Cyclin-dependent kinase activity maintains the shoot apical meristem cells in an undifferentiated state.
As the shoot apex produces most of the cells that comprise the aerial part of the plant, perfect orchestration between cell division rates and fate specification is essential for normal organ formation and plant development. However, the inter-dependence of cell-cycle machinery and meristem-organizing genes is still poorly understood. To investigate this mechanism, we specifically inhibited the cell-cycle machinery in the shoot apex by expression of a dominant negative allele of the A-type cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) CDKA;1 in meristematic cells. A decrease in the cell division rate within the SHOOT MERISTEMLESS domain of the shoot apex dramatically affected plant growth and development. Within the meristem, a subset of cells was driven into the differentiation pathway, as indicated by premature cell expansion and onset of endo-reduplication. Although the meristem structure and expression patterns of the meristem identity genes were maintained in most plants, the reduced CDK activity caused splitting of the meristem in some plants. This phenotype correlated with the level of expression of the dominant negative CDKA;1 allele. Therefore, we propose a threshold model in which the effect of the cell-cycle machinery on meristem organization is determined by the level of CDK activity.
Gaamouche
Tarik
T
Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052 Gent, Belgium.
Manes
Carmem-Lara de O
CL
Kwiatkowska
Dorota
D
Berckmans
Barbara
B
Koumproglou
Rachel
R
Maes
Sara
S
Beeckman
Tom
T
Vernoux
Teva
T
Doonan
John H
JH
Traas
Jan
J
Inzé
Dirk
D
De Veylder
Lieven
L
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002455:Cell Division; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C434472:CDKA1 protein, Arabidopsis; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases