The stem cell niche transcription factor ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 participates in aluminum-induced terminal differentiation in Arabidopsis roots.

Aluminum-dependent stoppage of root growth requires the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway including the p53-like transcription factor SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RADIATION 1 (SOG1), which promotes terminal differentiation of the root tip in response to Al dependent cell death. Transcriptomic analyses identified Al-induced SOG1-regulated targets as candidate mediators of this growth arrest. Analysis of these factors either as loss-of-function mutants or by overexpression in the als3-1 background shows ERF115, which is a key transcription factor that in other scenarios is rate-limiting for damaged stem cell replenishment, instead participates in transition from an actively growing root to one that has terminally differentiated in response to Al toxicity. This is supported by a loss-of-function erf115 mutant raising the threshold of Al required to promote terminal differentiation of Al hypersensitive als3-1. Consistent with its key role in stoppage of root growth, a putative ERF115 barley ortholog is also upregulated following Al exposure, suggesting a conserved role for this ATR-dependent pathway in Al response. In contrast to other DNA damage agents, these results show that ERF115 and likely related family members are important determinants of terminal differentiation of the root tip following Al exposure and central outputs of the SOG1-mediated pathway in Al response.

DNA double-strand breaks enhance brassinosteroid signaling to activate quiescent center cell division in Arabidopsis.

In Arabidopsis roots, the quiescent center (QC), a group of slowly dividing cells located at the center of the stem cell niche, functions as an organizing center to maintain the stemness of neighboring cells. Recent studies have shown that they also act as a reservoir for backup cells, which replenish DNA-damaged stem cells by activating cell division. The latter function is essential for maintaining stem cells under stressful conditions, thereby guaranteeing post-embryonic root development in fluctuating environments. In this study, we show that one of the brassinosteroid receptors in Arabidopsis, BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-LIKE3 (BRL3), plays a major role in activating QC division in response to DNA double-strand breaks. SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE 1, a master transcription factor governing DNA damage response, directly induces BRL3. DNA damage-induced QC division was completely suppressed in brl3 mutants, whereas QC-specific overexpression of BRL3 activated QC division. Our data also showed that BRL3 is required to induce the AP2-type transcription factor ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115, which triggers regenerative cell division. We propose that BRL3-dependent brassinosteroid signaling plays a unique role in activating QC division and replenishing dead stem cells, thereby enabling roots to restart growing after recovery from genotoxic stress.

Three-dimensional quantitative analysis of the Arabidopsis quiescent centre.

Quiescent centre (QC) cells represent an integral part of the root stem cell niche. They typically display a low division frequency that has been reported to be controlled by hormone signaling and different regulators, including the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 (ERF115) transcription factor and D-type cyclins. Here, we applied a three-dimensional (3D) imaging to visualize the Arabidopsis QC cell number, volume and division patterns, including visualization of anticlinal divisions that cannot be deduced from longitudinal 2D imaging. We found that 5-day-old seedlings possess on average eight QC cells which are organized in a monolayered disc. In a period of 7 d, half of the QC cells undergo anticlinal division in a largely invariant space. Ectopic expression of ERF115 and CYCLIN D1;1 (CYCD1;1) promote both anticlinal and periclinal QC cell divisions, the latter resulting in a dual-layered QC zone holding up to 2-fold more QC cells compared with the wild type. In contrast, application of cytokinin or ethylene results in an increase in the number of periclinal, but a decrease in anticlinal QC divisions, suggesting that they control the orientation of QC cell division. Our data illustrate the power of 3D visualization in revealing unexpected QC characteristics.

The quiescent center and root regeneration.

Since its discovery by F.A.L Clowes, extensive research has been dedicated to identifying the functions of the quiescent center (QC). One of the earliest hypotheses was that it serves a key role in regeneration of the root meristem. Recent works provided support for this hypothesis and began to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. There are two scenarios to consider when assessing the role of the QC in regeneration: one, when the damage leaves the QC intact; and the other, when the QC itself is destroyed. In the first scenario, multiple factors are recruited to activate QC cell division in order to replace damaged cells, but whether the QC has a role in the second scenario is less clear. Both using gene expression studies and following the cell division pattern have shown that the QC is assembled gradually, only to appear as a coherent identity late in regeneration. Similar late emergence of the QC was observed during the de novo formation of the lateral root meristem. These observations can lead to the conclusion that the QC has no role in regeneration. However, activities normally occurring in QC cells, such as local auxin biosynthesis, are still found during regeneration but occur in different cells in the regenerating meristem. Thus, we explore an alternative hypothesis, that following destruction of the QC, QC-related gene activity is temporarily distributed to other cells in the regenerating meristem, and only coalesce into a distinct cell identity when regeneration is complete.

RAB GTPASE HOMOLOG 8D is required for the maintenance of both the root stem cell niche and the meristem.

