title: A SCARECROW-RETINOBLASTOMA protein network controls protective quiescence in the Arabidopsis root stem cell organizer.
abstract: Quiescent long-term somatic stem cells reside in plant and animal stem cell niches. Within the Arabidopsis root stem cell population, the Quiescent Centre (QC), which contains slowly dividing cells, maintains surrounding short-term stem cells and may act as a long-term reservoir for stem cells. The RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED (RBR) protein cell-autonomously reinforces mitotic quiescence in the QC. RBR interacts with the stem cell transcription factor SCARECROW (SCR) through an LxCxE motif. Disruption of this interaction by point mutation in SCR or RBR promotes asymmetric divisions in the QC that renew short-term stem cells. Analysis of the in vivo role of quiescence in the root stem cell niche reveals that slow cycling within the QC is not needed for structural integrity of the niche but allows the growing root to cope with DNA damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ; Laboratorio Nacional de Genmica para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Sede Irapuato, Irapuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz-Ramírez
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Díaz-Triviño
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wachsman
authors.forename: Yujuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arteága-Vázquez
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benjamins
authors.forename: Ikram
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blilou
authors.forename: Anne B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Neef
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chandler
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scheres
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D055153:Stem Cell Niche; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C487568:RBR1 protein, Arabidopsis; C100978:SCR protein, Arabidopsis