTACT can enable high-resolution monitoring of the nuclear transcriptome and chromatin in specific cell types of rice and other species.

The molecular control of tendril development in angiosperms.

The climbing habit has evolved multiple times during the evolutionary history of angiosperms. Plants evolved various strategies for climbing, such as twining stems, tendrils and hooks. Tendrils are threadlike organs with the ability to twine around other structures through helical growth; they may be derived from a variety of structures, such as branches, leaflets and inflorescences. The genetic capacity to grow as a tendrilled climber existed in some of the earliest land plants; however, the underlying molecular basis of tendril development has been studied in only a few taxa. Here, we summarize what is known about the molecular basis of tendril development in model and candidate model species from key tendrilled families, that is, Fabaceae, Vitaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Passifloraceae and Bignoniaceae. Studies on tendril molecular genetics and development show the molecular basis of tendril formation and ontogenesis is diverse, even when tendrils have the same ontogenetic origin, for example leaflet-derived tendrils in Fabaceae and Bignoniaceae. Interestingly, all tendrils perform helical growth during contact-induced coiling, indicating that such ability is not correlated with their ontogenetic origin or phylogenetic history. Whether the same genetic networks are involved during helical growth in diverse tendrils still remains to be investigated.

Decoding the gene coexpression network underlying the ability of Gevuina avellana to live in diverse light conditions.

Gevuina avellana (Proteaceae) is a typical tree from the South American temperate rainforest. Although this species mostly regenerates in shaded understories, it exhibits an exceptional ecological breadth, being able to live under a wide range of light conditions. Here we studied the genetic basis that underlies physiological acclimation of the photosynthetic responses of G. avellana under contrasting light conditions. We analyzed carbon assimilation and light energy used for photochemical processes in plants acclimated to contrasting light conditions. Also, we used a transcriptional profile of leaf primordia from G. avellana saplings growing under different light environments in their natural habitat, to identify the gene coexpression network underpinning photosynthetic performance and light-related processes. The photosynthetic parameters revealed optimal performance regardless of light conditions. Strikingly, the mechanism involved in dissipation of excess light energy showed no significant differences between high- and low-light-acclimated plants. The gene coexpression network defined a community structure consistent with the photochemical responses, including genes involved mainly in assembly and functioning of photosystems, photoprotection, and retrograde signaling. This ecophysiological genomics approach improves our understanding of the intraspecific variability that allows G. avellana to have optimal photochemical and photoprotective mechanisms in the diverse light habitats it encounters in nature.

An intracellular transcriptomic atlas of the giant coenocyte Caulerpa taxifolia.

Convergent morphologies have arisen in plants multiple times. In non-vascular and vascular land plants, convergent morphology in the form of roots, stems, and leaves arose. The morphology of some green algae includes an anchoring holdfast, stipe, and leaf-like fronds. Such morphology occurs in the absence of multicellularity in the siphonous algae, which are single cells. Morphogenesis is separate from cellular division in the land plants, which although are multicellular, have been argued to exhibit properties similar to single celled organisms. Within the single, macroscopic cell of a siphonous alga, how are transcripts partitioned, and what can this tell us about the development of similar convergent structures in land plants? Here, we present a de novo assembled, intracellular transcriptomic atlas for the giant coenocyte Caulerpa taxifolia. Transcripts show a global, basal-apical pattern of distribution from the holdfast to the frond apex in which transcript identities roughly follow the flow of genetic information in the cell, transcription-to-translation. The analysis of the intersection of transcriptomic atlases of a land plant and Caulerpa suggests the recurrent recruitment of transcript accumulation patterns to organs over large evolutionary distances. Our results not only provide an intracellular atlas of transcript localization, but also demonstrate the contribution of transcript partitioning to morphology, independent from multicellularity, in plants.

A sister of PIN1 gene in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) defines leaf and flower organ initiation patterns by maintaining epidermal auxin flux.

The spatiotemporal localization of the plant hormone auxin acts as a positional cue during early leaf and flower organogenesis. One of the main contributors to auxin localization is the auxin efflux carrier PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1). Phylogenetic analysis has revealed that PIN1 genes are split into two sister clades; PIN1 and the relatively uncharacterized Sister-Of-PIN1 (SoPIN1). In this paper we identify entire-2 as a loss-of-function SlSoPIN1a (Solyc10g078370) mutant in Solanum lycopersicum. The entire-2 plants are unable to specify proper leaf initiation leading to a frequent switch from the wild type spiral phyllotactic pattern to distichous and decussate patterns. Leaves in entire-2 are large and less complex and the leaflets display spatial deformities in lamina expansion, vascular development, and margin specification. During sympodial growth in entire-2 the specification of organ position and identity is greatly affected resulting in variable branching patterns on the main sympodial and inflorescence axes. To understand how SlSoPIN1a functions in establishing proper auxin maxima we used the auxin signaling reporter DR5: Venus to visualize differences in auxin localization between entire-2 and wild type. DR5: Venus visualization shows a widening of auxin localization which spreads to subepidermal tissue layers during early leaf and flower organogenesis, showing that SoPIN1 functions to focus auxin signaling to the epidermal layer. The striking spatial deformities observed in entire-2 help provide a mechanistic framework for explaining the function of the SoPIN1 clade in S.lycopersicum.

eQTL Regulating Transcript Levels Associated with Diverse Biological Processes in Tomato.

Variation in gene expression, in addition to sequence polymorphisms, is known to influence developmental, physiological, and metabolic traits in plants. Genetic mapping populations have facilitated identification of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), the genetic determinants of variation in gene expression patterns. We used an introgression population developed from the wild desert-adapted Solanum pennellii and domesticated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to identify the genetic basis of transcript level variation. We established the effect of each introgression on the transcriptome and identified approximately 7,200 eQTL regulating the steady-state transcript levels of 5,300 genes. Barnes-Hut t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding clustering identified 42 modules revealing novel associations between transcript level patterns and biological processes. The results showed a complex genetic architecture of global transcript abundance pattern in tomato. Several genetic hot spots regulating a large number of transcript level patterns relating to diverse biological processes such as plant defense and photosynthesis were identified. Important eQTL regulating transcript level patterns were related to leaf number and complexity as well as hypocotyl length. Genes associated with leaf development showed an inverse correlation with photosynthetic gene expression, but eQTL regulating genes associated with leaf development and photosynthesis were dispersed across the genome. This comprehensive eQTL analysis details the influence of these loci on plant phenotypes and will be a valuable community resource for investigations on the genetic effects of eQTL on phenotypic traits in tomato.

Regulation of the KNOX-GA gene module induces heterophyllic alteration in North American lake cress.

Plants show leaf form alteration in response to changes in the surrounding environment, and this phenomenon is called heterophylly. Although heterophylly is seen across plant species, the regulatory mechanisms involved are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying heterophylly in Rorippa aquatica (Brassicaceae), also known as North American lake cress. R. aquatica develops pinnately dissected leaves in submerged conditions, whereas it forms simple leaves with serrated margins in terrestrial conditions. We found that the expression levels of KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX (KNOX1) orthologs changed in response to changes in the surrounding environment (e.g., change of ambient temperature; below or above water) and that the accumulation of gibberellin (GA), which is thought to be regulated by KNOX1 genes, also changed in the leaf primordia. We further demonstrated that exogenous GA affects the complexity of leaf form in this species. Moreover, RNA-seq revealed a relationship between light intensity and leaf form. These results suggest that regulation of GA level via KNOX1 genes is involved in regulating heterophylly in R. aquatica. The mechanism responsible for morphological diversification of leaf form among species may also govern the variation of leaf form within a species in response to environmental changes.