Previous studies have suggested that the plastid translation elongation factor, elongation factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu), encoded by RAB GTPASE HOMOLOG 8D (RAB8D) is essential for plant growth. Here, through analyzing the root phenotypes of two knock-down alleles of RAB8D (rab8d-1 and rab8d-2), we further revealed a vital role for RAB8D in primary root development through the maintenance of both the stem cell niche (SCN) and the meristem. Our results showed that RAB8D deficiency affects the root auxin response and SCN maintenance signaling. RAB8D interacts with GENOMES UNCOUPLED 1 (GUN1) in vivo. Further analysis revealed that GUN1 is over-accumulated and is required for both stem cell death and maintenance of root architecture in rab8d Arabidopsis mutants. The ATAXIA-TELANGIECTASIA-MUTATED (ATM)-SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE 1 pathway is involved in the regulation of root meristem size through upregulating SIAMESE-RELATED 5 expression in the rab8d-2 allele. Moreover, ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 is highly expressed in rab8d-2, which plays a role in further quiescent center division. Our observations not only characterized the role of RAB8D in root development, but also uncovered functions of GUN1 and ATM in response to plastid EF-Tu deficiency.

Rocks in the auxin stream: Wound-induced auxin accumulation and ERF115 expression synergistically drive stem cell regeneration.

Plants are known for their outstanding capacity to recover from various wounds and injuries. However, it remains largely unknown how plants sense diverse forms of injury and canalize existing developmental processes into the execution of a correct regenerative response. Auxin, a cardinal plant hormone with morphogen-like properties, has been previously implicated in the recovery from diverse types of wounding and organ loss. Here, through a combination of cellular imaging and in silico modeling, we demonstrate that vascular stem cell death obstructs the polar auxin flux, much alike rocks in a stream, and causes it to accumulate in the endodermis. This in turn grants the endodermal cells the capacity to undergo periclinal cell division to repopulate the vascular stem cell pool. Replenishment of the vasculature by the endodermis depends on the transcription factor ERF115, a wound-inducible regulator of stem cell division. Although not the primary inducer, auxin is required to maintain ERF115 expression. Conversely, ERF115 sensitizes cells to auxin by activating ARF5/MONOPTEROS, an auxin-responsive transcription factor involved in the global auxin response, tissue patterning, and organ formation. Together, the wound-induced auxin accumulation and ERF115 expression grant the endodermal cells stem cell activity. Our work provides a mechanistic model for wound-induced stem cell regeneration in which ERF115 acts as a wound-inducible stem cell organizer that interprets wound-induced auxin maxima.

Wounding-induced changes in cellular pressure and localized auxin signalling spatially coordinate restorative divisions in roots.

Wound healing in plant tissues, consisting of rigid cell wall-encapsulated cells, represents a considerable challenge and occurs through largely unknown mechanisms distinct from those in animals. Owing to their inability to migrate, plant cells rely on targeted cell division and expansion to regenerate wounds. Strict coordination of these wound-induced responses is essential to ensure efficient, spatially restricted wound healing. Single-cell tracking by live imaging allowed us to gain mechanistic insight into the wound perception and coordination of wound responses after laser-based wounding in Arabidopsis root. We revealed a crucial contribution of the collapse of damaged cells in wound perception and detected an auxin increase specific to cells immediately adjacent to the wound. This localized auxin increase balances wound-induced cell expansion and restorative division rates in a dose-dependent manner, leading to tumorous overproliferation when the canonical TIR1 auxin signaling is disrupted. Auxin and wound-induced turgor pressure changes together also spatially define the activation of key components of regeneration, such as the transcription regulator ERF115. Our observations suggest that the wound signaling involves the sensing of collapse of damaged cells and a local auxin signaling activation to coordinate the downstream transcriptional responses in the immediate wound vicinity.

A Jasmonate Signaling Network Activates Root Stem Cells and Promotes Regeneration.

Plants are sessile and have to cope with environmentally induced damage through modification of growth and defense pathways. How tissue regeneration is triggered in such responses and whether this involves stem cell activation is an open question. The stress hormone jasmonate (JA) plays well-established roles in wounding and defense responses. JA also affects growth, which is hitherto interpreted as a trade-off between growth and defense. Here, we describe a molecular network triggered by wound-induced JA that promotes stem cell activation and regeneration. JA regulates organizer cell activity in the root stem cell niche through the RBR-SCR network and stress response protein ERF115. Moreover, JA-induced ERF109 transcription stimulates CYCD6;1 expression, functions upstream of ERF115, and promotes regeneration. Soil penetration and response to nematode herbivory induce and require this JA-mediated regeneration response. Therefore, the JA tissue damage response pathway induces stem cell activation and regeneration and activates growth after environmental stress.