title: Contribution of NAC transcription factors to plant adaptation to land.
abstract: The development of cells specialized for water conduction or support is a striking innovation of plants that has enabled them to colonize land. The NAC transcription factors regulate the differentiation of these cells in vascular plants. However, the path by which plants with these cells have evolved from their nonvascular ancestors is unclear. We investigated genes of the moss Physcomitrella patens that encode NAC proteins. Loss-of-function mutants formed abnormal water-conducting and supporting cells, as well as malformed sporophyte cells, and overexpression induced ectopic differentiation of water-conducting-like cells. Our results show conservation of transcriptional regulation and cellular function between moss and Arabidopsis thaliana water-conducting cells. The conserved genetic basis suggests roles for NAC proteins in the adaptation of plants to land.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Misato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Kiminori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toyooka
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wakazaki
authors.forename: Mayuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiwatashi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: Arata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoneda
authors.forename: Ko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Mitsuyasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasebe
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Demura
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019068:Bryopsida / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D056426:Genetic Loci; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000254:growth & development; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014867:Water / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014867:Water