Evolution of buffering in a genetic circuit controlling plant stem cell proliferation

Daniel Rodriguez-Leal, Cao Xu, Choon Tak Kwon, Cara Soyars, Edgar Demesa-Arevalo, Jarrett Man, Lei Liu, Zachary H. Lemmon, Daniel S. Jones, Joyce Van Eck, David P. Jackson, Madelaine E. Bartlett, Zachary L. Nimchuk, Zachary B. Lippman

Research output: Contribution to journalLetterpeer-review

131 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Precise control of plant stem cell proliferation is necessary for the continuous and reproducible development of plant organs 1,2 . The peptide ligand CLAVATA3 (CLV3) and its receptor protein kinase CLAVATA1 (CLV1) maintain stem cell homeostasis within a deeply conserved negative feedback circuit 1,2 . In Arabidopsis, CLV1 paralogs also contribute to homeostasis, by compensating for the loss of CLV1 through transcriptional upregulation 3 . Here, we show that compensation 4,5 operates in diverse lineages for both ligands and receptors, but while the core CLV signaling module is conserved, compensation mechanisms have diversified. Transcriptional compensation between ligand paralogs operates in tomato, facilitated by an ancient gene duplication that impacted the domestication of fruit size. In contrast, we found little evidence for transcriptional compensation between ligands in Arabidopsis and maize, and receptor compensation differs between tomato and Arabidopsis. Our findings show that compensation among ligand and receptor paralogs is critical for stem cell homeostasis, but that diverse genetic mechanisms buffer conserved developmental programs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)786-792
Number of pages7
JournalNature Genetics
Volume51
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.

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